Kit Cat Klock Gentlemen The Original (Classic Black)

The Kit Cat Clock has been an American classic for decades. It's funny, cute and maybe too tacky for some folks but a lot of people (like me) love it. I read a lot of other customers' reviews before buying this and I recommend that you read some of the high rated reviews if you are planning to buy it so you know the "tricks" to getting it to work. It is somewhat fragile and it takes care to open it without damaging it, removing the foam insert, installing the batteries and putting the back part on again. You need to get the top of the back (up by the ears) in first and gently snap the panel in. It is also a good idea to use a screw rather than a nail to mount it since the screw should be more stable and you can adjust the small distance between the clock back and the wall as necessary to keep the tail assembly moving. You will also need to adjust the vertical angle a bit to keep the tail motion going. But I was very pleasantly surprised to see that, with careful preparation and installation, the krazy thing really works. The wagging tail assembly isn't even powered by a motor but just uses magnetic repulsion to keep the tail pendulum moving but it has continued to work for months now without any adjustment. It also keeps good time - just remember to only move the minute hand to set the time or you will probably break it. It really looks like a smaller version of the old AC electric Kit Cat Clock that I remember my aunt and uncle had in their house decades ago and the box says it's made in the USA. Good stuff!

Works great! So cute and easy to assemble. Just pop back off and put batteries in and clip on tail. I don’t understand all the negative reviews about this, yes it’s plastic but it’s not super flimsy. It is smaller than you expect but it is the exact same size as the vintage ones.

The media could not be loaded. After looking at reviews of this item I was really "scared" to order one. It seemed like there were more bad reviews than good. I read complaints ranging from "the clock is cheap and doesn't work" to "I ordered the clock and the tail was missing". So I took the gamble. First off I made sure I ordered my clock from the company "Kit-Cat Clocks" in case I had issues. I figured it would be easier to return if I ordered directly from the company that makes them. Today it arrived. Quick shipping which may be due to me living a few hours away from Louisville, KY where it was shipped. When I opened the box, which is very cool, I noticed it came with the tail. So far so good. After inspecting everything I noticed this clock was really fragile, which is not a bad thing.....I just knew I needed to be very careful when handling the clock and taking the back off to insert the 2 C batteries. After reading the instruction thoroughly (which I recommend) it was time to open the back. This is probably the hardest part. At least to me. Pushing down on the back of the cats ears to bow out the plastic back was just a little nerve wracking, just because I wanted to be extremely careful. I used my thumbs and carefully got the back off without jarring the clock hardly at all. When the back was off there was a small piece of foam and piece of tape holding the internal mechanisms secure. I very carefully took out the foam and held my finger down on the tail mechanism, very delicately, while removed the tape. So far so good. I then very carefully inserted 2 brand new "C" batteries and very, very carefully pushed them in firmly, to make sure they were in all they way. So far so good. I then carefully slid the back on, starting with the top of the ears. I bowed the plastic ever so slightly to get the bottom snapped in. It then was on and on flush. Again this to me is the hardest part, which really isn't that hard. Just be very careful. The next few steps are very crucial and make sure you are very careful. As stated in the manual, you turn the LONG minute hand CLOCKWISE to reach your correct time. Turning with the small hour hand will break your clock, as well as turning it counterclockwise. Read the instructions. After setting the clock it was time to attach the tail. Be careful. The back of the tail has a hook that attaches to the bottom of the clocks mechanism. Very care fully hook your tail and very very carefully pull down the tail gently to set hooks. So far so good, I was hoping. Last step, hanging the clock. I was nervous. I made sure to use a nail that was a little smaller that a regular sized nail. I made sure it fit in the hole perfectly before nailing it. Moment of truth. After nailing the nail where I wanted it. I made sure to leave about 3/4 of the nail visible. I very carefully hung the clock securely and made sure it was in the hole before letting go. I made sure the top of the clock was slightly slanted from the wall, again about 3/4 inch from the wall. It's how the clock works. I then gently pushed the cat's tail to the left and it started working like a charm!!! I normally don't write reviews, but after reading some bad reviews I had to set it straight. These clocks a very fragile. Use extreme care when taking it out of the box to hanging it on the wall. If done correctly, it will work like a charm. Extremely satisfied customer.

The media could not be loaded. This is a great looking piece and a bit challenging to get working. This is made of plastic and I am not sue if the original version was, but it is fine. It requires 2 C batteries for the time which seems like overkill, but maybe it helps with weight somehow. The tail wagging and eye movement are one simple mechanism that is powered by a magnet so it doesnt use any battery at all. It seems pretty finicky to get working. It has to be centered left and right as well as the top have to be in perfect alignment. After playing with it for quite some time, here are my suggestions. First, just hold it in the air until you get the tail wagging consistently, then you can see how it needs to sit and get a feel for the angles. I think the one suggestion in a review was to use a screw instead of a nail, thats probably a good idea to give adjustment on the ridges of the screw. If you use a nail, try not to angle it up to much as that will make the clock slide back. The other trick I found is once you hang it, get the tail wagging and 1st adjust the bottom left or right, you will notice if the eyes track one way or the other. They need to track in the center, so adjust left or right to make that happen, next, gently pull the head away from the wall or closer to the wall in order to keep the tail wagging. Using this technique I am able to get it working every time. At one point, I also taped a nickel or a penny on the bottom of the tail to give just a bit more weight to the pendulum. Im not sure if that helped or not, but I left it on. This was a present for my wife and she absolutely loves it. I personally thought it is a bit high of a price point, but its worth every penny because she loves it!