Catnip, Cardboard and Walnuts

Cynthia B. Whitney
Reprinted With Permission

If you have a cat, you probably have a cat toy. Most likely, you have several cat toys.

And what is a cat toy? To your cat, it's anything that he can bat, roll, bounce, chase, tear, lick, hide, catch, sniff, chew, pull, dangle, push, carry, knock over, climb, et al.

If you're lucky, he'll play with it for more than four seconds, then abandon it in the corner to collect dust. More than likely, he'll tire of it, and it will disappear for months to places unknown, then suddenly appear again. When it reemerges from its sojourn to a cat toyland resort, your cat will pounce on it as if he's never seen it before. That's nice, especially if you paid a few bucks for it.

You might wonder if it's best to present your feline friend with a store bought toy or just household items. I can assure you your cat does not look at the price tag on a toy before accepting it in his toy box. If you don't mind your living room floor looking like you don't believe in trash cans, you can safely give him things like toilet paper rolls, plastic drinking straws, plastic milk bottle rings, aluminum foil balls, pipe cleaners, popcicle sticks, walnuts, cardboard boxes, etc. These are all time honored tried and true toys. Some need a bit of supervision, but unless your cat eats anything without discretion, they should be quite safe.

For the toy connoisseur, there are the elaborate and not-so-elaborate pet store toys. I've come to the conclusion that most of these brightly colored, fancy designed cat toys are for the cat owner not the cat. In fact, most of them are so strange, convoluted or larger than a lion would want that most cats and kittens prefer the household item or a simple catnip mouse.

Remember, cats and kittens will keep their interest in something that continues to attract them, such as an item that makes a noise or moves. It's their nature to be inquisitive, and these animated toys do the best job. A simple ball with a bell in it does wonders. I have never met a cat who didn't delight in a toy fur mouse. Large or small, these seem to keep my cats and kittens amused the longest. Even the dog likes the ones with a rattle inside.

When thinking of cat toys, many people think of catnip. Yes, it can excite many a cat. Remember to withhold catnip until your kitty is at least four months old. A young kitten not only doesn't need the extra stimulation, but it could actually prove harmful. If you get your cat a toy with catnip in it, you will best spend your cat toy budget on one that is locally handmade. The ones made in a land far, far away are older than your cat. Probably, it's older than your car. So, the effectiveness of old, dried catnip is about as reliable as a bargain store battery.

Fresh organic catnip toys can be found at many arts and crafts shows, and, of course, at cat shows. Once you try one of these, you will never stray back to the ones that came over on the Mayflower. This also holds true of other sewn cat toys. They just don't last. I've found that cat toys obtained through local craft people keep their stitching longer. In fact, in my experience, toys held together with hot glue seem to last even longer than the sewn ones.

Whatever the source of the toy you offer your frisky feline, check it over to make sure it's safe. Is it free of little buttons, eyes, etc., which could be chewed off? Is it made of colorfast fabric? Are there any sharp edges? When you're confident the toy is safe for your kitty, give it a try.

I wish you loads of luck in finding the right toy to amuse and entertain your cat. But, like me, you will probably wind up listening to walnuts being batted around the bathroom floor at 2 a.m.