I have a six-week-old kitten who is full of energy. She's constantly climbing the sofa, playing with the dog, hiding in things and jumping after my feet to try and nibble and scratch me. I'm going to go out tomorrow and buy her a toy/scratching post/play center for her to play in, but I'm not sure what the best thing is to buy. Any ideas? Would she better enjoy one of those scratching posts that have the holes in it for her to hide, or are they generally a waste of money? What can I definitely not go wrong with buying for her?
2006-07-17 16:59:28 · 23 answers · asked by Kristen 3 in Pets ➔ Cats
Another kitten.
That's not a joke - they really do best when they have an age-matched companion to play and explore with. They're fun to watch, too. Think of it as a pre-programmed fully interactive toy that doesn't need batteries.
Kittens in general make toys out of anything small enough for them to move. Little fur mice are great, but a crumpled up ball of paper will do nicely. Avoid anything with string - they tend to eat it.
2006-07-17 19:02:31 · answer #1 · answered by dukefenton 7 · 4⤊ 1⤋
All cats are different. One of my cats will play with most toys but prefers things she can knock off the coffee table. My other cat will ONLY play with strings, or white mice. She scoffs at any other toys. My kitten will play with ANYTHING. It all depends. I think with a kitten though, you're safe buying anything. I recently bought my kitten one of those crinkly bags to play in. She loves that. I also bought her those nylon cubes with holes. She liked when I'd put other toys in there and she'd run through the holes playing with that toy. Another good toy is that saucer with the ball on a track. Oh she loves that one. Any toy will probably be a winner. Something that moves is probably the best, or something she can hide in.
2006-07-17 17:16:13 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Kittens love to chase after things that move, hence your feet! You could get this thing where the base is a square piece of wood, a spring (about 2 feet) is attached vertically and then there's a little felt mouse or something at the top. They swat at it for hours. The scratch posts are good, but you should scent it with catnip which they love (not too much because it affects their behavior like pot does to people!).
2006-07-17 17:08:21 · answer #3 · answered by Phil and Sue O 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My kitty loves playing with a laser pointer projected on the floor. It is the only toy she will constantly be interested in, most of the toys actually purchased get "old" after a couple of days.
Other things she loves are the plastic seal wrapper over glass juice containers, or balls of duct tape. Also, losing lottery tickets wrapped in a ball.
Also if you have a work badge on one of those spring-stringed clips the cat will go nuts trying to bite the end before it "springs" up!
2006-07-17 18:36:18 · answer #4 · answered by aka.angus 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The little cat trees that they can hide in and scratch are a GREAT investment. However, before you decide to spend the cash, try the cheapest toys in the house: milk carton ring, paper towl cardboard roll, wrapping paper, shoe string, ect. Just make sure he cant choke on anything.
One of my cats favorite toy is a crumpled up post it note. He can entertain himself for hours!
2006-07-17 17:06:22 · answer #5 · answered by emvannattan 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Out of all the toys I have bought for my cat, the ones she likes the most are shoelaces or string, cardboard boxes and a little toy dog out of a happy meal. No need to go to the pet shop and spend heaps, when I am sure your cat will get just as much pleasure out of the more simple things in life.
2006-07-17 17:05:15 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Scratching post is definitely not a waste of money! All my cats loved it! For my Jago, I have even made my husband make a little house! Cats need to scratch around to keep their nails in good shape. A scratching post will also keep your furniture in one piece ;-). As for toys.... I think that depends on a cat. I bought my Jago all kinds of toys; mice, balls, laser pointers.... But he chooses to play only with remains of an old rope! :-)
2006-07-17 21:35:02 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
My cats love their scratching post, but they also love boxes and paper bags to hide in. They absolutely love the ring from the milk jug and rolled up reciepts! If you want my opinion, buy the scratching post, but save your money and not buy the small toys
P.S. Those small toys have bells and small plastic piece that can easily pop off and your cat can choke on them. If you do buy thse toys make sure to remove anything that your cat can swallow and choke on..
2006-07-17 17:15:29 · answer #8 · answered by Jenn 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My cat for some reason absolutely loves the ring from off the milk carton. I look back at all the crap I bought for those cats to play with, and thats really the only one besides catnip toys that she will play with, and she goes at that ring for a long time. But every cat is different. Hey its a cheap toy!
2006-07-17 17:03:13 · answer #9 · answered by rufnready 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My cat was just the samne when he was small. Get a scratchhing post thts sort of like a tree house, and make sure it has some catnip under the scratchign material. Cats love tht. also get some catnip mice and maybe a catnip mouse on a rod. my cats absolutely looovvveee those toys. hope that helped =)
2006-07-17 22:09:09 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋