Comments on: what are good cat toys for indoor cats?

By: Funchy

Funchy — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 20:48:59 +0000

My cats like those toys on a long thin stick, like feathers.

One of my cats prefers catnip "mice" and she’ll play with those for hours.

I also got a cat tree from Walmart for about $35 which goes right to the ceiling. The cats can run up and down the "tree" and play on its shelves.
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By: midwife

midwife — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 20:11:59 +0000

I have the fake mini feather boas purchased at a craft store i hot glued them to a little fishing line and then put them on a flexi fishing pole tip if you can wedge it into something heavy they play with it for hours.
Tunnels and tubes are great the old plumbers pipe with a sock made of polar fleece over it Requires a little sewing

Cat scratchers with little houses cubbys get inventive and make one yourself wrap the posts in heavy twine and staple the carpet to the flat surfaces but make sure the staples are well buried

Pingpong balls are also a hit except u end up stepping on them but if you boil some water in a saucepan and pop the pingpong ball in it for a minute approx it will reinflate u need to watch it!!!
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3 cats inside all day and nite

By: Diane P

Diane P — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 19:33:59 +0000

Catnip is a good one. Also anything that makes noise. They also like those little tiny toy mice you see sold in packs everywhere. And if you are tight on cash you wouldnt believe how many household items cats love. Mine love the plastic rings from the caps on the milk jugs, toilet paper cardboard rolls, 2 liter pop bottle caps, a balled up piece of paper, Oh they also go crazy over those laser lights.
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By: katiara2@rogers.com

katiara2@rogers.com — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 19:26:59 +0000

Anything that will make noise to wake you up in the middle of the night. Those rings with a mouse or ball inside are perfect for that. Endless entertainment ….cats don’t know what circles are! Also, for some cats, ponytail elastics…make sure it’s too thick to swallow.

Grooming stations with brushes, gum stimulators that you fill with catnip look odd but are popular.
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By: PD

PD — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 19:07:59 +0000

Milk rings!!!!!!!! They’re free and loads of fun for kitty. Oh, and any elastic hair tie that I have just taken out of my hair. (the black ouchless type)

Also anything that they can climb on or into. My cat loves boxes, paper bags, suitcases, etc…

I have found that my cat is like a kid, he finds more enjoyment in household items rather than in the store bought stuff.
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Observation & experience

By: Britt

Britt — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 18:53:59 +0000

a scratching board =)
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By: pollux

pollux — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 18:44:59 +0000

A laser pointer. This is the best cat toy I’ve ever found and I stumbled on it by accident when my cat started to chase the light spot from the Sun being reflected from my watch crystal while I was moving my arm doing something. Later that day, as I was remembering this, the idea of using a laser pointer hit me. I tried it and all of our cats loved chasing it until they were exhausted. This was years ago. Recently I’ve seen laser-pointer cat toys for sale in pet stores.

Other things that work really well (these may repeat suggestions above):
(1) toy mice (especially those treated with catnip);
(2) little foam-rubber balls;
(3) a toy that you can make or buy ("Kitty Tease"). It’s a flexible rod (e.g. part of a fishing rod) with fishing line and a little cloth "lure" at the end. Once you get the hang of the wrist action, you can make it move in ways that drive cats wild for some reason.
(4) There’s a toy that’s a dough-nut-shaped ring with a tubular/circular cross-section and with a slot (big enough for a cat’s paw) in the side and a ping-pong ball inside. They vary in diameter; most are 1 to 2 feet. The cat can reach inside, hit the ball, making it fly around inside and driving the cat wild. I have 3 cats now and they all love this. We have two of them.
(5) two household items they like to play with are rubber bands and those little "twisty" (wire wrapped in paper) things for closing plastic bags. My wife worries that these aren’t safe, however, because they might swallow them.

I added some links under "Sources" below. These may be helpful too.
References :
Runs a search for "cat toys" on Yahoo! Shopping: http://shopping.yahoo.com/search?p=%22cat+toys%22&did=

http://www.cattoys.com/

Runs a Yahoo! web search on "cat toys": http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=%22cat+toys%22

By: Lori C

Lori C — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 18:11:59 +0000

Tinsel balls that you can find at your local pet store. We have 14 cats and besides catnip that is the only other toy they ALL play with. Sometimes they carry them around in their mouths like dogs too…….get a bunch. They will chase them all over.
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By: Big Red

Big Red — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 17:26:59 +0000

It’s hard to say. They all are so different. Our little guy likes to steal pens, pencils, and any plastic lid. I don’t let him have the ring from the gallon of milk cause he chews on it and I’m afraid he’ll get a piece off, perhaps ingesting or choking.
I agree that the kitty tower is a great idea. He bats at anything hung on it. Of course the toys don’t stay attached very long.
His big adopted brother is bored by all toys. He was an outdoor cat before we rescued him and probably only enjoy a live bird.
BTW, I applaud your decision to keep kitty indoors.
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By: oil_paint_artist

oil_paint_artist — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 16:43:59 +0000

I spent a lot of money on toys for my cat. He didn't play with any of them. The toy he loves best is the plastic milk ring off the gallon of milk.
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