The image above caught my eye on Twitter not long ago. It instantly transported me back to childhood vacations in the Bavarian and Austrian Alps. I had to investigate further! I was intrigued to discover that Bavarian Cat Toys contain valerian root, which, according to their website, has a smell cats can’t resist.Continue Reading
Ingrid King is an award-winning author, former veterinary hospital manager, and veterinary journalist who is passionate about cats.
Cat toys don’t get much better than the ones from PurrfectPlay. Made in the USA from 100% natural and organic materials, these durable and safe toys are not only fun for pets, they’re made by a company that prides itself on earth-friendly business practices. Their motto is “if Mother Nature didn’t make it, we don’t use it!”
PurrfectPlay does not use any synthetics or plastic. The toys are dye and toxin free, they are sustainable and fair trade, and they donate 5% of each sale to dedicated rescue organizations.
The organic catnip used in these toys must be pretty potent, because Allegra and Ruby were both interested in the box from PurrfectPlay before I even opened it. They couldn’t wait to get their paws on these toys!
We received a box of Teabag Tumbler Cat Toys and a bag of Organic Wool Dust Bunnies. The Teabag Tumblers are adorable, and, as you can see in the video below, Allegra approves of the potent catnip they are filled with!
Ruby goes nuts for the Organic Wool Dust Bunnies and chases them all over the house. When I toss them for her, she goes flying after them, and you can just hear her going “wee!!!”
I loved everything I heard about these toys: they make the girls happy, they’re safe, and they’re made by a company whose business practices I admire.
For more information about PurrfectPlay, and to purchase, please visit PurrfectPlay.com.
Ingrid King is an award-winning author, former veterinary hospital manager, and veterinary journalist who is passionate about cats.
Allegra and Ruby were very excited when a box from our friend Kate at Hauspanther arrived in the mail last week. Hauspanther toys consistently rank among their favorites, and they were eager to put some of Kate’s latest creations to the test.Continue Reading
Ingrid King is an award-winning author, former veterinary hospital manager, and veterinary journalist who is passionate about cats.
Environmental enrichment is a term that is used by many feline behaviorist, and it’s important that you understand what it means for your cats.
Creating an environment that stimulates your cats’ senses and gives her opportunities to exercise her natural instincts is especially important for indoor cats. Renowned behaviorist Jackson Galaxy, host of Animal Planet’s “My Cat From Hell,” calls environmental enrichment “catification.” Catifying your cat’s environment not only makes her happy, it can also prevent serious behavior problems ranging from scratching and inappropriate elimination to aggression toward other cats in the household.Continue Reading
Ingrid King is an award-winning author, former veterinary hospital manager, and veterinary journalist who is passionate about cats.
Editor’s Note: As of August 2015,MeowBox.net has closed. If you are looking for a cat subscription box, go to meowbox.com.
I believe that there’s no such thing as a cat who is too spoiled, and thanks to MeowBox, now there’s a whole new way cat guardians can spoil their feline family members. Meow Box is a monthly subscription service. Each month, your kitty will receive a box filled with toys, treats, gadgets, accessories, and more.
I loved the blue and white box everything came in. I’ll be reusing it as a gift box. The girls were more excited about what was inside. Content varies from month to month. Our box revealed a Kong Wubba toy, which is a big hit with Ruby, an Up Country catnip mouse, which came in a super cute cylinder package, a Kong Zoom Groom grooming tool, two bags of treats, and an adorable cat-shaped cookie cutter. I thought Continue Reading
Ingrid King is an award-winning author, former veterinary hospital manager, and veterinary journalist who is passionate about cats.
Puzzle toys are a great way to keep your cats entertained and mentally stimulated when you can’t play with them. The toys are designed to be filled with treats, and they challenge kitty to retrieve the treats through varied openings in the toys. Most puzzle toy manufacturers recommend using dry food with these puzzles. Since I don’t recommend feeding any dry food, not even as treats, I recommend using freeze dried meat based treats such as Pure Bites or Whole Life.
There’s a huge variety of puzzle toys on the market. The toy shown above is the CatAmazing Puzzle Toy, and it’s remained a big hit with Allegra and Ruby. In addition to using treats inside the toy, I put smaller toys inside, and that works just as well as treats in terms of holding their interest.Continue Reading
Ingrid King is an award-winning author, former veterinary hospital manager, and veterinary journalist who is passionate about cats.
There are hundreds of cat toys on the market, and as anyone owned by a cat knows, there is no way of telling for sure which toy will delight your cat, or which will generate a quick sniff, followed by a look of disdain and a turned tail. So if you’re like most cat parents, you will continue to bring home toys in your quest to amuse and spoil your feline charges.
When shopping for cat toys, the most important thing is the safety factor. Cat toy safety really comes down to one thing: if it can be swallowed, it’s dangerous.
This means stay away from toys that have small parts that can come loose during an energetic play session. Anything with glued on parts, metal pieces, tassles or strings should be a no-no. Sometimes you can remove these parts (which is how Amber ended up with a lot of what we call “blind and deaf mice” – once the glued on eyes and ears are removed, these mice turn into perfectly safe toys). But it’s always best to find a toy that doesn’t require removal of loose parts.
Toys with strings and rubber bands can be fun for your cat as long as you supervise play. Never leave these toys with your cat unattended – rubber bands can loop themselves around your cat’s neck and choke her, strings can be chewed and ingested, and can present a life-threatening emergency if the piece of strings wraps itself around the cat’s intestines.
So which toys are safe for your cat?
Amber loves anything that’s stuffed with catnip. The fewer adornments, the better. A great source for simple, and safe catnip toys is The Mouse Factory – they have a wide selection of fun toys, and their catnip is seriously potent.
The Kong line of cat toys offers a lot of fun and safe choices as well, you can find a sampling in the Conscious Cat Store and you’ll also find them in many pet stores.
Interactive cat toys are great fun for you and your cat – after all, what’s more fun than a rigorous play session with your kitties? Some of these interactive toys, such as the feather teaser (a feather toy on the end of a string) require supervision because of the string part, but they can provide hours of fun for cat and human.
Of course, there are plenty of choices for toys that don’t require a trip to the pet store – paper bags, boxes, empty toilet paper rolls, or even just a wadded up piece of paper can be as much fun for your cat as expensive, store-bought toys.
Whatever safe toy you choose for your cat, have fun!
Amber’s current favorite is a fuzzy crab-like toy on the end of a long fuzzy string. What are some of your cats’ favorite toys?
Featured Image Credit: Onishchenko Natalya, Shutterstock
Ingrid King is an award-winning author, former veterinary hospital manager, and veterinary journalist who is passionate about cats.
