What's The Best Cat Toys? Reviews & Buyer’s 2022 Guide

Cat lovers know their beloved pets can sometimes have that restless energy that needs an outlet. This can be dealt with by giving them cat toys to play with. All cats, no matter their age, can benefit from playing with toys.

Besides their role in amusing and diverting your kitty, toys are also good for its health. Chasing a laser dot around the living room, for instance, will keep your cat in motion and exercise its body thoroughly. Similarly, puzzle toys can help in the mental growth and development of a kitten.

It is essential that you pick the right one for them. However, this can involve a lot of research. To help save you from the trouble, we have selected 8 of the best cat toys on the market and reviewed them.

PRODUCT / PRODUCT DETAILS

PRODUCT

PRODUCT DETAILS

1. Frisco Bird Teaser with Feathers Cat Toy

2. Frisco Cat Tracks Butterfly Cat Toy

Three ball track levels each with its own ball
Ideal for use by one cat or many cats at the same time
Provides visual, audible, and physical stimulation
Has a plastic butterfly on top attached to a string to attract your cat
Non-skid bottom

3. Frisco Basic Plush Mice Cat Toy with Catnip

Our 8 Best Cat Toys

1. Frisco Bird Teaser with Feathers Cat Toy

Do you have a fidgety cat at home? If so, Frisco Bird Teaser with Feathers is one of the best cat toys to keep them busy.

Designed to mimic your cat's favorite prey, this Bird Teaser is an interactive cat toy that will give indoor cats a simulated hunting experience. The toy bird attached at the end of the string has brightly colored feathers to entice your pet. And when they try to catch these mock preys, the toy generates a crinkly sound.

Plus, to catch and hold an uninterested pet's attention, the toy is spiked with Canadian catnip. And all this comes with an attractive price tag to make it the perfect budget cat toy.

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2. Frisco Cat Tracks Butterfly Cat Toy

With three levels of circular ball tracks, each featuring a separate ball, this is a toy your cat can't stop playing with. It involves the use of visual stimulation in the form of vibrantly colored balls, and auditory stimulation that comes when the balls roll against the surface.

What's more, it can help to provide some exercise that your cats need, when they try to pick the balls or bat at them. And the cute butterfly on top is a great way to get your feline pets attracted to this toy.

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3. Frisco Basic Plush Mice Cat Toy with Catnip

What's better in capturing a cat's attention than a mouse in the form of a plush catnip toy? Indoor cats do not get to exercise their predatory skills. So, it is important to let them play with a toy mice such as this one from Frisco.

The pack comes with not one mouse but three or five plush mice, each in a different color and each infused with catnip. These interactive cat toys are a great way to stimulate your cat's natural hunting tendencies.

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4. Vee Enterprises Purrfect Go Fur It Cat Toys

If your cat loves to play with feather tails, this is the perfect toy for you. This toy will drive cats wild. It has 8 feet long coiled spirals that have various showy feathers attached to their ends.

The wands are crystal clear and make a distinct noise when they move. As such, they are an awesome way to channel your cat's pent-up energies as it attempts to get a hold of these feathery toys.

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5. Frisco Scratch & Roll Scratcher Cat Toy

Thinking of getting a scratch pad for your cat? Get something better instead. A scratch-and-roll cat toy, as the name suggests, has the combined action of a scratcher and a roller in one toy.

The cardboard has a folded design that shreds under the nails of scratching pets and there is a ball track where a kitty can roll a ball. This combined action makes the Frisco Scratch & Roll Scratcher a highly engaging toy for your pet.

In order to allow you to increase the fun at times, the product ships with a packet containing catnip. Thus, as soon as your cat starts to lose interest in the toy, you can sprinkle some of the catnip over its plaything.

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6. Petlinks Cat Toy Pure Commotion

If you are looking for great cat toys operated by a battery, the Petlinks Pure Commotion is something you should consider buying. Featuring a plastic wand with a detachable feather toy, it has multi-speed levels – slow, medium, and fast. What's more, all of these can be adjusted by the pet parent using a push-button at the base of the stand.

Speaking of the base of the toy, it is stable and does not fall over easily. During the course of play, it may earn a few smacks from your cat but will still stand tall. As for the wand, it is made of flexible plastic and has a vividly-colored plume attached to one end of it.

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7. Petstages Tower of Tracks Cat Toy

Solving the problem of your cat removing a ball from the track that many cat owners are worried about, this product from Petstages comes with attached balls. This means that you'll never have to worry about searching for a lost or misplaced ball again.

A striking orange-colored three-tier structure catches your pet's eye immediately and the balls entice them to chase them around the track during play. This allows them to get physical and mental stimulation in one go.

And thanks to its multi-tiered ball tracks, you can involve multiple pets in the game or even play with your cat by pushing the ball around yourself.

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8. Fat Cat Crazy Circle Cat Toys

Want a catnip toy in the form of a cat wheel that also serves as a ball-containing track? Look no further! The Fat Cat Crazy Circle is the toy you need to buy. With multiple ways to engage your pet, it is among the best toys for cats.

The cat wheel-shaped toy has a track that contains a ball which is removable and reloadable. Your cat will play with the ball while trying to swat at it. For more fun, you can simply remove the ball and let your cat be exposed to the catnip infused in it.

As for the construction, it is sturdy. Moreover, the plastic frame can be cleaned with ease and made ready for the next play session.

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Benefits of Having Cat Toys

Cat experts recommend that kittens and cats must have toys to help engage them in activities that invoke physical, mental, and emotional responses. Needless to say, this is vital to their well-being and development.

Here are some areas in which cat toys can help:

Cats Need Stimulation

Although cats like to sleep and rest more often than not, they can get bored pretty easily. That often leads to them randomly scratching objects around the house, playing with the paper bag your food was wrapped in, and toppling vases or utensils over.

To help calm their restless energies down, you can keep your cat engaged with a toy that holds its interest. This way, you can stimulate them out of their boredom and make them happy at the same time.

Bonding with Cat

Like with any other pet, you can bond with your cat through play. This is especially true if you have recently adopted a kitten. When you play with them, they will learn to trust you and begin feeling more comfortable around you.

If you have multiple cats or pets, involving them all in play sessions with toys is a great way to help them accept a new pet into their fold.

Cat's Natural Instinct

Cats have a natural hunting instinct. Even if indoor cats never step into the wild, they need to be engaged in simulated predatory behavior with the help of toys.

This is essential to give your cat the outlet to express its innate hunting instincts through play.

Types of Cat Toys

Having seen the toys for cats we have reviewed above, you might have correctly deduced that there are several kinds of them.

Wand Toys

It's a mystery yet unsolved as to what attracts pets to sticks so much. But one fact is established, they can't seem to put one down when they find it. So, there is nothing better than a stick-shaped cat wand toy to keep your kitty engrossed and playful for hours on end.

A wand toy usually has some alluring object attached to one end of it. It could be a feather, a bright piece of cloth, or a simple thread with a toy insect tied to the end.

You simply wave around the wand and (like magic) your cat will follow the object of its fascination.

Feather Toys

Feather toys are essentially ones that either have a feather as a standalone toy or attached to something, for instance a stick. These feathers give your cat the illusion of being a bird and your cat can't resist going after one of its favorite prey.

Puzzle Toys

You'd think pets would not solve puzzles, because why should they, right? Wrong.

They will do so, for a treat. And that is how puzzle toys function. Aptly known as snack or treat-dispensing toys, these will let your cat have a go at solving a few basic challenges to get to their favorite goodies.

Catnip Toys

Felines have an undeniable attraction towards catnip. Catnip oil has nepetalactone, a component widely held responsible for creating a sense of elation in cats.

Catnip toys have organic catnip or essence of catnip in them and are usually in the form of plush toys that your cats can chew upon.

Important Features to Consider

Some important features you should look for in a cat's toy are:

Durability

If you are spending money on a cat toy, you want it to last for a decent amount of time. And with all the scratching, biting, chewing, and kicking a cat toy will go through, durability is something you can't compromise on.

Cat's Preference

This is one of the most important features you should consider when buying a new toy for your kitty. Cats can be very particular about what they like and what they don't and every cat will prefer a different toy. As such, there is no use in buying something your pet is highly unlikely to interact with.

For instance, if you have a frolicking kitten, it might show interest in a complicated puzzle toy or a laser cat toy. On the other hand, older or lazier cats will more likely be content with chewing a plush toy or batting a hand or two at a feather toy.

Safety

You should always make sure that the cat toys you purchase pose no harm to the health of your pet. They should be made of cat-friendly materials and should not have tiny parts that can be swallowed by cats, in turn causing them to choke.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if my cat doesn't play with its toy?

If your cat doesn't like its new toy and hardly touches it, you should give it some time. As it explores the toy further, it might start playing with it. You can also sprinkle some catnip over the toy to pique the interest of the kitty. When nothing works, consider replacing the toy with a different type.

What does it mean if a cat or a pet hides its toys?

When a pet cat hides its toys, it indicates that it is wary of the people or fellow pets around the house. While it could be a result of being in an unfamiliar environment (if it is recently adopted), it could also show their distrust towards another pet you have brought in.

Or it could simply mean that your cat, like most cats, is possessive and likes to keep its playthings to itself.

Can I leave a cat alone with its toy?

As long as the toy does not pose a choking hazard, yes, you can leave your cat alone with it. Some examples of toys that are safe to be left around are cat trees, a scratch pad, scratching posts, and puzzle cat toys.

Conclusion

There is an abundance of cat toys in the market. To select the right one for your kitty requires a careful understanding of what it prefers. Additionally, it is also important to keep safety features and the needs of your cat in mind.

Through careful analysis of the featured products above, we would suggest the Frisco Bird Teaser with Feathers as the best cat toy you can buy. It has colorful feathers and has catnip added to it. This almost ensures that your pet gets hooked right off the bat.

Having said that, you can never go wrong with any of the toys from among our top picks. They are all unique and engaging, and picking one is simply a matter of what your cat or cats love.

Editor's Choice

Frisco Bird Teaser with Feathers Cat Toy

Ashley Marlton

Dr. Marlton spent her first two years in practice working as a veterinary assistant at a 24-hour emergency care animal hospital in Michigan prior to moving to Miami. Following graduation, Dr. Marlton attended Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biochemical Sciences in Fort Collins while participating in volunteer spay neuter trips.

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