Teksta is a fun robotic pet, first created in 1999 and now developed into the Teksta pets that are currently available. We were sent the Teksta kitty for review and there is also a puppy and a dinosaur design available.
The Teksta Kitty comes with a mouse, which you can use to feed and train her.
Teksta kitty walks, pounces and begs and will stop if you place your hand in front of her face. She also plays music and dances along to it which was one of my boys’ favourite features. The eyes flash different colours while the music is playing, and they found it hilarious to watch her and join in dancing.
You can programme Teksta via the app on your apple or android tablet (not available on phones) but so far my boys have preferred to play with her without the app. I’m sure they will continue teaching her more over time.
Teksta Kitty is designed to behave like a real cat, so she responds to sounds, she miaows and has lots of movement. The boys are all interested in cats, especially Mr R who often pretends to be a pet cat himself so Teksta grabbed their interest straight away.
Teksta is aimed at ages 5+, but I found that Mr R and Mr T were even more interested than Mr Z, although they are slightly below the recommended age. At a younger age they may not be able to carry out the full training of the Teksta kitty but they definitely enjoy interacting with her and seeing the lifelike movement and sounds from the Kitty.
The wheels inside each paw allow Teksta kitty to walk easily across any floor. We didn’t have any problems with the kitty getting stuck or not being able to cross different surfaces in the house. The motor sound while Kitty is on and moving around is quite loud. This did not bother the children at all but their dad did mention that it was louder than expected (not in the sound effects of the cat, but in the robotic motor sound).
The mouse is included with Teksta Kitty which you can use to feed her or train her with three basic tricks: eating, standing up, or pouncing. Mr Z (6) is better able to follow the instruction booklet to complete these training tasks properly.
Teksta Kitty retails for just under £60 (available at Amazon (aff) among other stores). If you’re not set on one particular pet, you can currently get a cheaper deal on the Puppy design which is available for around £45 on Amazon.
This is not the cheapest toy, but if you have a child who is very keen to have a pet but not able to get one then Teksta could be a possible alternative. I would say the 6+ rating is about right if you want your child to get the most out of all of the features of the toy. Teksta seems to be well made and durable and I would expect it to last well. Each pet takes 4 AA batteries which are not provided.
Have you tried Teksta? What do you think of it? Let me know in the comments!
Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.