good toy to keep my cat occupied?
I have a 4 month old kitten… at least that’s his approximate age. Lately he’s been pretty crazy. He has gone exploring on cupboards that i thought were safe and as i live in an apt, and don’t have a lot of storage space, there is some stuff on cupboards just cause i have no room to put stuff in.
Anyway, i have a lab and they play sometimes but not all the time. And some days i take my lab to day care so he’s all alone for like 9 hours during the day. I can’t have small toys due to the lab. So i bought him a small perch that has a toy hanging from it, but he doesn’t play with that as much, just uses it as a perch. He’d rather play with something he can push around.
So when i come home i do play with him for about a half hour, but he just won’t leave me alone to get stuff done. I know it’s cause he’s bored and wants to play, so i want to address this issue.
I’m considering buying a larger cat condo, thinking he might be really interested in that cause he can climb really high in it, but the only place i have is the corner of a dining room, and my boyfriend is afraid he would rather be by the window (he does spend a lot of time on the window sill).
I’m willing to invest in something that could be pricey as long as it would keep my cat occuppied.
I did buy him one of those "boogie mats" that you put cat nip in but he pretty much ignores it… even when i put a ton of cat nip in it. I just think he’s not a cat nip type of cat.
I’m really thinking of buying the kittie condo. What are ur guy’s experience? Or anything else that is a toy. Like i said no small toys (small balls, mice etc) cause the lab will not leave it alone and i don’t want her to choke.
Thanks!!!!!
and i can’t have another cat (limit in apt is 2 animals). Otherwise that would have been my first option!
Filed under: Cat Furniture
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My cat loved her Panic Mouse. http://www.panicmouseinc.com/shop/index.php?action=item&id=1&prevaction=category&previd=2&prevstart=0
You can get it at Petsmart.
Scratching posts and cat nip. Or Kitty tunnel
my 4 y/o cat loves the ring tab off of my milk & tea cartons. it slides across the linoleum floor. he will play with it forever all over the house. Also have a lab mix that knows that ring is her cat’s toy and does not mess with it. they play tag thru my house – starts out with the 10 lb cat chasing the 70 lb dog going one way and then they change direction and who is chasing who. if you are worried about it being something small that the dog will eat, just teach the dog that it is off limits. mine have been taught that they each have their own toy. I have found that cats like household items more than they like bought items. I think it is because the item has your smell on it. Had a cat that loved the cellophane wrapper off of my cigarette pack, just pulled it off, crumbled it up and he would swat it across the floor until he was tired. good luck
get a small robot mouse, cats like to play with mouse
try the toy that is round, plastic(disc shaped) with a slot around the top. it has a ball in it and he will bat that ball around like it’s his job. mine love it. they are pretty cheap. anything too complex and it will be in a million pieces by the end of the first day. boy kittens are INSANE!!!
At 4 months, your kitten is maturing … hormones "kicking in" and is exploring even more than usual. Has he been neutered, yet? If not, it’s TIME NOW……..Don’t wait until he starts wanting to "escape" outside, or starts to spray/mark his territory. Cat "spray" is foul, and VERY difficult to get out of materials.
NOW…..Why can’t you move your furniture around and put the condo in front of the window? That’s what I did with mine! I moved the chair that was in front of the patio (not) sliding door, and put the condo there. I just had to adjust my priorities for the welfare/happiness of the cats!
Kittens don’t respond to catnip. Catnip works on adult cats, so save it for when he’s a little older.
A toy that you can make for the kitten is……take a heavy (athletic) sock, tie it in a knot, and the kitten can carry it around (cuddle, attack, toss, etc). You can FILL another one with hose or something else and give it to the lab for her to play with.
Another thing that my cats like…….a fly swatter! I take a fly swatter, "swish" it from side to side on the floor, and my cats chase it back and forth, trying to catch it! They don’t get tired of this game as quickly as I do……. lol… I don’t know how that would work with the dog in the room though. It might get her too excited. You’d have to be careful of that…….
Also, cats and dogs love to play with TENNIS balls. The lab can’t swallow it, the kitten can catch claws in it and toss it. Great toy for both!
You have your hands full with a lab AND a kitten in an apartment!! My lab weighs 79 lbs now, at 6 yrs, and I’m so glad that he has a yard to play in! It’s great that you take yours to a daycare. I guess that gives her a chance for some exercise. Labs (any large dog) need lots of exercise to keep from becoming bored, destructive, and fat!
Hope this gives you some ideas ……Good luck.
Try getting one of those tail on a stick things. It’s like a long peice of fabric that resembles a tail. Cats love them! I had a friend and I bought one for her cat and they were clawing at it and chising it around all day.
http://newpupcity.com/shop/images/cat_toy.jpg :]
My Kitten loves hers
I was watching a kitten before she went to her intended home and she was pretty content with exploring the house. Try looking at Petco or Petsmart for some ideas. The workers tehre could help you too!
Another person to ask would be a local vet. Just call and talk to one of them and ask what the best was to entertain him is.
I don’t know I just use a string
I have several cats so I feel your pain. My cats favorite thing is their cat tree in front of a window (make sure you open the blinds so they can look out and get some sun). Other than that we have this toy that is a stick with a pink fuzzy "tail" on it. They go crazy for this thing and if you can stick it into a box or wedge it into the cat tree they will play for hours. Good luck entertaining your little guy!
im not sure it would be a toy but i now my cat loves it.
cat nip gives ur cat a corner of a rug and put the cat nip on the corner.
♥
My cats adore their cat tree. At least one of them is always on it. It would be great to have it by a window but it’s not necessary. The ones from Armarkat are the sturdiest, best value trees I’ve found. I have 8 cats and ours has lasted through all of them for over 3 years now. Here’s their website. They have trees of every shape and size and all have built in scratching posts.
http://www.armarkat.com/1/classic.htm
My cats also love big cardboard boxes they can jump in and out of.