Dave BrooksA Huntington Beach man is hoping...

Dave Brooks

A Huntington Beach man is hoping to whip cats across the country into

shape.

Entrepreneur Holly Coal has worked on high-tech computer

technology and advanced lighting systems for years, but now he finds

himself, and his cat, amused by a few feathers, some string and a

three-foot stick.

Coal is the inventor of Nike’s Prey, an interactive toy device

named after his prized purebred Abyssinian.

The basic premise of Nike’s Prey involves a series of feathers

inserted in a cork, controlled by a 12-foot string on a

walnut-stained rod. Nike’s Prey operates much like a fly fishing rod,

with the operator able to cast out, and using their hands and a few

simple strings, reel back the feathered prey. Coal said his cat Nike

has a natural instinct to hunt the imaginary prey, but also

understands that its “caretaker,” as Coal likes to call himself, is

part of the activity.

“This is really interactive play that builds a relationship with

the cat,” said Coal, who insists cats can be trained through positive

feedback.

“It’s always a good idea to play with a cat and then show them the

desired behavior. You can’t punish a cat. They won’t get it.”

Coal estimates he’s manufactured about 100 of the interactive toys

and has sold them on the Internet and several area pet stores,

including Wiskers on Main Street in Huntington Beach.

“They weren’t selling right away because someone had to show the

customers how they work,” said store owner Scott Rinehart. “But sales

are beginning to pick up. Once people realize that it’s an

interactive handmade toy, they become more interested.”

Rinehart said he’s noticed a difference in his own cat’s fitness

from playing with the toy.

“They can play with it for an hour and just get totally worn out,”

he said. “In fact I have to hide it from my cats on a very high

ledge. Several times I’ve woken up to them dragging the thing around

the house.”

Coal said his cat once even carried Nike’s Prey up five flights of

stairs because it wanted to play.

“What they like is the motion and the activity,” he said. “It can

wiggle, play dead, jump like a bird or flop like a frog,” he said.

Coal exhibits the toy at cat shows around the country and has

begun marketing it at boutiques and pet shops. He’s even created a

toy with small bells on it for blind cats. The standard model retails

for $25, while a more deluxe version sells for $35.

“I haven’t made a lot of income from this, but I’ve made a lot of

cat owners happy,” he said.