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Cats get bored easily. They are intelligent creatures. So they need new toys, they need new ways to play with the old toys, and they need some level of freedom to play with their toys the way they need to.
Think of our cat’s favorite toy modes. Do they like to bat things around and chase them? Then we must have a few different toys always out in this category. Toy mice, crinkly balls, springy shapes, and the balls with bells in them. “Hockey cats” are looking for lots of action, and room to really get going.
“Ninja cats” enjoy the hunt. They like to stalk, chase, and ambush their prey. They love wand toys like the Cat Dancer, da Bird, fishing pole arrangements with a toy on the end, or even a length of string or yarn with a ball of paper tied to it.
Wand toys require a person. They shouldn’t be left out. The cat will not be able to resist attacking when its back is turned, but they might get tangled in it or ruin the toy. They are wonderful for play sessions when we want the cat to expend a lot of energy, such as before bed.
“Study cats” want to see little changes happen, with or without their input. Sealed water toys or a toy left floating in the half filled bathroom sink are good for these cats. Cat videos are especially popular with this group. Crackly toys are also good for the cat who likes to manipulate things, or beads on wires in a big scale, like abacus beads.
Of course, any cat can enjoy any or all of these modes.
Try out the different kinds of toys, and keep the rest in a basket the cat has access to. Some cats, especially Alphas, will swap their own toys in and out of their toy box. Other cats will be interested in a new toy the second or third time it comes around, because they will have had time to ponder it.
Some toys just never make it. It sometimes not clear to us why this toy, which seems to similar to other favorites, never got chosen. Some types of toys will not appeal to a particular cat, but other cats in the household get a chance to vote on a favorite.
There’s other reasons toys can lose their appeal. Catnip toys, in which the greatest attraction was the catnip, grow stale fast. They can be recharged with a good grade of catnip. We can put a few in a Ziplock bag and bread them like chicken pieces. This will activate the scented oils that is the appeal of catnip.
Some toys will get broken and we should get rid of them. However, if the cat seeks that toy, we should get more like it, so our cat will have their favorite game back.
Cats should play. We should play with them, too. This will keep their minds and bodies active, and teach them the different ways the toys can act. This “modeling” will makes the cat interested in the toy, and they will want to discover their own ways of playing with it.
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There’s more ways to understand our cat with The Way of Cats than the article you are reading now. See all of my posts on WHY CATS DO THAT.
My cats fall into 2 groups: Kill Kill (the girl) likes to catch things, and Byron (the boy) likes to chase things. He loves the laser pointer, but when she was only 8 weeks old, she figured out that she couldn’t catch the laser. She chased it, she padded at the dot, then walked over and sniffed at it in my hand. “That’s not real!” she clearly thought, and ignored it for toy mice she could tackle and gut. She’s 9 now but tonight she caught a moth. And ate it. She only likes to catch.
Byron is a steadfast chaser, even at his fifth birthday. He’ll swat at bugs, but he lets them get away to be chased again.
A good FREE cat toy: bird feathers. Not the bleached ones at the craft store, the ones you find on the ground shed by wild birds. Killsy finds them only mildly interesting, but today I found a crow wing feather and Byron went nuts He plays and plays and carries it around in his mouth with a demented look on his face. It’s all in the wild bird smell.
I live in the suburbs, but with lots of trees and only 5 minutes from a tiny state park, so I find feathers every so often. Keep your eyes to the ground near trees, and you’ll find some, too. (Note that this only works as long as they have that bird smell. Once it gets replaced by cat slobber, he gets bored)