Electric Wriggling Bug Cat Toy

The reason a cat loses interest in a toy on a string is that you are moving it like a person rather than like prey. A motorised bug does neither. It wriggles, stalls, changes direction and scuttles off under the furniture, and that unpredictability is what keeps a cat crouched and watching instead of wandering away. Best of all, it works while you are busy, which is most of the time.

Multiple legs drive it along, so it skitters across hard floors and short carpet with a jittery, insect-like motion rather than rolling in a straight line. It is small and low enough to vanish under a sofa and get batted back out again, and that retrieval game is half the appeal. Switch it on and leave it be: there is no app, no string and nothing for you to hold. Colours and leg counts vary by option.

• Motorised bug that wriggles and scuttles on its own
• Multiple legs create lifelike, unpredictable movement
• Triggers natural chasing, pouncing and pinning
• Compact enough to scoot under furniture
• Available in beige, yellow or green
• Five-leg and six-leg versions listed

Supervise it, and know when to retire it. Battery-powered toys with small legs are chew targets, and a cat who settles down to dismantle one should have it taken away. Check it over now and then and replace it once legs start coming off. Some cats are wary of anything that moves by itself for the first few sessions, so let it run at a distance before expecting a pounce.

Who it's for: Indoor cats who need solo entertainment through the working day, and owners tired of dangling a wand toy to no effect.