Cat Furniture, Cat Toys

My cats favorite toy is a catnip mouse that hangs from a doorway with elastic…. warning though they can really fling the mouse around. But they seem to have a ball with it.
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My six-year-old cat goes crazy over anything with cat-nip. Balls, mice, ect.
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The toys I have given to my cat are toys that there is a string and you pull the string and the animal moves around. balls that are fur. balls that have bells in the middle of them. There is a stick and a sting and at the end of it is a furry animal. My cat like the stick with the animal that had the sting tied to the end of it.
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CATS TOYS

Cat toys, there are tons and tons of cat toys on the market. But do you know your cat’s toy preference? Is your cat a birder, a mouser, or a bugger? Does your cat prefer toys that mimic birds, mice or catching bugs? There are many types of cat toys made for cats and each cat has his or her own preferences as to what stimulates them to interact.

Favored cat toys mimic predatory acts that cats would perform if they were to hunt for their food. Although your cat may not need to “hunt”, they still enjoy the actions and movements involved with the process of hunting from which they create a form of play. Cats love to chase, pounce, capture, carry, bite and roll around with good cat toys.

Let’s consider the types of toys and figure out what types of toys your cat likes best!

Toys aren’t just for dogs anymore. Though cats may play differently with their toys than dogs do, toys are just as much a necessity for them. The right toys can help to keep your cat from becoming bored and give her a much-needed outlet for her prey-chasing instincts. If your cat likes to get into all sorts of trouble when left alone, like scratching your couch to shreds or jumping up on your countertops, a good toy can help to prevent some of these unwanted behaviors.

When you’re selecting toys for your cat, it’s important that you think of safety. Your cat’s size, her activity level, and her preferences will help to determine the toys that are right and safe for her. Unsafe toys are those which can be ingested. These can include many of the things which your cat finds most appealing, like paper clips and string.

Toys that have pieces torn off or are starting to break apart should be thrown out. Likewise toys that are starting to leak their stuffing. Toys that are filled with things like polystyrene beads or nutshells should be avoided. Though rigid toys may be the most long-lasting, they’re often not that appealing to cats.

Toys can be used for a number of reasons and in a number of situations. For active cats who need active toys, any of the following will do: plastic balls, with or without bells; ping-pong balls; round plastic shower curtain rings for batting around; paper bags with the handles removed; cardboard toilet paper or paper towel tubes; and sisal-wrapped toys. Toys that are meant to be comforting can include a variety of soft, stuffed animals. Some cats like small ones that they can carry around while other cats like larger ones that they can wrestle with. Cardboard boxes can also be great comfort toys. Though not all cats are affected by catnip, many of those who do just love it, making catnip-filled toys a great option.

It’s often best to get a variety of different toys for your cat that serve several purposes and then rotate them weekly to keep her interest level high. Remember, too, that your cat will need some time to play with you. Interactive play can be very important and, for cats, there are usually three types of play that they’ll engage in: fishing, flying and chasing. So, pick up a toy and move it around so your cat can fish for it, jump in pursuit of it or chase after it. Spend some time playing with your cat and it will be a great bonding experience for the both of you.

Using Good Cat Toys
"Safe" Toys
There are many factors that contribute to the safety or danger of a toy. Many of those factors, however, are completely dependent upon your cat’s size, activity level and personal preference. Another factor is the environment in which your cat spends her time. Although we can’t guarantee your cat’s enthusiasm or her safety with any specific toy, we can offer the following guidelines.

Be Cautious
Things that are usually the most attractive to cats are often the very things that are the most dangerous. Cat-proof your home by checking for string, ribbon, yarn, rubber bands, plastic milk jug rings, paper clips, pins, needles, and anything else that could be ingested. All of these items are dangerous, no matter how cute your cat may look when she’s playing with them.

Avoid or alter any toys that aren’t "cat-proof" by removing ribbons, feathers, strings, eyes, or other small parts that could be chewed and/or ingested.

Soft toys should be machine washable. Check labels for child safety. Stuffed toys labeled as safe for children less than three years old don’t contain dangerous fillings. Problem fillings include things like nutshells and polystyrene beads. Rigid toys are not as attractive to cats.

Recommended Toys

Active Toys

• Round plastic shower curtain rings are fun either as a single ring to bat around, hide or carry, or when linked together and hung in an enticing spot.

• Plastic rolling balls, with or without bells inside.

• Ping-Pong balls and plastic practice golf balls with holes, to help cats carry them. Try putting one in a dry bathtub, as the captive ball is much more fun than one that escapes under the sofa. You’ll probably want to remove the balls from the bathtub before bedtime, unless you can’t hear the action from your bedroom. Two o’clock in the morning seems to be a prime time for this game.

• Paper bags with any handles removed. Paper bags are good for pouncing, hiding and interactive play. They’re also a great distraction if you need your cat to pay less attention to what you’re trying to accomplish. Plastic bags are not a good idea, as many cats like to chew and ingest the plastic.

• Sisal-wrapped toys are very attractive to cats that tend to ignore soft toys.

• Empty cardboard rolls from toilet paper and paper towels are ideal cat toys, especially if you "unwind" a little cardboard to get them started.

Catnip

• Catnip-filled soft toys are fun to kick, carry and rub.

• Plain catnip can be crushed and sprinkled on the carpet, or on a towel placed on the floor if you want to be able to remove all traces. The catnip oils will stay in the carpet, and although they’re not visible to us, your cat will still be able to smell them.

• Catnip sprays rarely have enough power to be attractive to cats.

• Not all cats are attracted to catnip. Some cats may become over-stimulated to the point of aggressive play and others may be slightly sedated.

• Kittens under six months old seem to be immune to catnip.

• Catnip is not addictive and is perfectly safe for cats to roll in, rub in or eat.

Comfort Toys

• Soft stuffed animals are good for several purposes. For some cats, the stuffed animal should be small enough to carry around. For cats that want to "kill" the toy, the stuffed animal should be about the same size as the cat. Toys with legs and a tail seem to be even more attractive to cats.

• Cardboard boxes, especially those a tiny bit too small for your cat to really fit into.

Get The Most Out Of Toys!

• Rotate your cat’s toys weekly by making only four or five toys available at a time. Keep a variety of types easily accessible. If your cat has a huge favorite, like a soft "baby" that she loves to cuddle with, you should probably leave that one out all the time, or risk the wrath of your cat!

• Provide toys that offer a variety of uses – at least one toy to carry, one to "kill," one to roll and one to "baby."

• Hide and Seek is a fun game for cats to play. Found toys are often much more attractive than a toy which is blatantly introduced.
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I had a cat that loved feathers! They sell bags of colorful big feathers for cheap at hobby/ craft stores. Toss a couple around, maybe have a fan going so they dance in the breeze… He might like that.

My current cat loooves laser pointers. I have one attached to a pen, so every time I pull out a pen he flips out and thinks it’s his laser.
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If you don’t already have a cat tree, I highly recommend buying or building one. Cats have an instinctive need to climb. My cat LOVE climbing around and playing on their cat trees.

Their favorite toys now that they’re older seem to be interactive toys – a laser pointer, ‘da bird’ http://www.go-cat.com/order.htm , a long shoestring, a tape measure – anything with me on the other end making it seem lifelike.

My cats enjoy exploring and lurking: Empty boxes and paper bags (no handles – if they have handles, cut them off) are great fun for them.

For batting around, they seem to mostly prefer lightweight things – some toys they like include soft fluffy lightweight balls (stored in a bag with catnip to make them smell good), a small crinkled-up ball of paper, pen caps, milk jug rings, straws, little furry toy mice, Rosie Rat http://www.thecatconnection.com/page/TCC/PROD/TYS-MICE/TYS-0885 ,a small toy mouse that squeaks http://www.arcatapet.com/item.cfm?cat=6837 , a Wooley Bully mouse http://www.cattoys.com/wooleybully.html , and a yeowww catnip cigar http://www.thecatconnection.com/page/TCC/PROD/SALE/YEOW-6949 (the longest-lasting catnip toy I’ve ever found, and I’ve been buying them catnip toys for years – that Yeoww catnip must be STRONG!).

Some male cats like to wrestle – one of my boy cats loves to tackle & kick his giant fur rat toy (I can’t find a link, though). A new, clean wooly paint roller or furry stuffed animal with catnip on it would make a good ‘snuggle & kick’ toy. If your cat doesn’t react to catnip, you might try honeysuckle: http://www.thecatconnection.com/page/TCC/CTGY/TYS-HON

There are also kitty puzzle toys -I haven’t tried this one with my cats yet, but it looks like they might like it: http://www.thecatconnection.com/page/TCC/PROD/TYS-INTERACT/TYS-5822

You might try a treat toy, to keep him busy: http://www.cattoys.com/treattoys1.html

This link offers an interesting ‘shop for cat toys by personality’ option: http://www.cattoys.com/

This link has great ideas to keep indoor cats entertained:
http://www.catclinicofroswell.com/faq/detail.aspx?faqid=3

This one has more toy suggestions:
http://www.vet.ohio-state.edu/2218.htm

Hope this helps!
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I tied a shoe string to a bath scrubber ball and my cat loves it. He carries it around and then bites it, he is 10 months old. He also has a beenie tiger he loves. I hold it so he has to jump to get it from me and then he fights with it like it was another cat. Then he licks its face. He carries it and hids it when he doesn’t want me touching it. He also has a small super ball that he picks up and bounces and then chases it. Sometimes, he likes chasing a piece of wadded paper. (sometimes, simple is best)
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Cat owner for 40 years

My cats are obsessed with these little catnip mice. They are about 2 inches long and have feathers for tails. I found them for 79 cents a piece at Petsmart. They are inside cats, but they think they are the queens of the jungle when they "hunt" those little mice. And it’s incredibly entertaining to watch as well.
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Buy a cheap laser pointer and your cat will go crazy chasing the red dot all around the house, and you don’t have to get off the couch.

Also, my cat will play fetch with milk rings all day!
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