Cats hunt in short explosive bursts and then stop, which is why so many cat toys get five minutes of enthusiasm and then a week of being ignored. A launcher fixes the timing problem. You fire a soft disc across the floor, the cat sprints after it, and the next one goes out when they come back rather than when you have finished untangling a wand from a chair leg.

The launcher is shaped like a paw, loads by hand and recharges over USB rather than eating batteries, which matters because a toy that wants four fresh AAs on a Sunday evening quietly stops getting used. The discs are light and soft-edged, so they skitter along a hard floor and bounce off a skirting board without doing any damage, and they are easy to gather up afterwards. Available in white or yellow.

• Paw-shaped launcher that fires soft flying discs
• USB rechargeable, so no battery changes
• Light, soft discs that skid across hard floors
• Triggers chasing, tracking and pouncing
• Works indoors and out in the garden
• Choice of white or yellow

Worth knowing. Fire the discs along the floor rather than towards your cat, and put the launcher away between sessions.

Who it's for: Indoor cats and kittens with more energy than the flat allows, and owners who would rather press a button than wave a stick about.