Keep your flurry friend entertained with the best interactive cat toys! When you are shopping, find the perfect toy for your cat to play with and stay active. Cats are like children. So your cat will need an assortment of toys. It is not a waste of money. It is essential to improve your cat’s overall health. So buying a cat toy is an investment. Toys provide mental and physical stimulation, which means they offer much-needed environmental enrichment.
Naturally, cats are good hunters. Stimulated hunting has a significant role in improving their playing behavior, so many toys will be designed to tap into their hunting instinct. They like carrying around soft toys and enjoying batting things that move.
There are a lot of things you should consider when you are buying cat toys. Firstly, you should assess the safety of the cat toy. Be aware of the sharpness of the cat toy that the kitty might pull off and swallow. Soft toys on the market come in various shapes, sizes, and colors. You are buying toys that attract your eye.
Types of Cat Toys
When you go to the market and search for cat toys in the market, you can find thousands of cat toys. But you do not know your cat’s preference. Some cats naturally like hunting birds, mice, or bugs, and some cats do not like hunting. So many types of cat toys are made for cats according to their preferences. Cats like chase, pounce, capture, carry, bite, and roll around with a great toy. Some toy manufacturers make toys with favors; those favors help cats mimic predatory acts. Although hunting is not needed for your cat for their food then, they will enjoy the action and movement involved with the process.
Some cats like toys that mimic the sounds, textures, or movements of prey. In the market, cat toys may be designed to move, vibrate, twitter, squeak, or swing, simulating “prey” to induce a cat to react and play. Some cat toys made from natural substances, such as leather, fur, or feathers, are popular with cats. However, some cats prefer fabric or items that crinkle, like plastic or foil.
Some cats like toys with no sound, while others prefer squeaks, twitters, chips, or crackles. Some cat toys move quickly across the surfaces, pieces of kibble slide across the floor, or a laser light on a wall for them to “chase.” Many cats in the household love toys that can be tossed up with their paws, swatted, and bit.
How to find the choice of your cat
Choose several cat toys and give them to your cat. You can toss them or roll them to your cat to determine their preference. Watch which type of toy is most preferred for your cat. If you cannot understand your cat’s preferences, supervise their playtime.
The most popular cat toy examples
Catnip cat toys
Some cat toy manufacturers have included catnip inside the cat toy. But the quality of catnip is different from one manufacturer to another. When you choose a toy package, it says it is a catnip toy. But we cannot assure those catnips are good or bad. So when you are choosing a cat toy, choose a high quality product for your cat. Some toys include a replaceable catnip packet or a pocket to hold catnip. This type of cat toy is better to use, and you can always put fresh catnip inside the toy for maximum enjoyment by your cat.
Puzzle feeder toys
These types of toys are beneficial to the brain working and mental stimulation of your cat.
- Toys that simulate birds, such as bird-shaped toys
- Toys that chirp
- Toys made of bird-like feathers
- Toys that create bird-like movements (fluttering toys)
- Toys shaped like mice
- Toys made of fur
- Toys that have encouraged jerking movements
- Puzzle feeder toys
- Catnip toys
- Soft toys – Teddy bears
- Treat dispensing toys
- Tunnel toys
When you figure out what your cat prefers, you can vary the sizes and types of cat toys within that category.
Features to Consider in Cat Toys
- Style
- Shape
- Ability to move/flutter/fly
- Ability to make sounds
- Safety (no parts that can be swallowed)
- Durability
- Compatibility with your cat’s interests
Shopping Tips for Buying Cat Toys
- Initially, do not buy too many cat toys; you can buy a few. Buy more cat toys after identifying your cat’s preference.
- When choosing a cat toy, consider their safety. Make sure that the cat toy is not toxic to them and that no parts of the toy can be swallowed or eaten.
Catnip is a natural cat toy; try to grow it at home. Make homemade cat toys using empty paper bags, rolled paper balls, milk bottle “rings,” or empty toilet paper rolls. Try to find at least 8-12 minutes per day for per cat to play. Interactive cat toys are also an excellent option to keep your cat active, like laser lights and dangle “flyers” or play games to keep them engaged.
How to clean cat toys
When toys are used often, they will become dirty. So it should be cleaned at least once a month. Because dirty toys will have a harmful effects on your kitten. You cannot wash them regularly, they can be a source of germs and bacteria that can make your cat sick. Cleaning cat toys regularly can provide several benefits to your pet’s health and wellbeing.
You can use your washing machine to wash teddy bears and clothes like toys.
Plastic and rubber toys can wash directly using water and soap. Sometimes dirty toys make a bad smell to your home. If you don’t have time to clean cat toys once a month, you can use sanitizers to clean it. But try to find the time to wash it with clean water and soap.
How to keep cat toys in your home
You can use a plastic rack or plastic bucket to keep cat toys in your home. If it is easy to manage.
Conclusion
Toys are essential to improve your cat’s overall mental and physical health. It makes a cat mentally strong and physically active cat. Before you buy a toy for your cat, think about your cat’s safety.