There are a billion and one cat toys out there of all types… and that may not be an exaggeration! While I’m not the biggest toy expert (I think posing for the camera is fun playtime), I think I can safely say what cats like and don’t like when it comes to playing. At the end of the day (or modeling session), I’m still a kitty! And I know what the best one is too.
Over the years I’ve been presented with many different types of cat toys, and so were Binga and Boodie, and before me, Sparkle. Along the way, my human noted what all of us seemed to like (and not like).
Here’s what we kitties enjoy most:
- Playing with other cats (the exception being those cats that are loners).
- Playing with toys where we can use our imagination (little mousies, fuzzy or crinkly balls, tunnels, etc.). The addition of catnip is a great bonus for cats who like it!
- Playing with toys that involve our humans.
What don’t cats like playing with? Mechanical toys! Unlike humans, machines don’t have an appeal for us. Over the years, lots of companies have sent my human all sorts of cat toy contraptions for reviews and giveaways. And honestly? If they required batteries, chances are we’d lose interest in about 5 minutes, if they even caught our attention to begin with.
The ones we did like? Toys like catnip kickers, track ball toys (Boodie loved those), and especially wand and fishing pole toys. Which brings me to the best cat toy ever. Are you ready? Here it is:
Humans are the best cat toys!
It’s true! Some cats are loners, so another cat would be out of the question for them. Toys we can play with on our own are always welcome, and each cat has his or her favorite. But more than anything else, your cat wants to share quality time with you. And that often includes playtime.
It’s humans who bring those wand and fishing pole toys to life. Who are the force behind the laser pointers. Who toss cat toys and treats for us to chase. To thrive and have a great quality of life, house cats need human interaction, more than most people realize.
The best part? Humans don’t cost anything! They are already right there in the house. And anything they use to play with a cat doesn’t have to be costly. It can be as simple as a pipe cleaner or even a wadded up paper.
Sure, lots of cats will entertain themselves. But they’d much rather you join them in some fun! So if any of you humans have been slacking off on playtime with your cat, consider this your call to action.
So do you have regular play sessions with your cat, or do you need to devote more time to kitty games? Let me know in the comments.
Other posts you’ll enjoy:
- Some of My Favorite Cat Toys
- 8 Household Items That Make Lousy Cat Toys
- How to Kill Cat Toys Like a Pro
THis is so true!
Grate post Summer!! Mee nevurr reelly had a Hu’man who played propurrley with mee. Mee thott Hu’man handss an feet were toyss….That REELLY upset BellaSita Mum so shee went out a bott mee LOTSS of mew toyss back inn 2019.
Mee has beet up DA Bird toy purrty bad so mee iss gettin a mew one for Chanukkah!! HURRAH!!
Mee has 3 stick toyss ab 2 Lazer toyss an a giftie bag to play inn an shred an tisshue papurr an tinkel bellss an Kyra Hedgwick mee Hedgeyhog stuffie an Wokatpuss mee Octopuss Aunty Ellen made fore mee.
An mee will chase aftur mee Unkell an Auntyss’ pingpong ballss even…An there iss mee small Nip toyss…mee has alot of them…
It sure iss a CAT’SS Life rite Summer!!!!
**nose rubss** BellaDharma
Like us, you have lots of toys. Sometimes the best cat toy is the simplest one, like a wadded up piece of paper!
I love to play with the plastic ids/stoppers from PET bottles!
Purrs,
Benny
It’s more fun for the human too playing with the
kitties. Good exercise for both of them and usually
lots of laughs for the human.
I love inneractive playtime. The laser toy, foam rockets, any kind of ball that makes noise and sometimes wand toys. My claws get caught in a lot of the wand toys but we have some with wires. TW is the one who plays with me. For some reason I won’t play in front of Pop but TW is trying to train him how to play with me. y current faves for playing solo are those plastic wraps that wrap around bottle caps on the electrolyte solution TW drinks and the cap from carrot juice. Bear in mind that I have lots of unused toys.
You are so right, Summer! Ava loves it best when we humans are part of the game!
Summer,
Mommy plays with us bunches. Me and Lennie play really hard together. Mom calls us hooligans. Lennie really likes his re-fillable fishy. Me anything string like or paper are my favorites. I’m the DESTROYER! Mommy worries about me, and she says I must have PICA and threatens to talk to the vet about it at my next checkup. Gus is called Velcro cat by mom. She said you’d understand what that means. He loves the laser toy and even chases the sun’s reflection from her watch. He’s gotten pretty old, but he occasionally plays fetch.
Love,
Petey
Other than my Ratty, I would rather chew and know on my Peep than on my Yeow toys! I do like the scratcher (when it is loaded with Nip). But Ratty, he goes everywhere. (I even sing to him). You look fabulishious today!
“The best part? Humans don’t cost anything! They are already right there in the house.”
Hahahahaha!
The biggest fun here was the real furred mousies…and a furred palm sized kitty…Minko loved it to death!LOL! If I made a spring with a pipe cleaner they went crazy…but then afterwards IIhad to put it out of sight for fear they would chew on the wires inside of it…esp Minko.
Pipo was very much into the pompoms intended for crafts, he had several large ones, he would carry them around and sing to them.
They loved the laser light, and wand toys, and the best one was a little bit of tough paper on the end of a long bouncy wire, I forget what that was called…
My cats have one of those white electronic ones with the mouse and they like that one, but they do prefer the laser and da bird.
That was fun sweet Summer, our humans make playtime fun too!
I love this! Mudpie is crazy about her track ball toys lately, and when she wants to play she starts slamming the balls around so I’ll join her. I most always oblige, but sometimes I let her play by herself.
I agree with you, Summer. I am happiest when my human devotes a lot of time to me. I love it when I can lie on her lap for a massage with my special brush and then spring off and whirr the ball around the track and spin my furry mouse around its container. I also enjoy a game with her using the laser toy or when she throws a ball for me
That’s funny Summer. I was just telling my sister how random house things get the A+. I have issues with my fingers and use medical tape on my fingers to immobilize joints. When the tape is gone, there’s a little white tube that rolls on the floor. Cat toy gold, also pop bottle caps are big in my house. I supurrvise and crawl arOund retrieving them from under furniture
Yes! So true! Our mom has been lacking a little bit in the play area, but she will get better now if you’re reading this.
I agree, Summer. Eric wasn’t much for playing but his favourite games were fetching rolled up paper or chasing after a piece of string dragged along the ground. If it had nip Flynn was happy.
I have to agree with you, Summer, humans playing with the kitties is the best fun, for both!
Yup, my kitties prefer toys that require me to play with them, we all enjoy playtime!
For me the best toys are the ones that aren’t meant to be toys. Like the milk ring from the milk jug…or an empty toilet paper roll…or the toilet paper itself. MOL!
Dearest Summer,
Since all our kitties are ‘seniors’ at age 14.5 (4 siblings) and one is 12, playing is way down compared to when they were young.
At times they want to play tag or swat a ball and they love the interaction.
But since they also can go outside, they have their natural play as well, scratching a tree or climbing one.
It is sad that so many abandoned kitties miss out on that very unique playtime as they’re young. We have videos and they are hilarious to watch!
Hugs,
Mariette
We agree with you. Often a shoelace or a feather makes good toys too.
I am a lone kitty like you Summer and I love that. I like toys that involve my person.
What I love most, sctitches, brushings and laptime!
Purrs, Julie