Archive for the ‘Cat Toys’ Category

Cats need to play, no mater how young or how old they are, they need to have some toys in order to stay entertained. Cats love all kinds of different toys and just like people each cat with have his or her own special preferences. Some of the best cat toys are affordable, some are even things that you have around the house already. Just remember to make sure that all of your cat’s toys are safe, that they have no sharp edges for your kitty to cut itself on.

Here are the top cat toys:

Balls
There is not a cat on the planet that will not go crazy for a little ball, especially one that makes noise while it is rolling around the room. Cats love to play with balls, ones that the cats can pick up and carry around are definite favorites. And check out the hollow ones that treats fit into, these are always fun for a kitty.

Lasers
Laser toys are great because you can interact with your kitty without worrying about getting mauled to death. It is always fun to find toys that you and your cat can play with together. These have a long range and you can really get your cat exercising and having fun with these.

Toys that you already own
There are all kinds of things that you already own that make for perfect cat toys, you just don’t know it yet. You probably drink milk, if you get the big jugs you are familiar with the little pull tabs that come off before you can take the cap off. These are a favorite cat toys, my cats play with these for hours on end.

Another favorite toy that you can get for practically nothing is a pipe cleaner. These cost pennies and they will last forever. They do not break so they can literally last for months on end.

They key to keeping your cat happy with cat toys is to change them from time to time. This does not mean that you have to buy all new toys every couple of weeks, just rotate the toys that you have out and about. Each week change the toys in order to keep tings fun and fresh for your cats.

In the next few paragraphs, we will explore new ideas and thoughts that may help you achieve your goal and decide what is best for you when choosing toys for your cats.

Toys for girl cats and boys:

When the mouse is away, cats play. And cats have the tendency to both play hard and play soft. Toys are to cats the same as toys are to dogs. It helps fight the boredom experienced by these pets as well as gives our feline friends the opportunity to practice and use their natural inclination to chase and hunt for prey. It also gives the cat owner that great chance to play with their pets, an experience that will aid in bonding their relationship.

But what toys are best for cats? The following are tips and helpful advice to get that perfect toy for the cat owners perfect pets.

Play safe:

The good thing about cats is that they can play ball inside the house and the owners will never know it. Still, there may be things inside the house that cats could find attractive yet might actually endanger their health and safety. Houses must be cat-friendly. As much as possible, take away any string, yarn, needles, rubber bands or other objects that could easily be swallowed by cats. These things could be lethal to cats. Do not let them play with these articles no matter how cute they may appear to be.

Play soft:

Choose soft toys that can easily be machine-washed. It is best that the toys chosen to be played with by cats are also the toys marked as safe to be played with by children below three years old. Toys such as these usually contain fillings that are not hazardous. Also, avoid giving cats toys that are hard and rigid, these types do not appeal to them that much.

Know your cat, know their toy:

It is best that one also familiarize themselves with your cat. Doing so helps in ones selection of the kind of plaything that best serves the size of ones cat – the kind of activity the cat likes and its unique preferences. Know the environment in which the cat likes to spend its time the most.

Choose active toys:

Toys that are great to play with for cats are usually the round plastic ones (such as rings from shower curtains, plastic balls, golf balls, balls used in ping-pong) as these give cats the opportunity to chase and paw around. They could also carry these in their mouths, make sure though that these are big enough they cannot be swallowed but not so large that they cannot carry them in their mouths.

Choose active play:

Balls can be placed inside bath tubs filled with water. Watch as cats frolic and play on and around the toy. It is just as enjoyable to the cat as it is fun for the cat owner. Another added feature that could be placed on balls are bells. One not only sees how cats play, one could also listen and take pleasure in the playful sound
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Another simple yet effective plaything for cats is a paper bag. Use paper bags that do not have handles. These bags are good for pouncing around. Cats hide in them too. As much as possible, avoid the plastic ones as cats have the tendency to chew these and they may eat the plastic. This is not good.

Toys with tails:

Cats like playing with soft toy animals – specially the ones that have tails. They either bite them, paw them or chase these little stuffed toys around. It is best if these toys are as big or as small as the cats playing them.

Toys with catnip:

Catnip is sometimes used as stuffing for toys that are soft. Putting catnip in such playthings make the toys more enjoyable to carry, kick and throw around. More importantly, it is safe for cats to chew on, roll around in, or eat.
It is okay for owners to place catnip on carpeted floors, or (to make clean-up easy) on towels. There are now catnip oils that can be placed on carpets, and they usually stay there. Cats detect these too. Although small cats, specifically kittens who are younger than six months have shown a certain kind of immunity to catnip.

All in all, it is best that cat owners define what kind of toy should be played by their cats. It is advisable that different kinds of toys be given on certain days, and that displaying all toys simultaneously may not be a good idea. Cats can easily tire of seeing the same fluffy toy animal again and again. Variety always works best. However if cats show a certain liking to a specific toy, let them play with it, or sleep with it – whichever they like. In closing, it will benefit you to seek out other resources on this topic if you feel that you don’t yet have a firm understanding of the subject matter.

Cats and kittens love to play. Kittens especially love to play and sharing your life with them is so much more rewarding if you play with your cat. It’s really great fun even if you do pick up the occasional scratch and it’s important for your cat’s fitness and well being too. How do you keep your cat entertained? After all a cat is not the same as a dog, you can’t play catch or fetch with a cat – or can you? To keep your cat enthralled and interested in playing with you, you need to have a challenging and ever changing environment. Now before you go off the deep end it’s not as bad as you think. All you really need to do is to have a few cat toys out at a time and rotate them to keep your cat interested. It doesn’t have to be expensive toys either. String, paper, balls and boxes are all great cat toys. Kittens use play as a way of learning. Its fun to watch your kitten carefully stalk a ball, pause, then pounce on it, which causes the ball to quickly scoot off. Your kitten will then chase it all over the house for hours! Even better is having two kittens and watch them play with each other, the toys, and pretty much anything that moves, including your toes!! As with dogs you need to take care that the toys you give your cat are safe. Even though a cat is not as destructive, (generally), as a dog, cats can and do pull toys apart. Then they eat the bits. Make sure that the components of the toy are non toxic and have no sharp parts that can cut your cat. Technology innovation is being applied to cat toys. There are toys being introduced such as laser pointers and even remote controlled mice. The problem with these is that most cats and kittens dislike the noise of the motor so remote control toys are not a big hit. On the other hand a laser pointer is a huge hit, your cat will chase that elusive red dot all over the house for as long as you can stand it. Beware, this can be frustrating for the cat though, as it can’t get its claws into anything so it can have an affect on your cat’s behavior over time. To relax, what better than to put on a special cat video. Now your cat can sit and watch TV. These video’s and DVD’s are supposed to be very effective but do you really want to turn your cat into a TV addict? The secret to keeping your cats happy and healthy is to continually challenge them physically and mentally. Don’t forget that cats like to jump and climb too. Some of the best toys are designed to be played with in 3 dimensions and you’ll be amazed by the acrobatics that your cat can perform. Use your imagination too. Try putting two toys together to make a new toy. Become creative and play with your cat on a regular basis. This helps strengthen the bond between your cat and you, keeps her mentally stimulated and physically fit. Your Reward will be hours of fun and pleasure and a fit healthy cat.