This Giant Carrot Is Our Picky Cats' New Favorite Thing

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When it comes to picky cats — and let’s be honest, that’s most cats — it can be hard to find a toy they won’t turn up their nose at.

So we wanted to try out the SmartyKat Kolossal Karrot cat toy on our own (super picky, super particular) cats, and they loved it!

We were thrilled to give this cat toy our Paw of Approval. Keep reading to find out why our cats loved it so much — and why it’s so worth the (very affordable) price!

The SmartyKat Kolossal Karrot is a kicker cat toy that looks just like an actual carrot.

This toy is made with a bunch of different materials, like burlap, feathers and a crinkle texture.

It’s also made with SmartyKat’s own catnip, which, according to the company, is pure, potent and grown without pesticides and chemicals on their own farms.

The crinkle texture is supposed to tap into your cat’s hunting instincts: The feathers are light and dangly to tease him and keep him entertained, and the burlap material is great for indulging those sharp claws.

The SmartyKat Kolossal Karrot is one of the larger cat toys you’ll find, measuring 18 inches long, making it perfect for wrestling during playtime and snuggling during naptime.

We picked three extremely picky office cats to see if the SmartyKat Kolossal Karrot could take an extra-tough judging.

The judging was an instant success.

Two of our three judges became so obsessed with the SmartyKat Kolossal Karrot that they now play with it all the time — and seem to like it more than all their other cat toys.

“Mowgli instantly loved this carrot. Mowgli plays with the Kolossal Karrot on a daily basis. It’s typically on the bed, so he likes to attack it in between naps. He loves wrapping his body around it and rabbit-kicking the bottom while biting the top. It’s the perfect shape and size for that kind of wrestle move. He’ll also fall asleep mid-embrace, which is super cute and hilarious.” — Julia V.

“Smokey really liked the Kolossal Karrot, and I could tell because he ignored all his other toys in favor of this one. The Karrot definitely improved Smokey’s mood, and I could tell he loved to play with it when he had a boost of energy.” — Katie M.

Our third judge needed to warm up to this toy a little bit because she doesn’t typically play with larger toys.

“Hazel had a bit of difficulty playing with it at first, I think, because she's not used to having toys this size.” — Bridgette F.

But once she did, she quickly grew to love it, too.

“Whenever I pick it up or squeeze it, the noise it makes excites Hazel.” — Bridgette F.

The SmartyKat Kolossal Kat’s crinkle noise was all three of our judges’ favorite part and got them super stoked for playtime.

“Hazel really enjoyed the sound this toy made, I think because it mimicked the sound of paper.” — Bridgette F.

“When Mowgli bites it, there’s a crunch noise that he likes. It has a good squish factor without being too firm or soft.” — Julia V.

“Smokey was interested in the squishy carrot that made crinkly noises. He really liked batting it around on the ground. He also does this thing where he’ll stare at his toys like he wants to hunt them, and he did that a lot with the Kolossal Karrot.” — Katie M.

Plus, all the different textures and materials managed to keep our cats entertained for longer than usual — and our cat parents were surprised that a toy this large could be so effective.

“Mowgli’s not usually interested in stuffed toys this big, but something about the burlap material and shape captured his heart. The burlap texture mixed with feathers and a string keeps him interested. I think the texture is nice for his claws because he doesn’t get stuck as easily.” — Julia V.

Our pet parents were all really impressed with how sturdy the SmartyKat Kolossal Karrot was, especially considering it’s a plush toy (which don’t always last that long).

“The Kolossal Karrot has been a go-to toy for a while now and it’s held up amazingly. The burlap is strong and everything has stayed intact, including the feathers. It’s well-constructed, engaging as a stuffed catnip toy and has longevity.” — Julia V.

“Hazel tends to be fairly rough at times, and everything has held up well.” — Bridgette F.

“I’d say the Karrot is pretty durable. Smokey is a more gentle cat, so it’s hard to say, but it held up really well when he would play with it.” — Katie M.

And it’s just so cute to look at, so playtime is fun for both our cats and their parents.

“I loved the Karrot’s design and size. It wasn’t too big or too small. The colors were cute, and I loved that it didn’t make too loud of a noise.” — Katie M.

“I love the design of this.” — Bridgette F.

The SmartyKat Kolossal Karrot will only set you back $4.99, so all of our pet parents thought it was perfectly priced.

Our judges only wished the SmartyKat catnip inside the carrot was a bit more potent.

“The catnip interior has gotten weaker, I’m sure. But if you could replace the catnip, it would change the toy’s buoyancy, so I’d rather just replace the toy itself.” — Julia V.

But because this is such a minor issue, and the price is so affordable if it ever does need replacing, our entire judging panel said they would continue using the SmartyKat Kolossal Karrot and would enthusiastically recommend it to other pet parents.

Even if your cat isn’t used to giant toys, the SmartyKat Kolossal Karrot has got something he’ll really love.

Whether he’s a sucker for that crinkle sound (like our cats are), or loves sinking his claws into that burlap fabric, or never gets tired of chasing and swatting at feathers, this toy will be a hit.

And for the price, you can’t go wrong — especially since it may end up becoming both his favorite toy and his favorite snuggle buddy.

The Dodo may receive complimentary samples to test in our Paw of Approval program, but all our opinions are 100 percent our own. We only publish endorsements of products we (and our dogs and cats) absolutely love! You can find out more about our testing process here.

If you have a product you love that you want to share with other pet parents, send a tip to dodopaw@thedodo.com.