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Buying cat toys can be tricky with all the choices made available to us. I have found the best toys are the ones right in our own homes. Since playtime is important for our beloved felines, it is good to have a variety of items available to them.

Different sized balls are great. Some balls come with the option to put catnip inside and this will help attract your cat to the ball or any other toy you put catnip on or in. I have put catnip inside of a sock and knotted it and my cat played with it for days. The ingredients in catnip create a frisky, high feeling for your cat. They may appear dazed after receiving some and that is common.

The ball of yarn we’ve seen cats chasing in cartoons is also a favorite. If a ball of yarn isn’t handy, any long string or rope can be used for the cat to chase and catch. Holding it up in the air for your cat to jump after is fun for your cat too.

A paper garbage bag or small shopping bag is a good choice. It’s the combination of noise the bag makes and playing hide-n-seek that draws a cat’s attention to this favorite.

Hair ties are another toy that cats love to chew on and chase around the house. The stretch aspect of the hair tie and the lightweight make this great for practicing reflex strategies for you cat.

Mice toys are popular in stores too. In real life cat’s chase mice but I haven’t found a particular mice toy that stands out. Putting some catnip on it made it more interesting for my cat, but the shopping bags and hair ties are much more popular.

Also, keep in mind that when buying cat toys the colors are for the cat owner’s eyes-only. Cats are colorblind so whatever color you pick, it will not make a difference to your cat.

In hindsight of purchasing many toys for my cats, I realized it was the much simpler items that pleased my cat more. When it came to a choice of the electric mouse I bought and a piece of rope, the rope won every time. Tying a fabric toy to the end of the rope or yarn gives your cat a target to claw at also.

It is more important to interact with your cat than for your cat to have many stores purchased toys. This matters more to your cat. A half-hour each day is recommended for an emotionally happy cat.

I almost forgot to mention how fun a cat owner’s feet are to play with. The feet are even better while their owner is happily asleep.

Happy toy hunting.