Kitten not interested in toys

Alimo

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Hello

Can anyone recommend some toys or ways to make my kitten more interested in toys?

He is 8 months old, super friendly, would much rather sleep on your lap than in his bed, will follow us everywhere and has never been super interested in toys but would still always play. He still has a ton of energy but lately as soon a toy comes out he either flops on the floor or completely ignores it and carries on being destructive, he would much rather be scratching the sofa, chewing the blind pulls or eating my plants! Our evenings currently consist of him doing something, us moving him away and saying no, him then going and doing something else and the circle repeating for an hour all whilst we are trying to get him to play with a toy...

We have:
Multiple cats trees placed in front of windows
Tunnels
Boxes
Multiple styles of ball
Catnip mouses
Lots of fishing rod toys including Da Bird
Catit roller
Kickeroos
A mouse on a stick that makes bird noises when lightly moved
A crinkle blanket
Homemade toys - tin foil balls, bottle lids, shoelaces

Any new toy seems to be interesting for a whole 5 minutes before he is bored. I gave him a dried pasta tube to bat round the other day and he loved it for bit, tried it again the next day and no interest whatsoever!

How do i get him to burn off energy when he just sploots on the floor whenever i pick up a toy like 'you seriously want me to play with that?':crackup:
 

ArtNJ

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I'm sure there are great toys not on your list (laser pointer came to mind) but it *is* a pretty comprehensive list. Its a little unusual, but for whatever reason, you have a cat that prefers more freeform play. Short of getting another cat, I don't really know what to tell you. Usually we say, keep trying other toys. I don't know thats your answer though.
 

FeebysOwner

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Not sure it will help any, but it can't hurt to try. Get a box or two and put all the toys in the box(es). He might find it interesting to pull stuff out of the box. Feeby has never been a player, and certainly not with store bought toys, but when she was younger she enjoyed dragging stuff out of the box. Sometimes she would play with it for a second or two, other times not.

Also, try big paper bags - Feeby is more inclined to spend time climbing in and out of a bag as entertainment. Also, try curled ribbons - preferably ones that are cloth or not easily chewed apart. That is about the only other thing Feeby is interested in. For awhile she did like one box I set up for her, open and on its side, then I covered the opening with a piece of cloth - she would treat it like the paper bags, crawling in and out of it. Gift wrapping paper, just laid on the ground, seems to interest Feeby too at times.

Lastly, try seeing if your cat would be interested in watching bird/squirrel videos - not so much a play-type thing, but for a different level of entertainment.
 

Talien

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I'm sure there are great toys not on your list (laser pointer came to mind) but it *is* a pretty comprehensive list. Its a little unusual, but for whatever reason, you have a cat that prefers more freeform play. Short of getting another cat, I don't really know what to tell you. Usually we say, keep trying other toys. I don't know thats your answer though.
Yeah, laser pointer or another Cat are about the only things I can think of as well. You could try looking into fostering a Kitten or younger Cat (1 year or less, preferably) as a companion, they will usually keep eachother entertained and cause less destructive behavior. If it works out then you could adopt.
 
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Alimo

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Ah sorry that was one I missed, we do have a laser pointer already and again it's another thing he is bored with after 2 seconds.

I bought him a treat puzzle ball today so I'm hoping he likes that.

I've been thinking he would like a friend but that's not really the route we want to go down unless absolutely necessary. I was hoping you would all say he's just being a grumpy teenage kitten and will grow out of it! :lol:
 

minish

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Minish almost never played on her own after 8 months. But she loves attention so I always invite her to chase stuff even if she gets bored after a few rounds. we play hide and seek and tag. She also loves being chased during her zoomies after meals. That way she spends the energy without trouble.
Your kitten is at the age to play with his mind as well as his body. You can create puzzles for him like find the treat and cheer him when he does. You can teach him a few tricks like give paw. You can set an obstacle course by enticing him with treats. If he is like minish he would love to put a show for you
 

maggie101

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My cats llike chasing things on the ground,so not da bird. The go cat catcher or purrfect leather bouncer. For one cat, plastic cubes that pop open to hide,play, sleep in . Shipping trash in corners. Move the wand fast so she can run. Chew toys. The tunnels, I donated. Never plated with them. Beds they don't use but they do like the numerous baby blankets
 

danteshuman

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Maybe it is not so much the toy but how you play with him? You have to be the toy. (Or the mouse or the bird.) Move g th be toy like that animal, make it slightly challenging but not to easy or hard.

Another thing, I agree with the post about putting some different kind of toys in a box. I do it for Jackie’s rainy day box. I usually use the brown packing paper. I spray the packing paper (or tissue paper) with catnip spray & store it in a ziplock bag until it rains. In the picture Jackie is playing in his Easter rainy day box with paper (cat safe) Easter grass ...... which he loved but got the grass every where! The toys get so much more exciting when he buries them! (I include a crinkle ball or a jingle ball or two for the noise.) Also all cats live bunny fur toys. 🤦🏻‍♀️ The long haired large mice & the weasel are rabbit fur favorites off amazon.

ABEA1235-6CE8-4C5D-985E-B012EEBE3A92.jpeg
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Jackie’s rainy day toys..... he loves them! I put 2-3 of them down and let him go crazy. The clever kitty meows at me when a hexabug gets stuck; so I will fix it. 🤣
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It may be the other cats bully him a bit & keep hogging the toys. So you may want to try getting him in a room alone with you & then playing with him.

He may not be a toy cat but you can still enrich his life with bird feeders. A catio or he can watch the birds through a window (or window screen in good weather.) A bird bath attracts lots of birds. Don’t forget you can always feed the squirrels a few unsalted peanuts every day to attract them (& use bird food with chili in it to keep thieving squirrels out of your bird food..... the birds don’t taste the chili oil.)
 
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