When the mouse is away, cats play. And cats have the tendency to 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 a 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 one’s selection of the kind of plaything that best serves the size of one’s 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 bathtubs 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, but one could also listen and take pleasure in the playful sound
Another simple yet effective plaything for cats is a paper bag. Use paper bags that do not have handles. These bags are good for bouncing 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 – especially 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 with 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 with 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.