Play is vital to your cat’s mental and physical well-being.
This is not an exaggeration.
Through play cats get to express a range of normal behaviors: Pouncing, swatting, leaping, and chasing behaviors are hard-wired into cats.
It’s what makes them great hunters.
For an indoor cat that doesn’t get to chase leaves in the wind or pounce on their shadow, then play with toys takes on new significance.
The best cat toys for indoor cats help her to act more like a cat.
In this article, we’re going to review the following Toys for Indoor Cats:
Indeed, this helps keep her body fit and healthy, and her mind strong.
This link between play and a happy cat is so strong, that it’s often used as therapy to rehabilitate problems cats.
So if your cat is regularly chases the other cats in their fur-family, constantly climbs the curtains, or generally takes pleasure in creating chaos, it might be play that’s missing from their life.
The great thing is that this lack of feline fun is easy to remedy.
Just find the right toy for your cat and you’ll have them purring with contentment in no time at all.
The key to choosing the best cat toys for indoor cats is to think about what your cat loves to do.
For example, if they love to chase, then a classic wing-on-a string type toy pushes all the right buttons.
For the cat that overgrooms because of boredom, then a puzzle-feeding toy might be the answer.
This makes her solve a problem to earn her dinner, which mimics natural hunting behavior and alleviates boredom.
Best Cat Toys for Indoor Cat Reviews
1. Awenyle Laser Pointer
There’s something about a moving red dot that cats just can’t resist.
A laser pointer is an inexpensive way to engage your cat’s attention and have her pounding around after it in no time at all.
This Awenyle product is a little different from other laser cat toys for a number of reasons.
It has the classic red dot for Kitty to chase, along with four other light pattern options (A butterfly, alien spacecraft, smiley face, and thumbs up sign.)
This makes for an amusing game for pet parents as well as the cat, as an alien spaceship tracks up the wall.
The Awenlye laser pointer can also be used as a small but powerful flashlight.
This makes it great to have on a key fob or attached to a handbag, to help you find the keyhole on a dark winter’s night.
Another great feature is that this is a quite a bright laser, and packs sufficient punch to be tracked even in daylight.
So don’t worry about having to dim the lights as you cat can see this laser light just fine.
Of course the annoying thing about toys that require power is you need an almost endless supply of batteries.
Not so with this Awenyle laser pointer.
This is one of the best cat toys for indoor cats because you can recharge it from a USB port.
You never have to worry about running out of batteries with this toy!
On the plus side, cats love this toy and it encourages many a lazy Kitty to get up on her paws.
However, not all owners were equally delighted.
Some found that the unit just didn’t hold a charge or that there was light leakage around the head of the device.
However, the manufacturer does offer to refund the purchase price should it not match expectations for whatever reason.
One last point, is to always end the game with the laser landing on something the cat can actually catch, such as a ball of scrunched up paper.
This avoids frustrating the cat, which can lead to stress related problems such as urinary tract issues.
2. Depets Feather Wand
The Depets Feather Wand is an inexpensive toy that cats can’t get enough off.
Proof, if needed, that you don’t have to spend a fortune to find the best cat toys for indoor cats.
Of course there are plenty of wing-on-a-string type toys to choose from, so why did we plump for this particular one?
For starters, the rod is extended. It telescopes down to around 15-inches long for storage, but extends to a full 39-inches (plus line) for play.
The rod itself is made from flexible material, reminiscent of a fishing rod.
This makes for a superior ‘flick’ to the feathers which better mimics a bird on the wing.
Another awesome feature is that the feathery part of the toy is changeable.
So if Kitty savages one end, you simply unclip it and put a new one on.
Indeed, this kit comes with five assorted teasers, so there’s always something new for the cat to see and chase.
We found that the lightweight (but strong) line and the flippy nature of the rod, made for epic fluttering movements.
This had cats enthralled and made the toy totally irresistible.
We even found cat-guardians whose pets are never tempted by toys…but they were by this one.
On the plus side, this is an inexpensive toy with interchangeable ends, which pretty much guarantees pet playtime.
On the downside, some users did find the wand came apart after vigorous use.
3. Doc and Phoebe’s Cat Company Puzzle Feeder
This Doc and Phoebe puzzle feeder consists of five brightly colored ‘mice’ that have food containers in their tummy.
The idea is to divide up the cat’s daily food allowance and scoop it into each of the five ‘mice’.
You then hide the mice around the house.
This means Kitty has to use her senses to hunt for her supper.
Each mouse is made with a plastic feeder with a tactile but durable outer fabric ‘skin’.
This provides a satisfying texture for the cat and encourages her to bat the toy around to get the food to fall out.
This system is vet approved as a means of enriching the cat’s day and reducing comfort eating.
Think about it.
When Kitty has to work to find her food, she’s no longer wandering over to the bowl and eating just-because-it’s-there.
Not only does the cat get to use their hunting skills but it also encourages them to move around and play.
Also, if you have an overweight cat on a diet, the portion size can look quite small.
With this puzzle feeder toy the cat is mentally engaged in hunting and won’t notice the meal size.
We found this is a product cat guardians either loved or hated, with little middle ground.
On the plus side, for many cats this product was life changing.
It stopped their greedy scarf-and-bark habit, because it naturally slowed up their eating.
For some cats it was the answer to territory marking in the house, as they used mental energy in other ways.
Even cats who were set in their ways, seemed to get the hang of these puzzle feeders and really engage with them.
But on the down side, some users found the hole too big, into which the kibble is put.
This meant it fell out too easily and wasn’t so much of a challenge as they’d hoped.
Also, there was the odd stuck-in-a-rut kitty that just refused to play ball…and so their owners had to revert back to balls.
4. Yeowww! Catnip Toy
For catnip sensitive cats, they are going to L-U-R-V-E the Yeowww Catnip banana.
As the name suggests, this is a banana-shaped soft toy that’s stuffed with super-potent catnip.
Indeed the outer part is made from 100% cotton twill and colored with natural dyes.
It contains top quality organic catnip…and boy do cats buy into it.
The size and curve of the banana make it the perfect size for puss.
Cats love to nuzzle, bite, cuddle, and death-kick it until the toy becomes soggy with saliva…that’s how much they love this catnip toy.
Whilst it isn’t the cheapest catnip product on the market, it’s most certainly one of the most potent.
And the great thing is that potency lasts really well.
Long after it no longer looks anything like a banana, cats will seek it out to play with.
Cat guardians report this is a close to a sure-fire winner as a cat toy can be.
Their cats had a wide variety of ways of showing their appreciation from using it as a purr-pillow to cheeking it, tossing it, or bear hugging.
To put a slight damper on things, the odd Yeowww banana does come apart at the seams.
Also, be aware that not all cats have the ‘catnip gene’ which makes them responsive to the effects of catnip.
So if your cat doesn’t respond to this toy, it’s down to the cat not the toy.
5. Petcube
Does your cat play when you’re not home?
This is a hard question to answer as you’re not there to see them play.
Enter the Petcube.
This techno-gadget is made up of a small box inside which is a monitoring camera (360 degree angle with a zoom facility), two-way communicator so you can talk to the pet, and laser-pointer.
In short, the Petcube allows you to keep tabs on Kitty when you’re out.
You can talk to her and even engage in a remote game with the laser pointer.
This means you can play and interact with the cat even when you can’t be home.
Oh, and did we mention it has night vision?
Yes, the Petcube is an indulgence, but it’s a very useful one.
The camera allows you to keep tabs on the cat, which is great if you’re concerned about her health or want to know how the cats get on in your absence.
We found that when the Petcube works well, it works very well.
Cats love having that connection to their owner, even when they’re at work, and enjoy an impromptu game with the laser pointer.
However, some users felt extremely dissatisfied with the product.
Typical problems included lack of connectivity to the internet and poor customer support when it stopped working.
All in all, a considered purchase but for the right cat-family it is of tremendous benefit.
Conclusion:
Play is extremely beneficial to cats, especially indoor ones.
From the overweight cat that has been prescribed play by the vet to the misbehaving cat that pees in the wrong places…there are many benefits to play.
However, not all cats know how to play.
If your cat lies still except for the angry swish of the tail, don’t despair. Just be persistent (but not in an annoying way).
Keep enticing the cat to play.
The Depets feather wand is a good place to start.
Even the laziest of cats will find it hard to resist the occasional swipe with a paw.
Count this as a victory and praise the puss. Plug away and pretty soon they’ll swipe out again.
Be content with these early successes and build on them.
Perhaps drag the toy slowly across the ground to encourage the cat to stretch a little bit further.
Involve the cat step-by-small-step and pretty soon they’ll rediscover their play mojo.
And if you are really struggling, invest in some catnip.
For those cats sensitive to catnip, a spritzing with the magic stuff will engage their interest.
Another top tip for playful pussies is to change the toys around regularly.
Seeing the same toy every day can lead to over-familiarity and boredom.
Simply swap them around every couple of days to keep the excitement fresh.
Every reason than to invest in some of the best cat toys for indoor cats….and while you’re at it, treat them to more than one and max out on the fun for your fur-friend.