Working from home with a cat can sometimes drive me and my partner crazy. Not only is my cat affectionate, but he’s also highly vocal and not afraid to meow the house down when he wants to cuddle or play. Unfortunately, we’ve got to pay the bills (and buy the best quality cat food!)
Fortunately, generations of busy cat owners have had the same problem – so with a little researching and shopping, I found the best self-play cat toys to keep my cat entertained. If you’re struggling to keep kitty off out of your face while you’re in a Zoom meeting, this collection of toys should help!
What are your cat’s favorite types of toys?
Before you buy out this entire list of self-play cat toys, STOP. Remember, we’re talking about cats here – you know, the confounding creatures that will pick a cardboard box over a $50 plush cat bed? If you’re not careful in choosing the right toys, you may end up with a ton of junk that may eventually end up in the landfill – not great for the planet 🙁
That said, if you’ve observed your cat enough, you might notice that it prefers certain types of toys. This should be the main thing guiding your toy purchases.
My cat, for example, goes bonkers over leather cords and tassels (requiring interactive play). Feather toys rank second, while ball-and-track toys are a last resort that he’ll play with half-heartedly. He hates crinkle balls or anything with long plush “fur”, so we’ve learned not to buy those for him.
Do you know what types of toys your cat loves? If so, read on and see which will work for its independent play time!
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The best cat toys for independent play
1. Spring toys
For cats, the greatest appeal of spring toys is their unpredictable movement – you never know where they’ll bounce or roll next! The Ethical Products 20 Piece Colorful Springs (Wide), for example, is made of soft flexible plastic. Each pack includes 20 springs, enough to last you for months or even years.
I do not recommend getting cat springs that are narrower, as those may get swallowed if your cat bites and breaks the spring.
2. Pom pom balls
For those of us who live in apartments, the best thing about pom pom balls is how quiet they are. Ping pong balls or even heavy rubber treat balls can make quite a bit of noise on hard floors, and might draw complaints if your cats have a penchant for playing in the middle of the night. But these small, soft balls will zip around the room with the slightest touch from your cat’s paws! My cat loves chasing these around, at least until they get stuck under a piece of furniture.
While you can easily get polyester pom pom balls in bulk from craft stores, I like the Glaciart One Felt Pom Poms as they’re handmade from 100% wool and dyed with AZO-free dyes. I’ve tried various sizes and my cat prefers the 1.5cm/0.6 inch size, but larger sizes are available; smaller sizes may pose a choking hazard.
3. Cat circuits / ball-and-track toys
So your cat loves chasing springs and pom pom balls around…but you don’t want to spend the rest of your life crawling on the floor and extracting them from dusty corners. That’s how we feel too. That’s why we got a cat track toy!
Without a doubt, the most popular ball track for cats is the Catit Senses 2.0 Super Circuit. Its modular tracks can be rearranged for novelty, and the sections have different elevations as well as covered tracks to tease your little hunter.
After some research, however, I decided to try the Magic Cat Track and Ball Toy set. It comes with 82 small track pieces and you can click them together to make a super-flexible figure eight track, circle track, or any shape you want around the furniture – perfect for space-challenged homes!
Some reviewers claim that the click-together mechanism breaks easily, but I’ve had no broken pieces yet, even though my cat is pretty violent and often pulls the track apart when he’s got the zoomies. Unfortunately he prefers covered tracks that hide the balls, so I may *eventually* get the Catit circuit.
4. Toy mice for cats
A toy mouse is probably one of the first things you’d buy for your cat, and it’s the perfect way to learn what materials and textures your cat likes. There’s wind-up mice, catnip mice, plush mice – but I encourage you to choose eco-friendly options that are also safer for your cat should it inadvertently ingest bits of the toy.
My favorite is natural (palm) raffia mice, as it’s a great chew toy to release a cat’s pent-up energy. There’s also paper rope mice or burlap mice that will provide hours of entertainment!
5. Cardboard boxes and paper bags
The perpetual joke about cats is that they always prefer the box that a toy came in…and it’s true.
My cat loves to chew cardboard boxes. He doesn’t eat the cardboard, he just makes eco-friendly confetti when he’s bored. If your cat is often trying to get your attention while you’re working, a simple box or paper bag might keep him occupied for the low, low price of free.
Make sure to remove any plastic packaging tape from your cardboard box (e.g. Amazon uses a packing tape with mesh) and cut the handles of the paper bags to prevent accidental strangulation.
If you’ve noticed that your cat loves hiding and ambushing, toys like the K·1 8-in-1 Cat Tunnel/Bed/Cave could be perfect. This is absolutely one of my favorite cat products – although it’s on the pricey side, it’s really well designed and versatile. My cat loves playing hide-and-seek with it as well as tumbling around in it, so it’s really a toy as well as a chic-looking piece of cat furniture.
Fellow cat owners have also recommended the famous Ripple Rug, which apparently is a huge cat magnet that has earned titles from Amazon reviews like “Kitty Shangri-La” and “Center of the Feline Cosmos”. It’s also generously sized and made from recycled plastic bottles – great for the planet!
6. Cat teaser toys
It’s important that you play with your cat daily using interactive toys, as this provides mental stimulation and satisfies their natural hunting instincts. But when that deadline is looming and you’ve absolutely got to finish that report tonight, a teaser toy can be a lifesaver.
There are tons of different teaser toys, but it’s best to get one that mimics your cat’s usual playing style. Do they love wand toys when you make their “prey” hide under objects? Get the SmartyKat Hot Pursuit Concealed Motion Toy (which has thousands of amazing reviews from buyers).
But again, we know price and sophistication don’t matter to a cat. Sometimes, a simple teaser like the Cat Dancer Deluxe (which IMHO is like a supermarket shelf wobbler) is all it takes to make your kitties happy. You can even place it at the top of a scratching pole so your cat can climb up and give its claws a workout while swatting at the Cat Dancer.
7. Laser toys
I’m really not a fan of laser toys as I’m not confident of their safety: laser pointers are often not regulated and I’m always afraid of accidentally shining them in my cat’s (or someone’s) eyes. Plus, it sure seems frustrating for a cat if it can’t ever catch that red dot!
That said, if your cat enjoys playing with lasers, there are laser toys that are supposedly designed for safety. The PetSafe Dancing Dot, for instance, can be set to turn on and off at set intervals. It’s also designed to be placed at a high elevation so your cat is less likely to stare at the source of the laser beam.
More tips for keeping your cat entertained
- Rotate your cat’s toys. Cats do get bored of their toys after a while, so what many cat owners do is to switch out different toys every few weeks.
- Give them access to a window. This is one of the easiest ways to entertain your cat at any time of day! My cat loves stalking birds and squirrels, and (strangely enough) windborne leaves. You can also place a bird feeder at your window if that’s allowed.
- Use a puzzle feeder. If your cat is highly food-motivated, food puzzles can help to keep them entertained. You may like the Petstages treat puzzles, which offer a range of difficulties and are made from food-safe plastic.