Cat Toys

Cat toys that keep moving when you are busy: electronic chasers built around spinning feathers, fluttering butterflies, lasers and motion sensors, plus weighted rollers and suction cup windmills that grip any smooth surface and spin at a paw tap. Each one flicks, hides or rolls its target the way prey does, and that is what turns a sleepy glance into a pounce. Rotate two or three through the week and none of them has time to get boring.

What Toys Do Cats Like the Most?

The ones that behave like prey: something that moves, stops, hides and moves again. A cat will stalk a feather that flicks in and out of sight far longer than one spinning at a steady pace. A good feather chaser builds that in by switching direction, freezing and shuffling, with paw holes around the housing that make the hunt a guessing game. A butterfly toy with adjustable speeds can run slow enough for a kitten or random enough for a cat who has seen it all, and a motion activated teaser springs into action as a paw comes near, so the game starts when the cat decides. Feathers and fluttering wings win most often because they move the way birds and insects do, the kind of motion a hunting cat locks onto in a heartbeat.

How Do I Keep My Indoor Cat Entertained?

Short, frequent play beats one long session. Short bursts of 10 to 15 minutes, a couple of times a day, each ending on something the cat can actually catch, keep an indoor cat busy without frustrating it. That last part matters with a laser: pair it with a treat ball or something soft to pounce on at the end, so the chase finishes with a reward, and look for an automatic shutoff that stops play before it tips into frustration. Suction cup windmills grip a window, a door or the floor and spin at the lightest touch, which makes them good solo toys while the house is empty. Put the toys away between sessions so they stay new, since a toy that never leaves the floor soon becomes part of the furniture.

What Is a Good Gift for Someone Who Loves Cats?

A toy that plays without its owner. Motion activated teasers and feather chasers suit a cat that spends the workday alone, switched on just before you head out the door. For a quiet apartment, check the noise rating, since a whisper quiet motor matters at night. Weighted rollers need no batteries at all: a weighted base keeps them upright while the cat punches the ball. Electronic toys usually need batteries, so tuck a pack in with the gift and it is ready to play the moment it is unwrapped. Pick yellow where you can: a cat picks out yellow far more easily than red, so it is the smart pick when you are buying blind.

Tunnels and hideaways for the nap after the hunt are in Pet Beds & Tunnels, and the full range for cats and dogs is in Pet Supplies.

Guides for Cat Toys

View all
1 4
View all