Best Cat Toys
Cat toys are great for many reasons. For one thing, they enable you to keep your cats fit and healthy through exercise. These toys also allow you to have fun with your cats. They can also be a lifeline for your possessions - especially your furniture.
Finding the best toys for your cats, however, can be quite a challenge. There’s a ton of different brands and products out there and your cat probably won’t like every option out there.
To make your life easier, we’ve done all the heavy work of sifting through the plethora of products in the market to find the very best. We looked at features such as durability, cost, interactivity, and safety before putting together our list of the top 7 cat toys you can buy.
Before we get to the best kitten toys section, let’s learn a little about the different types of toys you can purchase for your cats.
Different Types of Cat Toys
Puzzle Toys
Puzzle toys usually consist of a tasty treat placed inside the toy, which the cat must figure out how to get access to. These toys are great for cats as they combine playing with snacking and can keep them occupied for a while.
Electronic Toys
Electronic cat toys such as cat lasers are excellent tools for interactive play with cats. An upside of having an electronic toy is that they can be so much fun to play with for the cat owner as well as for the cats. Remote controlled mice, for example, are automatic cat toys that allow you to steer the toy mice from your couch while the cat chases them.
Another example of an electronic toy is laser light, however, it’s important to avoid pointing the laser directly into your cat’s eyes.
Exercise Wheels
Want your cat to get some good exercise regularly? You could consider getting it an exercise wheel. These innovative toys will help keep your furry friends fit while eliminating boredom.
Cat Tunnels
Cat tunnels are simply tunnels made out of crinkly plastic that cats can crawl through. They range from simple one-way tunnels to multi-directional tunnels with hanging toys inside. They're excellent cat toys for indoor cats.
Laser Pointers
Cats have hunting instincts and like to chase and catch moving objects. Getting them a laser toy is one of the best interactive cat toy you can get them.
You can either get a laser pointer or an automatic laser machine which has batteries and will automatically move the laser light in different directions. This is an interactive toy, which is sure to keep your cat busy and jumping for hours.
When choosing the best laser, check if it's automatic, and if it has a timer so it shuts off after 15 minutes for example. Also, the best laser should have lots of positive reviews, and it shouldn't cost you much.
Colored balls
Cats are attracted to these colorful toys, which make noises as they roll across the floor. Chasing these balls around your house can keep your cat occupied when you’re not around. You can also join in the fun with these toys for cats.
Catnip Toys
Catnip is an herb that has a stimulating effect on most cats. Thus, it is usually included in many cat toys as it makes them much more attractive to cats. If you don't own any catnip toys you can also get catnip spray for kitten toys that do not come with the substance.
Top 7 Cat and Kitten Toys You Can Buy
1. Bergan Turbo Scratcher Cat Toy
Editor's Rating: 4.8/5 Overall Score
The Bergan Turbo Scratcher Cat Toy is a superb combination of a textured scratch pad and a ball track. This toy will not only keep your cat entertained for long periods of time but it’ll also afford them the opportunity for exercise. The cat scratch pad is an ideal place for felines to sharpen their claws while the ball track allows them to play and utilize their hunting instincts.
This interactive cat toy comes with a bag of catnip, which is great. You can easily replace the scratch pad if your cat destroys it as it’s basically rolled cardboard. You can also remove the ball when you feel your cat has had enough exercise. It is sure to become your favorite cats toy.
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2. SmartyKat Skitter Critter Catnip Mouse Cat Toys
Editor's Rating: 4.7/5 Overall Score
If there’s two things cats love, it’s mice and catnip. Thus, one of the best toys you can get for your cats is a toy mice. With the SmartyKat Skitter Critter pack, you get three adorable 4 inch long toy mice laced with catnip. If your cat loves catnip, they’ll find this toy irresistible and will play with each mouse for hours.
The SmartyKat Skitter Critter toys are manufactured using Fiberfill, which is made from recycled plastic. The catnip included is produced without chemicals.
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3. Cat Dancer 101 Interactive Cat Toy
Editor's Rating: 4.6/5 Overall Score
Looking for an excellent, yet affordable interactive toy for your cat? The Cat Dancer 101 interactive cat toy is a great option. Cat dancer claims that the product has been home tested by more than 8 million cats, which is really impressive.
The toy, which is manufactured in the USA, consists of cardboard rolled onto a spring steel wire, which is approximately 30 inches long. It creates the effect of a moving lure, which cats can’t resist chasing. The wire is quite durable and the cardboard roll can easily be replaced to keep the fun going.
The Cat Dancer 101 toy is an excellent tool for playing with your cat. It’s also very affordable and a very high customer rating. Evidently, both cats and their owners love the product and it’s not hard to see why.
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4. Ethical Colorful Cat Springs
Editor's Rating: 4.6/5 Overall Score
These colorful springs, which measure 2 inches in length and 1 inch in diameter, will have your cat running around with excitement. They bounce around unpredictably and come in an array of vibrant colors that will definitely catch your cat's eye.
Ethical Colorful Springs are great for getting your cats the needed exercise and for keeping them occupied when you're busy or need some rest. The toy also has an overwhelmingly positive rating on Amazon.
The Ethical Colorful Springs toy is also affordable as a pack of two containing 20 springs. They're lightweight, durable, and will keep your cats happy for a long time.
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5. Petstages Cat Tracks Cat Toy
Editor's Rating: 4.5/5 Overall Score
The Petstages Circle Tracks with moving balls is one of the best interactive cat toys that you can find today. It consists of a three-level tower with three colorful balls trapped in roller tracks. The toy will definitely have your cat batting around those colorful balls and trying to pry them out of the tracks.
If you have more than one cat, this toy can be a cost effective way to keep them all entertained for hours while you're away. This is one of our top pick of the best toys for cats. It doesn't contain any parts that could pose a danger to cats and is durable enough to withstand considerable abuse.
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6. Friends Forever Interactive Laser Cat Toy
Editor's Rating: 4.5/5 Overall Score
This is an auto rotating laser pointer, which moves randomly across floors. Your kitty or cat will go crazy trying to cat the laser light.
It has 3 speed setting (slow, fast, random) and will keep working for 15 minutes, after which the laser pointer will auto shut off, preventing your kitty or cat from being overly excited and getting too tired.
This spinning tower is 8.25 inches high, and projects the lazer beam 360 degree around it. This way the laser pointer covers a large play area forming an infinite circle to play. It's operated by three AA batteries and you can also place it outdoors (on a dry area).
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Flopping Fish Cat Toy
Cats have a natural hunting instinct when they see small animals, such as mice, small birds, as well as fish! Get them a realistic flopping fish toy, which looks exactly like a fish and moves when your cat is playing with it. This is a great way to keep your cat entertained for hours! Our top pick is the Potaroma Cat Fish Toy (see below).
7. Potaroma Electric Moving Cat Kicker Fish Toy
Editor's Rating: 4.5/5 Overall Score
This is an automatic moving fish toy, which moves and wiggles every time your cat touches it. It looks like a real fish and will keep your kitty or cat engaged. It will alleviate boredom and loneliness, since this is a battery operated toy.
This moving fish cat toy is infused with catnip, so it will stimulate your feline even more. It's made of safe and durable materials, such as cotton plush, and should withstand your any bites and scratches done by your kitty or cat.
It can also be washed, so you can maintain it in good condition for a long time. You can recharge it with a USB, which is more cost effective than buying batteries.
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What to Consider When Choosing a Toy for Your Cat
Ready to get a new toy for your cat? Here are a few things to consider before making a purchase decision.
Durability
Cats are lovely creatures but when it comes to tearing stuff apart, they can be quite ferocious. Since these creatures primarily play using their claws and teeth, any toys you purchase for them will have to be durable enough to withstand such abuse.
Most inexpensive cat toys turn out to be costlier in the long term as they are very quickly destroyed by cats and then have to be replaced. Thus, it’s wise to get a quality product that will hold up to your cats abuse for much longer.
Safety
If you’re getting a toy for your cat to play with while you’re away, you’ll want to read any labels and cautions presented in the package. If a toy requires monitoring, you should put it out of your cat’s reach when your not around.
Cost
As with any purchase decision, cost is one of the important factors to consider when getting a cat toy. Depending on your budget, you’ll want to aim for a mix of quality and affordability.
Some cat toys are designed to be disposable and you shouldn’t spend a lot of money on these. On the other hand, a longer lasting toy is often a better investment in the long run.
Fitness
If your main purpose for getting a toy for your cat is to keep it fit, look for toys that’ll require your cat to move around a lot. These could be electronic toys, laser pointers, or any kind of toy that encourage your cat to chase and hunt thus, keeping them active.
Size
Some cat toys can take up a lot of space. So if you don’t have a lot of that resource, look for options that won’t consume large portions of your home.
In addition, cats may perceive toys that are bigger than them as adversaries rather than prey. So in order to prevent them from becoming scared of or aggressive towards such toys, get a toy that’s the right size.
If you're buying a tunnel, make sure it can expand and fold down easily, and that when it's folded it won't take up a lot of space to store.
If you have a lot cat toys at home, you should consider getting a storage box or bin, where you can put everything inside. You can have one for your living room, in order to keep things tidy and organized.
Cat Toys with Catnip
Cats generally like catnip toys to play with. Toys equipped with this veterinary approved mild hallucinogen can get cats really excited.
However, cats react to catnip in different ways and some have no reaction to it. Read more about what is catnip and how it effects cats.
If your cat likes catnip, consider getting an interactive toy that contains catnip. On the other hand, if your cat is overly sensitive to the substance, it's best to avoid toys with it and have them play with something else.
Keep Your Cat Healthy and Hydrated
When you see that your cat is being more active and is exercising more, this means they are consuming more energy during the day. You might want to increase their daily food intake. Also, don't forget to get them the best cat food, which will keep them health and strong.
Another important thing to keep in mind, is that your cat should be drinking enough water during the day, especially if they are more active and exercising more. If you want to encourage your cat to drink more water, consider getting them a cat water fountain.
Conclusion
Armed with all the information on this page, you should now be fully equipped to make a wise buying decision when it comes to purchasing toys for your cat. We’ve gone over the different types of cat toys out there, the some of the top rated cat toys in their category, and some important factors to keep in mind before choosing a product.
Our top pick is the Bergan Turbo Scratcher Cat Toy, which is both practical and fun for your cat. It has a scratcher board as well as a ball that spins and rolls. It's made of very durable materials so your cat can enjoy it for a long time.
Once you get a couple of cool cat toys for your cat, it’s wise to rotate them in order to keep them fresh in the eyes of your cat. Doing so also extends the longevity of these products.
Now, go get a toy for your cute feline pets.
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