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9 best cat toys for entertaining indoor kitties

From catnip treats to the puuurfect burrow for hide and seek, treat your furry little misfits to one of these

Kate Ng
Tuesday 16 March 2021 17:51
<p>Our tester-kitties were quickly engaged by these toys and kept occupied</p>

Our tester-kitties were quickly engaged by these toys and kept occupied

If you’re a pet owner, take a look at the floor of the largest room in your home right now. How many toys are laying around? How many do they actually play with and how many do they ignore? And how many have you bought recently in hopes it will become the toy, the one they love and will play with whether or not you’re the one swinging or throwing it around? No judgement here – as we survey ourr floor, there’s no fewer than six. And that’s just the toys outside their box.

Cats are finicky and fickle creatures. One day they seem perfectly happy to play independently, but the next day nothing will do unless you pick up a wand chaser and swing it around until your arm aches.

It can get frustrating, particularly when you’re working from home and really need to get something done, and your beloved moggy won’t stop meowing for your undivided attention. We love them and cannot stand them in almost equal measure.

As long as your kitty is a purely indoor one, it is up to you to keep them stimulated and happy, since they can’t expend energy roaming the neighbourhood and terrorising local birds. Making sure your cat’s playtime is energetic and exciting will also help to tire them out, which means a better night’s sleep for both of you. Win-win!

The key to making your cat’s playtime as appealing as possible is to mix things up. A “dead” toy that lays on the ground is nowhere near as interesting as a toy that’s moving about or that’s suddenly ended up in a different place. So, if you have a cat tree or other platforms they’re allowed to climb up on, try moving their favourite toys around for them to hunt and knock off, stimulating their hunting instinct.

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Another trick we learned was putting small toys in a resealable bag with a strong-smelling catnip toy can reinvigorate your moggy’s senses and make that old toy seem new again. Also, cats can build up a tolerance for catnip if they’re around it all the time, so to ensure it doesn’t lose its effect, keep any catnip toy in a resealable bag and only bring it out once or twice a week as a treat.

Of course, you can’t always be expected to be around or available to play with your tenacious tabby. So, we hunted for a range of toys that can encourage independent play, as well as toys that engage cats quickly, leading to more playtime and less “are you going to play or not?”. We chose our best toys based on how engaging they were to our feline friends and how long it kept them happy for.

You can trust our independent reviews. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections, which are formed from real-world testing and expert advice. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

PetSafe peek-a-bird electronic cat toy

This little white bird is a WFH saviour. When turned on, a yellow feather pokes out on either side of the device in random movements, making it a delight for cats to watch and play with. Even with the most attention-seeking cats, this battery-powered bird (batteries not included) can keep them engaged for a minimum of 10 minutes at a time – just enough for you to finish that Zoom call or type out a few paragraphs in peace and quiet.

It has two play modes – a one-time 10-minute play or a play-all-day mode that self-activates when its motion sensor picks up movement from your cat, meaning you don’t have to worry about them being bored while you’re out running essential errands. It also comes with a replacement feather, which is handy if your moggy’s a bit boisterous. We recommend placing it inside a box or burrow.

Kong playspaces burrow

Cats love hiding behind or inside things while play-hunting and this crinkly tunnel is perfect for just that. Featuring a butterfly on one end and soft beaver attached on the inside on the other end, the play spaces burrow got our feline reviewer very excited  to play hide and seek. Throw another toy or a couple of treats inside to make it extra interesting. It also folds up neatly, making it easy and convenient to store away when you need the extra floor space.

Pets at Home marabou cat teaser

Colourful, fuzzy and wiggly – just the toy to get your precious puss going. This teaser is comfortable to hold and wave around, and the string isn’t so long that flicking it is more work than it’s worth. It became a fast favourite of our kitty reviewers, and they loved chasing it around, biting and chewing on the sponge part of the teaser, as well as clawing at the fluffy part.

However, be warned – it does make a mess, as the fluffy bits fall out each time you play. It may also benefit you to have some superglue at hand in case the toy falls off the string at the paws of a particularly ferocious player.

Kong purrsuit whirlwind

Best suited to hyperactive kittens or fearless felines, this electronic toy whirls around really quite impressively. The batteries are included and once you’ve set it up, all you have to do is press a button to get it going. Our cats could not resist the fuzzy teaser that whips about as the device whirls, and they also loved watching it go. It works best on hard floors – on a carpet it appears to just spin, but the teaser will still flip around enough to engage the cats. The whirring didn’t bother the cats or us, but do keep an eye out in case it gets stuck in a corner or under some furniture.

Amazon Basics pet activity centre and feeder

Got a cat that loves to eat a little too much? This activity centre is great for keeping little paws busy and can act as a slow feeder as well, which keeps over-excited moggies from scarfing down their kibble too fast and making a mess on your carpet later.

It features little pockets with moveable caps on the sides, ready for kitties to paw aside and dig out treats, and the sections in the middle ensure they’re kept busy figuring out ways to get at food you’ve placed inside. We especially like this for tiding over cats that get a little aggy for snacks around the middle of the day – it keeps them quietly occupied and sated, allowing you to get on with your work.

Ducky World Yeowww! Catnip cat toy banana

Simply the best catnip toy we tested, this stinky banana made for some seriously happy kitties. Stuffed with organically grown catnip in a durable fabric, the banana toy was an all-round success. It’s a pleasing shape for cats to grab onto and kick with their feet, as well as lay and wriggle on, making it entertaining for both you and your companion. Its effects are said to last up to around 15 minutes at a time, which our reviewers found was fairly accurate. Store away in a resealable bag and watch your kitty go a little bit bonkers the next time you hand it over.

Catit senses cat super roller circuit

Dogs aren’t the only pets that love to play with a ball. Cats often love chasing balls too and with this one, they can have hours of fun and you never have to fish a ball out from under the sofa again. The ball also lights up when in motion or when pawed at lightly, which makes it even more exciting for your kitty. The circuit features incline within the individual tubes, which snap together and can be taken apart fairly easily, so the ball rolls at different speeds and directions within the circuit. Thankfully, there’s no bell in the ball, so it’s fairly quiet except for the sound of rolling – all the better for your sanity.

PetSafe dancing dot laser cat toy

Get all the fun of watching your cat chase after the elusive laser dot without having to wave it around yourself with this electronic toy. It’s cute, clean cat shape also makes it quite appealing to have around the house and it really is quite a smart toy. You can either place it on a flat surface, such as a table or shelf, or hang it over a doorknob.

The higher it is, the further the laser will reach and the faster it moves around, which is great for tiring energetic kitties out. Like the electronic bird toy we mentioned earlier, this also has two play modes for one-off play and all-day play. In the all-day play mode, it will last for 15 minutes between rest modes to keep things exciting.

Pets at Home backyard bird cat toy

Place this little chirpy bird in random places to recreate the thrill of the hunt for your indoor kitty. Once they find it, they won’t be able to resist batting it around and making it chirp. Our feline reviewers kept going back to pounce and smack it, even if it was lying static on the floor. Its tweeting is not too loud or irritating, which is nice for the humans. A simple, yet highly effective little toy to keep your cat’s hunting instincts satisfied.

The verdict: Cat toys

The peek-a-bird electronic toy is a delight for cats and a boon for humans, as it encourages independent play and offers pet owners some respite from even the most attention-hungry kitties. The fluffy marabou teaser is cheap, cheerful and bound to delight most moggies – although there is the issue of shedding. For cats that love smacking a ball around, the Catit super roller circuit is top notch but if a simple yet effective catnip toy is what you’re after, the Yeowww! catnip banana really delivers the highs.

For more must-haves for your demanding, furry friend, read our review of this automatic pet feeder

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