There are a lot of perceptions out there about cats. They laze around all day cat napping in the sun. They slink around in the darkness and sneak up on you. They have 9 lives and always land on their feet.
I would agree that generally speaking, those things are true about cats. But I think a lot of people forget how playful they can be and that playtime is very important for cats. Not only does playing with your cat help strengthen your bond, it fulfills their natural hunting instincts and helps burn off energy.
Kittens are especially energetic and playful. Piper is still feisty as ever and enjoys some playtime, but Little O really gets excited. We have all the standard cat toys purchased from local pet stores and online websites like the sticks with feathers, fake creatures or jingly balls on the end, cat nip toys, little plush mice and lasers. And although they do have fun playing with these toys, it can get expensive to keep replacing them if the dogs get a hold of them.
The cats have a 3 tiered cat tree in the corner of the little room. There are several platforms and a cubby hole for lounging and snoozing. They keep some of the toys in those spots, but sometimes when they bring them down to play with, they forget to put them away and the curious creatures that bark find and destroy them.
We do replace their store bought toys, but we have now found a few that we can make ourselves. This way if they are destroyed, no big deal, and we spend less money continuing to constantly replace the ones we pay for. Making a few toys with stuff around the house or materials that can be bought cheap and reused is a way to keep your kitty entertained without breaking the bank.
I used to work at a tanning salon and one type of tanning lotion came in a bottle with a little plush voodoo doll on the side. It had colorful feather on top so I took one home and tossed it to Piper. She carried that creepy little thing around for a long time and would bat it around and hide it. And it was completely free.
Our cats do not like the expensive toys any more than the homemade toys. They don’t know that one was bought from the store and one was made in a few minutes at home. As long as they get to play with toys that stimulate and entertain them, they are happy.
T-shirt Rope
- Take an old T shirt and rip/cut it up into squares
- Tie the squares together to form a rope
Foil Ball
- Take a piece of tin foil and lay it flat
- Make a pile in the center with uncooked rice
- Roll the foil into a ball around the rice
Dollar Danglers (if you have a cat tree or kitty condo)
- Get some toys from the dollar store or clearance bin anywhere pet toys are sold (you could also use any toys you already have at home that you can tie to a string to)
- Take some sturdy string or thin rope and tie it to each toy
- Use a staple gun to staple the other end of the string to the tree or condo so the toys dangle and the cats can bat at them
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