First up is hair bands. I purchased a package of thick ones, made for pony tails. I wanted thicker ones, figuring that they would hold up longer and probably go farther than the thinner ones. I shot the thick hair band across the floor, and it caught Tori's attention. She was after it in no time.
Tori is most intrigued with the hair band when I shoot it but has also been observed playing swat and bat it around, and carry it, without my input. That's a winner for me. The ones that I bought are around 5/8 of an inch wide, and are rated as no damage as far as hair goes. You can check out the options for these types of hair bands on Amazon.
While I was checking out things that might intrigue my cat, I considered other alternative options that fly. Hince, the paper airplane.
The first one I made was from a post it note. Post it note airplanes do not travel far at all, but they do kind of float down. Tori was somewhat intrigued, and also showed interest in it even when I didn't make it fly. But not as much interest as she showed in the hair band. I give the Post it note airplane a medium thumbs up.
Then I tried making an airplane from a larger sheet of paper, without any takiness on the edge of it. It too, didn't go that far. Then I added a flip up on the long folded edge. I also did this modification to the Post it note airplane; they both went further! Yay! Tori's interest however was short lived, even with the longer distance. She did though prefer to bat the smaller airplane around in some of her passings though. So if you make paper airplanes for your cat(s), I recommend the smaller size.
If you need a refresher course on how to fold a paper airplane, here is one of the options.
If your cat or cats like the proverbial cardboard box, then a box train can be a fun alternative for your cat(s). Some pet owners have made a train with multiple boxes attached; some held together better than others. It can also be a fun alternative for a single cat. This video shows how the cord can be more entertaining than riding in the box. However, it is still a fun adventure. It is one I'm definitely considering once I get a good box size that is in decent shape.
For my last alternative cat toy option today, I present the idea of Dominos. From what I've seen, the Dominos cat adventure appears to be more of a spectator sport. Unless the cats already know how to press buttons, in a way that the Dominos builder has made in an intriguing way for the cat to nudge a Domino, it is pretty much just the cats being aware of all the Dominos falling in various formations. If you have lots of time on your hands and want to entertain your fur babies in this way, I would pass on this. But there are many people who love building Dominos in this way.
In this video, however, is a fun toy meant for children, where a cat was most intrigued in trying to retrieve a ball that was ready to go down a spinning hole. I would say, forget the Dominio buildng, and play with the spinning ball toy. Here you go:
The marble run toy looks similar to this one. I chose the one with the Lego base, as I figure it would be less likely to get knocked over, and would make for a longer, and therefore more playing time with your cat(s).
What are your opinions? Do you have a favorite alternative you would like to try with your cat(s)? Do you have a different cat toy alternative that you would like to share?
Thank you in advance for your comment.
Check out other favorite cat toys for cats on my blog: Fun Cat Toys to Play with Cats.
Cheryl Paton
It is funny the things that will catch a cats interest and keep them entertained for a while. I had one grandkitty who enjoyed batting my tied shoe string. He only did it when I was wearing the shoe. There were times when he would literally pounce on my entire foot in an attempt to get that bow. As you pointed out, boxes do seem to be one of their favorite things, but add a string and no doubt, you have the winner. Thanks for the great ideas!
ReplyDeleteAh yes, isn't it so fun what our furry friends will come up with. I imagine the shoe string had some extra movement when it was on said foot, for sure that's a winner for kitty!
DeleteCat toys are always fun. We always had a cat while my kids were growing up and now a son has one cat and my daughter has two. So cat toys continue to be of interest in my family.
ReplyDeleteOne of the funniest times was one afternoon when my kids put a round plastic laundry basket upside down over the kitten and he poked his nose through a hole and started walking, pushing the basket across the floor. Don't know what the cat thought about the game, but the kids laughed so hard watching the basket move like that. :)
That sounds like so much fun to watch. Did the kitten like doing it more than once?
DeleteMy sister’s cat used to turn up her nose at most cat toys, except for the rod attached to a long string terminating in a bunch of feathers, (similar to a bird, presumably, in the cat’s eyes). We used to “fly” and “dance” the “bird” on the end of the string and my sister’s cat immediately went into stalking and pouncing mode. Her other favorite toys, apart from hair elastics, were the plastic strips from milk jug lids. Go figure!
ReplyDeleteI can so relate to all of those options. Isn't it so fun watching cats get ready to pounce. Our cat Tori does the cutest little wiggle when the stalking begins!
DeleteMy cats were too lazy to do much chasing or jumping. They were overfed and lacked any kind of interest or curiousity. But one mechanical mouse was their favorite. They would just watch it roam around and not move to catch it. That darn thing lasted a long time! I wish they had been more motivated to play. Kibble sounds would sometimes make them run, just a little! Driven by food and nothing less!
ReplyDeleteChuckle, chuckle. Food is definitely a motivator. Two of our cats that we had before, had come from a big kitten room. Come feeding time, it was who was the fastest. Needless to say, they immediately started gaining weight after we adopted them, and had to restrict their eating. One of the things we did was get a food dish where they had to reach into a whole and slide or pull the food pieces out, one or two at a time. It slowed down their eating and they did get to a healthier weight and became more playful.
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ReplyDeleteI love your inventive ideas for these cat toys! I have never had a cat though we frequently have cat visitors! I imagine that these fun and thoughtful toys will keep a cat alert and interested and keep his or her mind active. Cats do seem to be attracted to boxes. Love the hairband idea. It does sound like it is fun to be a cat in your home :)
ReplyDeleteThank you. I think your cat visitors will start exploring some new toy ideas! We've been clearing things out of our house, and the extra space has made chasing and batting balls around more fun for our cat Tori.
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