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You are here: Home / Kitty Wisdom / 8 Household Items That Make Lousy Cat Toys

8 Household Items That Make Lousy Cat Toys

July 28, 2017 By: Summer Samba53 Comments

household items that make lousy cat toys

I recently ran across a PawCulture article about household items that can double as cat toys. There were some great suggestions, but I think it’s also important to point out that not everything in your home makes a good cat toy. I don’t want you kitties out there making any mistakes you may regret. So I have put together list of eight household items that make lousy cat toys.

Kitties! Do not play with the following:

1. Computer mice

somali cat posing with computer mouse

I mean, what are those things supposed to do anyway? They don’t respond to a good whap. They just sit there like a lump.

2. Shipping tape

somali cat with shipping box and packing tape

A big problem with shipping tape is that it is often found in the vicinity of boxes, which make awesome cat toys. But seriously, don’t even get near that tape! You will be sorry.

3. Modems, especially the kind that stand up vertically

somali cat on desk sitting next to modem

Talk about useless! A nice, warm surface you can’t lie on. What a bummer.

4. Sleeping laptop

somali cat sitting on sleeping Macbook

A flat, hard surface that’s no longer warm. Big whoop.

5. 25-lb. dumbbell

somali cat sitting next two 25-lb dumbbell

It’s like playing with a big, stupid, immobile rock.

6. Empty champagne split

somali cat with empty chapaigne split

There are no regrets when this goes into the recycle bin.

7. Floor mop

somali cat posing with floor mop

You can’t climb it and it doesn’t smell good. Can you think of any kitty games for this? Me neither.

8. Human litter boxes

somali cat sitting on toilet

You can’t even sleep on them, because you know the moment you do, some human will come along and need to use it.

Are there any other household items that you think are big cat toy fails? Let me know in the comments below!

8 Household Items That Make Lousy Cat Toys
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Comments

  1. LESLEY CASTLE says

    October 29, 2020 at 2:45 am

    Outrageous!

    Reply
  2. Sandi Stefani says

    May 2, 2019 at 7:50 am

    None of these are fun toys, however, when the dog was a puppy he delighted in sealing hoomans mouse and hiding it.

    Bodacious

    Reply
  3. Catherine lingg says

    May 1, 2019 at 10:37 pm

    Honestly Summer, a good one to avoid and is quite dangerous…yarn. people think that’s a great cat toy. Unsupervised can result in a very sick kitty if swallowed

    Reply
  4. Julie McDonough says

    May 1, 2019 at 7:09 pm

    You are right Summer, those are not toys. My kitties prefer an open laptop especially when I am using it.

    Reply
  5. Xenabobb says

    May 1, 2019 at 3:04 pm

    Summer, you always give the best catvice!

    Reply
  6. nancy-Davis says

    May 1, 2019 at 1:31 pm

    Summer, I make a point to put loose twist-ties in a remote location ’cause Coco and Heidi have been known to toss those around….worry they might chew/ingest one. having a few catnip toys around distracts them from messing with much else.

    Reply
  7. Priscilla King says

    June 20, 2018 at 12:40 pm

    Serena says everything is a cat toy, especially the human who makes funny noises like “no” and “getoff” and “leevit” as you’re exploring the possibility of a new toy. Serena heard and responded predictably to words before a normal kitten would have been hearing human voices; in case anyone’s wondering, I thought of some other names for her (Penny Candy, in honor of her great-grandmother Candice and her vanilla-caramel-licorice coloring? Saltwater Taffy, for the coloring?) and she insisted that Serena is her name. But “stayawayfromthat”? Random human noises that don’t refer to anything in the real world!

    Serena is going on two months old, and has much to learn.

    Reply
  8. wanda kruse says

    June 20, 2018 at 12:03 pm

    Tape is bad. Very bad.

    Reply
  9. Sasha says

    June 19, 2018 at 5:55 pm

    I think the kitchen sink is a great nestling place. But the human thinks it is hers to use. So she tries to fill it with water.

    Reply
  10. Toffee Ripple Fuzzypants says

    June 19, 2018 at 2:06 pm

    Summer,
    Mine toys come from mine Lady.
    Toffee

    Reply
  11. Spitty the Kitty says

    June 19, 2018 at 1:35 pm

    I think it might be fun to knock that modem right off the table. I mean, look where it’s standing! It’s begging to be whapped.

    Course, that game’s only good for one turn.

    Reply
  12. Selina says

    June 19, 2018 at 8:36 am

    Hummmm…TV remotes are “sort of” toys. You CAN knock them off tables and, if you play it right, you might get lucky and hit a button that interrupts their viewing and forces them to pay attention to you.

    But that is hit or miss, except for the whapping potential. So maybe TV remotes aren’t good cat toys after all.

    Mouses! I thought I had a good idea there ..

    Nuts!
    Selina

    Reply
  13. Aimable Cats says

    August 19, 2017 at 8:39 pm

    Parker sometimes sits on the back of the toilet — usually when she wants help getting to the top shelf. Her sister flushed it once on her way to the back of the tank.

    Reply
  14. Mark's Mews says

    August 1, 2017 at 7:19 pm

    Wow, those really ARE BAD toys!

    Reply
  15. Lola says

    July 30, 2017 at 9:11 am

    My favorite is shipping tape!! I’m always trying to chew on it. And I also love a sleeping lap top. If I sit on it then Mommy can’t use it and she can pay more attention to me.

    Reply
  16. Jennifer Boaro says

    July 29, 2017 at 2:43 pm

    I didn’t see this coming at all, and you made me giggle!

    Reply
  17. meowmeowmans says

    July 29, 2017 at 8:35 am

    Good list, Summer! It’s true. None of those is a fun toy at all.

    Reply
  18. Scylla, Fenris, Tuiren, YinYang & Chimera (ATCAD) says

    July 29, 2017 at 5:24 am

    Daddy’s earbuds, actually they are fun to play with but he and MOMMY get furious when we destroy them. Mommy does at least lay part of the blame at Dad’s door when he leaves them dangling from the computer.

    We had high hopes for playing with the DeeBot and Yang will spend hours watching it, but really it’s not much fun and you never know when it is going to start chasing you.

    We have tons of not fun things laying around humans seem pretty good at collecting the stuff.

    Reply
  19. Pipo/Angel-Minko/MrJackFreckles says

    July 28, 2017 at 11:40 pm

    Good advice, Summer.
    Watering cans are not good toys either…I hate the wet that comes from the one end, and the water doesn’t even taste like that in my bowl.

    Reply
  20. the pdx pride says

    July 28, 2017 at 10:49 pm

    Great list! We have a different kind of mop here, so it’s actually fun to chase. We totally agree with the rest of your list, though! We think novelty lights/Christmas lights are useless, as are fireplace bricks. CPU towers sometimes are and sometimes aren’t useless. Our daddy uses one as a side table for his big chair, but gets mad at us when we try to use the other one (that’s usually on) or ones that he’s working on.

    Reply
  21. Cathy Keisha says

    July 28, 2017 at 6:18 pm

    Great list, Summer. Most everything around here including TW is useless except things that fall on the floor. They’re mine no matter when they are except packaging tape.

    Reply
  22. THe Island Cats says

    July 28, 2017 at 6:15 pm

    Those are lousy toys…well, cept for that mouse thing. We like to whap it off the desk…it makes the mom crazy. 🙂

    Reply
  23. caren gittleman says

    July 28, 2017 at 4:50 pm

    good list Summer!! My Mom doesn’t like seeing kitties play with ANY bags that have handles or plastic bags.

    Reply
  24. Melissa, Mudpie & Angel Truffles says

    July 28, 2017 at 3:09 pm

    You’re so right, Summer! In my opinion, nothing beats a crumpled up candy wrapper! –Mudpie

    Reply
  25. mommakatandherbearcat says

    July 28, 2017 at 2:49 pm

    These are awesome! Right after I adopted Bear, he did play in the toilet water (YUCK!!!!) – but keeping the lid down cured him of that (now, ten years later – even when I do leave it open, he leaves it alone). I use a lot of shipping tape – mainly to cover spots in the carpet Bear tore up (#1 – to discourage him from making it worse and #2 – to cover it so when I vacuum, it doesn’t pull up more carpet.) – or even spots I’m trying to keep him from destroying. Fortunately, he doesn’t like the feel of the non-sticky side on his paws so he leaves those spots alone. Stunning pictures of you Summer – as always.

    Reply
  26. sue brandes says

    July 28, 2017 at 1:45 pm

    My kitties don’t like those things either.

    Reply
  27. The Swiss Cats says

    July 28, 2017 at 12:39 pm

    Great list, Summer ! Closed doors and the sucking monster are really lousy cat toys too. Purrs

    Reply
  28. Ellen Pilch says

    July 28, 2017 at 12:21 pm

    Those were odd suggestions, clearly whoever wrote that didn’t have a cat.

    Reply
  29. The PAws and effect gang says

    July 28, 2017 at 10:43 am

    We think the vacuum cleaner makes a terrible toy! Really–it’s always whining and roaring and it tries to suck you up by the tail if you’re not careful!

    Reply
  30. As the World Purrs says

    July 28, 2017 at 9:52 am

    Great list, Summer!

    Reply
  31. Athena says

    July 28, 2017 at 9:38 am

    You are so wise, Summer!

    Reply
  32. Valentine says

    July 28, 2017 at 9:35 am

    Summer, that’s a well thought out list. I can’t figure why the humans named them computer mice anyway. I try to chew on packaging tape I see on packages, but Mom always takes it away from me. I warm pizza box is a good toy – you can bat if off the counter, sit on it to warm the tummy, and take a nibble from the goodies inside! Tee hee hee.

    Reply
  33. Katie Isabella says

    July 28, 2017 at 8:49 am

    Summer, that was inspired. And I totes agree. Those are all bummers. ALL bummers.

    Reply
  34. Madi and Mom says

    July 28, 2017 at 8:38 am

    Summer I am clapping wildly and mom is loling what a great list. Bravo
    Hugs madi your bfff

    Reply
  35. Colehaus Cats says

    July 28, 2017 at 8:31 am

    Geeze, we have some of those things lying around here and yep, not good toys. Something else that doesn’t make a good toy – a toaster. Honestly, something that sounds that warm and that gets food things warm ought to be something worth playing with, wouldn’t you think? Nope. Another dumb rock thing with a shiny surface and no point whatsoever.

    Reply
  36. BeadedTail says

    July 28, 2017 at 8:24 am

    Hahahaha! This was a funny post, Summer! The pics, the post, the hidden messages – all funny! Thanks for the giggles!

    PeeS: Our mommy got excited to see that you’ll be in Portland in November! She’ll do what she can to come see you and your human!

    Reply
  37. Diane Ricciardi Stewart says

    July 28, 2017 at 8:22 am

    Summer. . . I was LOLOLOLing reading this!!! My cats would all agree with you — except that our modem lies flat, so they are able to use it as a butt warmer — LOL!!

    Another one I thought of is the flat screen monitor or even a flat screen television — useless to cats as a body warmer as it is too skinny to lie on!!

    Keep the great posts coming!! love you — and Binga too. . . ♥♥♥

    Reply
  38. Dma says

    July 28, 2017 at 8:15 am

    That’s a very accurate list although lying on top of a shutdown lap top ensures the human can’t use it and ignore you. This is part of Diego-san’s repertoire.

    Reply
  39. LP says

    July 28, 2017 at 8:11 am

    You’re right Summer, we wouldn’t give any of those a second glance! One household thing we do love to play with though, are milk bottle rings! 🙂

    the critters in the cottage xo

    Reply
  40. Margaret Elmendorf says

    July 28, 2017 at 8:04 am

    So true, Summer. None of those are good cat toys. A good bottle top is always good.

    Reply
  41. CRAIG S. C. OKAJIMA says

    July 28, 2017 at 7:58 am

    My Sydney loves to sit on the hamper in the bathroom, and watch! Great substitute for the human litter box!

    Reply
  42. Toby and Leia says

    July 28, 2017 at 7:47 am

    None of these are our definition of great toys either.

    Reply
  43. Grace says

    July 28, 2017 at 6:32 am

    MOL…

    Reply
  44. Millie says

    July 28, 2017 at 6:15 am

    I think doors that are not quite clicked are fun. I go all through the house running and head bumping doors. A Shut door is not fun and if I run and bunt it too hard I see stars. So SHUT doors are not fun toys.

    Reply
  45. Ratty says

    July 28, 2017 at 5:48 am

    I’m glad there are other things to play with than those.

    Reply
  46. Purrjamm Cats says

    July 28, 2017 at 5:02 am

    We totally agree with you 100%. None of those are toys and they are boring/dull. Great List Summer! Now to find those pawsome toys! Purrs

    Reply
  47. Teddy says

    July 28, 2017 at 3:33 am

    Summer you are totally right – all of those get a thumbs down (which Angel Sammy would be able to since he had thumbs but I’m just THINKING thumbs down!).

    Hugs, Teddy

    Reply
  48. Brian frum says

    July 28, 2017 at 3:17 am

    That was a great list and none of those are fun!

    Reply
  49. Mickey's Musings says

    July 28, 2017 at 1:17 am

    We agree Summer.
    We do not like any of those toys either!
    Purrs Georgia,Julie and JJ

    Reply
  50. The kitties of purring pines says

    July 28, 2017 at 1:06 am

    Those are definitely not toys……

    Reply
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