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Simple Cat Toys You Can Buy Or DIY

simple cat toys you can diy

 

As a cat parent, I have spent a lot of time and resources trying to please my demanding kitties by buying them stuff especially toys that will keep them entertained and preoccupied for hours and hours. Most of the toys that my cats enjoy are the interactive ones that run on batteries. They’ll love it for a while, but then again, they can only like it so much and then they’ll get bored and they’re off looking for another entertainment. Even though my kitties are very spoiled, there are some simple toys that they keep going back to and they seem to be always having fun with these kinds of toys. So per my cats’ experience, here are the simple toys they’ve kept on playing for several years. Some of these toys I’ve repurchased and restocked for as long as I can remember, although it’s pretty obvious that I could have just made them myself. But then again these toys are so cheap anyway that it’s almost better to buy them rather than make them in order to save time and effort, still, if you’re the crafty type, then you’re gonna have fun making these simple cat toys at home.

crinkle ball cat toy

Mylar Crinkle Balls ($6.69) and Cancor Innovations Mini Crinkle Ball ($11.87)ย  – Usually comes in a pack of 12, these foil-made toys are so colorful and so reflective and they make a crinkling sound once the cat bats them. It stimulates the cats’ hunting instinct and they’d play fetch with these. They’ll pounce and throw this toy around until it gets caught under the sofa or somewhere they cannot reach. You’re definitely going to need a lot of these because these will be constantly thrown around by your cat. Making this toy is pretty easy, just buy a roll of foil and cut it into little squares or rectangles, then pile or bunch several pieces of them together and tie them with a string in the middle. Flare both ends to make it rounded resembling the shape of a ball.

 

yeowww! catnip toy

Catnip Pillow/Bag ($6.32) and Yeowww! Catnip Toy Yellow Banana ($5.99) – Cats love catnip, it’s pretty much their weed and it’s harmless to them. Some cat parents love to sprinkle catnip all over the floor for their cats to play around, and I used to do that but I stopped because it’s messy, and my cats couldn’t stop licking the floor after that. So I bought this catnip-filled bags or pillows and my cats love them. The Yeowww! Banana Catnip Toy is their most favorite because it has a strong catnip scent. The ones you see in the picture has been quite overused and abused by them. It’s full of their spit and bites, and the catnip oils had pretty much seeped into the bag, but my cats love this toy so much. They’d roll on it, tumble with it and they’d get crazy with it. It’s very simple to make your own catnip pillow toy, just buy a pack of organic catnip and make a simple cloth bag, then throw the catnip inside the bag and sew it close. Watch and observe your cat’s reaction when playing with this toy.

 

cat dancer cat toy review

cat dancer interactive cat toy

Cat Dancer 101 Interactive Cat Toy ($2.99) – This is the first toy that my cats ever loved, and they’re still crazy about it. It’s a simple toy that just simply works. It bounces in different directions and you don’t even have to do anything, you just have to hold it and the wire attached to small pieces of rolled cardboards at the tip will do the job. Your cats will be jumping like crazy when they play with this. It actually kinda made me feel stupid and realized “Why didn’t I think about inventing this toy before?” It’s pretty much simple to make, just get a thin piece of wire long enough to be a wand and wrap or tie its tip around a few rolled cardboards and brandish it at your cats. Presto!

 

colorful springs cat toy

Spot Colorful Springs Thin ($7.04) – Comes in a pack of 20, this is probably the simplest cat toy I’ve ever seen and one that my cats love to play with since they were kittens. They’re crazy about this toy and they’d run around the house playing soccer with this. This is basically a simple short thin plastic spring like those you can find in spring-bound notebooks, but I warn you not to use those unless they’re made of plastics because the metallic ones are not safe for the kitties especially since they tend to grab these with their mouths and they could get hurt if the edges are sharp. The plastic springs like you see here in the review are soft and light with blunt edges, and they come in two sizes; the wide ones, and the thin ones. My cats seem to have a special preference for the thin ones. So if you can find some plastic springs around the house that don’t have sharp edges, then you just found yourself a practical cat toy. But as with most pet toys, always supervise your cats whenever they’re playing.

 

Have you ever had your cats play with these? Any simple cat toys you can recommend?

 

 

Cat’s Meow Toy Review

If you have a dependent cat that meows all the time and bothers you about anything then you’ll need some really good interactive toys. These cats need to be entertained or be distracted so you can do your chores and so that they won’t get on your nerves. It can be hard and quite tricky to find the right toy or toys for the job, and that particular toy has to suit your cat’s needs and personality. I have purchased different kinds of toys for my large lazy cats, including a lot of interactive toys to keep them active and so that they won’t meow at me all the time. I don’t really buy much of those “As Seen On TV” products, but here’s one cat toy from them that has become a favorite of my cats.

as seen on tv cats meow toy review

 

The Cat’s Meow Toy Undercover Mouse Interactive ($19.99) is really a surprising love for me and my cats. It’s one of those toys that they just can’t get enough with. I think the concept of this toy started in Japan, I could be wrong though. It works based on the concept of peek-a-boo, mouse hunt, and pouncing, which are the things that are basic instinct for a cat. Since cats love to do this thing, playing with this toy is an endless fun until they consume their energy. No more screaming demanding cat staring at you in the kitchen or giving you that angry look.

 

cat's meow toy review

 

This toy comes in 3 different kinds; the standard one which has only one speed, no remote, and no battery, the V4 RC that comes different speeds with timer, and a remote control, and the V4 RC plus Battery which comes with the remote control, different speeds/timer, and a lithium battery for the toy. I only got the standard one, which is already good enough for my cats. I’ve heard bad things about the V4 ones, with a lot of people claiming that their remotes are basically useless as you would still have to be close to the toy in order to control it. Speaking of batteries, this standardย Cat’s Meow Toy runs in three C batteries of any brand, which could last for about 20-30 minutes with constant play. After that, the toy might slow down a bit. Mine didn’t get discharged easily, and I have my cats playing with them for periods of 10 to 15 minutes and then another session later on with still the same battery.

cats meow toy battery c

as seen on tv cats meow toy

 

The standard version of the toy itself requires a bit of assembly once you take it out of the box. It doesn’t come with free batteries (unless you’re buying the remote + batt) so you’re gonna have to provide your own three C batteries, which are kinda large and heavy. This toy works like a motor that has a switch at the center with a rotating mouse-like wand that moves randomly left or right while being covered or hidden with nylon fabric that sort of acts like a skirt. My cats chase the wand thinking that it’s a little mouse playing hide and seek with them. With time, the wand gets worn out and even the fabric skirt as well, but you can buy replacements for them. For a more interactive play, you can also tape a feather on the wand and the cats will go crazy chasing it.

cats meow toy replacement

The motor is pretty robust and it can work on any surface, but it can be loud, but my cats didn’t seem to mind. It’s true that this toy really tends to eat the batteries fast. I usually keep an extra set of C batteries, just in case. My cats go bonkers with this and they keep playing with this toy whenever they can. This is definitely one of their favorites, and the look on their face whenever they play with this toy is priceless.

cat's meow toy review

 

Have you tried this for your cats already?

 

The Cat’s Meow Toy is currently sold out at Amazon, but here’s a similar product, click HERE.

 

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