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Looking after the fur
A furReal pet is plush over electronics, which means the rules of cleaning are not the rules for an ordinary teddy. Everything here comes down to one line: clean the surface, never the inside.
The only safe wash
A cloth barely damp with water. A dab of mild soap for a mark that will not lift. Work with the pile rather than against it, then blot dry with a towel and leave the pet somewhere airy but away from a radiator.
Heat is as bad as water. A pet dried on a hot radiator comes back with the fur fused into a crust that never brushes out properly.
Brushing the pile back
Once the fur is fully dry, a soft brush lifts it again. A baby hairbrush is ideal. Short strokes in the direction the fur grows, and the pet looks close to new.
Matted patches respond to brushing far better than to washing, which is worth knowing before anybody reaches for a bowl of water.
Never submerge, never machine wash
The speaker, the sensors and the battery compartment all sit under the fur in the body or the head. Water that reaches them ends the pet, and it is not a fault any warranty covers because the instructions say so on the first page.
A machine wash does the same thing faster and adds a spin cycle that shakes the motor mounts loose.
Two more questions
Can a furReal pet go in the washing machine?
No. Surface wash with a barely damp cloth and mild soap, air dry away from heat, then brush the pile. Water reaching the speaker or the battery compartment ends the pet.
How do I fix matted fur?
Brush rather than wash. A soft baby hairbrush, short strokes in the direction the fur grows, once the pet is completely dry.
Every shelf of furReal interactive pets
Everything we keep is a furReal interactive pet, and every one of them does something back. The walking shelf holds the Walk-a-Lots pups — a Bernedoodle, a Schnauzer, a French Bulldog — each on its leash, each with a tail that wags while it walks. The feeding shelf holds the kitty, the cow, the tiger that roars and the silly hippo. The small shelf holds Handfuls and My Minis.
A toy that reacts
Plush on the outside, motions and sounds on the inside. Touch the head, feed the mouth, tip the body — each gesture has a reaction, and some pets have a sleep mode they enter when the room goes quiet. Kids work this out in about four minutes without reading anything.
Who buys them
Parents, mostly, and mostly around a birthday. The question behind the purchase is usually responsibility: a child asks for a dog, the answer is not yet, and a plush puppy that barks is the honest middle. Care for it, brush it, watch it fall asleep — the habits transfer.
Monkey, panda, unicorn
Beyond the dogs there is a monkey, a panda turning head over tail, a penguin, a unicorn and more. Nobody leaves the house without a friend; most people join with one animal and come back for the next, which is the fun of a line this wide.
Shelves this note touches
Interactive Pets16 pets · The pets with the longest memory for a good scratch
Feed & Follow11 pets · Hungry, then happy, then following you round the kitchen
A-Lots10 pets · A leash, a lead, and a pup that goes where it is pointed
Handfuls & Minis11 pets · Pets that fit in a palm, a pocket and a school bagPets that answer back.
Reading done — the pets are one click away.