Stress busting engaging toys

saharahoshi

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Sep 9, 2020
Messages
88
Purraise
41
Hi! I'm having a hard time getting my 2 yr old cat engaged in play so he can blow off some steam with short play sessions the dont overstimulate him for his wellbeing and my sleep so far in his toy rotation we have:
Da bird and da bird various attachments
Smartcat hot pursuit
Catnip toys used sparingly
3 cat towers
The leather bouncer
Catit food puzzles
3 cat towers
2 cat tunnels
The cat dancer
Various wand toys hexbug nano
Kixksticks/Kickapoo
A ripple rug

You get the idea. I also use feliway diffusers, rescue remedy and David Teie MusicForCats. We rotate the toys so he doesn't get bored but yeah. We are in the middle of cat intros where they see each other all the time and I'd like to get the play aggression under control/be able to sleep (yes i do ignore him at 3 am but its hard to fall back asleep.

Appreciate any ideas on stuff to add to the cat repitore.
 

hannahe01

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Jan 17, 2021
Messages
97
Purraise
76
I’m also having a hard time getting my 2 yr old engaged in play. :(( it’s been like this for a week. I feel for ya; it’s super stressful and I’m very tired. I have all of those toys and more for him and he still doesn’t seem to play for more than 5 minutes at a time at night. He plays for about 20-30 minutes in the morning tho so maybe that’s enough. Meh. He used to be so playful
 

suzeanna

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Mar 29, 2021
Messages
268
Purraise
472
My cat really likes chasing the laser pointer (I kind of extend my fingertip beyond the laser end to make sure she doesn't stare at the light).

It also might help to have some smaller toys they can occupy themselves with (e.g., plastic springs, crinkly balls, jingly balls). These can also be interactive -- my cat likes when small toys are gently tossed at her for her to attack.

I know the internet says not to give catnip toys frequently, but I do it every few days and my cat always goes pretty bonkers over them.

Are they maybe hungry at 3 a.m.? If so, an automatic feeder might help, although I don't know how well it would work with two cats (might require 2 feeders).
 

susanm9006

Willow
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 20, 2011
Messages
13,153
Purraise
30,221
Location
Minnesota
I agree with suzeanna suzeanna . As cats get older they seem to prefer these individual toys. Balls they can roll, springs they can bounce and mice toys they can chase and carry. There are also household items that they can find entertaining - a sheet of tissue, the paper core of a toilet paper roll, a box with a few holes cut in it, a golf ball, or a milk container plastic top. Try a few new things every few days until you find out what she lIkes.
 

maggie101

3 cats
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 20, 2014
Messages
7,885
Purraise
9,884
Location
Houston,TX
Hi! I'm having a hard time getting my 2 yr old cat engaged in play so he can blow off some steam with short play sessions the dont overstimulate him for his wellbeing and my sleep so far in his toy rotation we have:
Da bird and da bird various attachments
Smartcat hot pursuit
Catnip toys used sparingly
3 cat towers
The leather bouncer
Catit food puzzles
3 cat towers
2 cat tunnels
The cat dancer
Various wand toys hexbug nano
Kixksticks/Kickapoo
A ripple rug

You get the idea. I also use feliway diffusers, rescue remedy and David Teie MusicForCats. We rotate the toys so he doesn't get bored but yeah. We are in the middle of cat intros where they see each other all the time and I'd like to get the play aggression under control/be able to sleep (yes i do ignore him at 3 am but its hard to fall back asleep.

Appreciate any ideas on stuff to add to the cat repitore.
Shipping trash. Piles in corners. They love jumping in it when I throw a toy or try to catch a wand toy
 

Babypinkweeb

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Feb 24, 2021
Messages
409
Purraise
500
I have a senior boy who has never shown much interest on any toys on the market until I got this after watching japanese cat videos:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005DIE62W/?tag=thecatsite

Every cat is different but he went from maybe a few mins of interest every few days to playing for 10+ minutes vigorously daily with this toy. I have tried feather toys, lasers, cat nip toys, kickers, remote moving toys, all sorts of stick and string toys etc and he only wants to play with this. My new adopted 1 year old cat also goes crazy for this.
 

maggie101

3 cats
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 20, 2014
Messages
7,885
Purraise
9,884
Location
Houston,TX
There are some cats that love da bird. Mine like to chase things on the ground. Move it fast. That's why the purrfect leather bouncer and the go cat catcher are their favorite. They like to hide then run in the cubes and pounce. It's cute seeing their little boodys wiggle. Stray kittens I rescued play with bugs. Adults catch birdsmy cats are 7,8,and 9 but maybe because they were rescued as kittens they are grounder.
 

wealthy1

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Mar 1, 2017
Messages
152
Purraise
113
I had the same issue and bought my cats the automatic laser toy on chewy. I turn it on twice at night; maybe 30 minutes before I go to bed and then again 5 minutes before. Calms them and they leave me alone for the night.

Also, I trained them to stay awake from 8p - 10p; which also helps.
 

tarasgirl06

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 19, 2006
Messages
24,708
Purraise
64,894
Location
Glendale, CATifornia
Hi! I'm having a hard time getting my 2 yr old cat engaged in play so he can blow off some steam with short play sessions the dont overstimulate him for his wellbeing and my sleep so far in his toy rotation we have:
Da bird and da bird various attachments
Smartcat hot pursuit
Catnip toys used sparingly
3 cat towers
The leather bouncer
Catit food puzzles
3 cat towers
2 cat tunnels
The cat dancer
Various wand toys hexbug nano
Kixksticks/Kickapoo
A ripple rug

You get the idea. I also use feliway diffusers, rescue remedy and David Teie MusicForCats. We rotate the toys so he doesn't get bored but yeah. We are in the middle of cat intros where they see each other all the time and I'd like to get the play aggression under control/be able to sleep (yes i do ignore him at 3 am but its hard to fall back asleep.

Appreciate any ideas on stuff to add to the cat repitore.
You've got quite an impressive arsenal there, saharahoshi saharahoshi -- and you might try investigating hauspanther.com where you can find lots and lots of links to lots and lots of toys! Also, you might want to try silvervine from Cat-alog. You can give it straight -- just a tiny pinch on a toy or a scratching surface will be more than enough!--or mix it with catnip to lessen the effect somewhat. Young, old, or in between, it puts cats on cloud 9!:dizzycat:
 

kitty416

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
Feb 6, 2017
Messages
2
Purraise
5
Location
Georgia
I have a spare bedroom which I have turned into a room for 2 of my cats and my 4 foster cats. They have bedding, litter boxes, furniture, toys and feeding stations in there.
They have free run of the place while I work and after my meals are prepared and eaten until bedtime.

I turn on an auto laser cat toy for them (during my bath time) and they run and play for awhile. Then at bedtime I feed them their last meal of wet food for the day, turn off the light and close the door to their room. I go to bed and we sleep peacefully all night.
They seem to like this routine, because about the same time each night they gather around me with eyes wide staring or rubbing affectionately against me to nudge me along because they are ready for bed. I began this routine when they were younger before the kittens had full house roaming privileges. Two of my three cats joined their foster pals by choice. My older cat Kona has free run of the house always. She is a well mannered quiet cat who I never hear a peep from at night. I live alone with them and this works well for us.
 

flybear

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Nov 13, 2018
Messages
212
Purraise
280
my cats sleep in a catio at night ... ( from my bedtime until 4.30 am when I get up) ... they get fed at night so they can graze and the catio has a litterbox and play tree and some toys but kind of makes them wind down and actually sleep. Mine are used to being confined at night since they were kittens ( started in a bathroom) and have spurts of activity usually in the morning and evening before bedtime when they get the zoomies and play with each other and go a bit crazy ...
 

tarasgirl06

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 19, 2006
Messages
24,708
Purraise
64,894
Location
Glendale, CATifornia
my cats sleep in a catio at night ... ( from my bedtime until 4.30 am when I get up) ... they get fed at night so they can graze and the catio has a litterbox and play tree and some toys but kind of makes them wind down and actually sleep. Mine are used to being confined at night since they were kittens ( started in a bathroom) and have spurts of activity usually in the morning and evening before bedtime when they get the zoomies and play with each other and go a bit crazy ...
My cats were in their catio almost all the time when we had one! The only times I closed the catflaps were during heavy rain or snow, or in sandstorms. They had a snack bar with food and water, a floor-to-ceiling activity center, a litterbox, and lots of toys, scratchers, and beds. They loved it so much!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #16

saharahoshi

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Sep 9, 2020
Messages
88
Purraise
41
Ok, this sounds dumb but I'm trying not to get the poor cat too worked up but at the same time, little dude needs to run off some energy, has anyone had the experience where there cat is playing but then doesn't pounce on the toy and decides to do an Olympic sprinter lap? Usually at that point I try to wind down maybe put out a treat so he feels like he's killed something but I want to make sure I'm not frustrating him more if that makes sense?
 

tarasgirl06

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 19, 2006
Messages
24,708
Purraise
64,894
Location
Glendale, CATifornia
Ok, this sounds dumb but I'm trying not to get the poor cat too worked up but at the same time, little dude needs to run off some energy, has anyone had the experience where there cat is playing but then doesn't pounce on the toy and decides to do an Olympic sprinter lap? Usually at that point I try to wind down maybe put out a treat so he feels like he's killed something but I want to make sure I'm not frustrating him more if that makes sense?
I don't think you're causing him any harm or stress at all. It sounds like he's enjoying his play/interactive time very much!
 
Top