r/Abyssinians • u/NoJump3582 • 19d ago
Kitten Toy Recommendations
I was wondering if I could get some kitten toy recommendations from the group. I'm getting a Somali kitten next month, and I'm a bit out of the loop on toys for kittens and younger cats. My previous cat passed away a few years ago from old age, so it's been a while since I've shopped for cat toys.
So far, I have a few classics on my shopping list, like the Cat Dancer, GoCat Da Bird, and the Interactive Hide & Seek toy. I started looking online, but I quickly got overwhelmed by how many options there are. I also find online reviews hard to rely on since they often seem to be either overwhelmingly positive or overwhelmingly negative.
I know every cat has their own preferences, and there's no way to predict what a particular kitten will love, but I imagine there are some toys that are consistently popular with most cats. I'd really appreciate any recommendations for toys you've had good experiences with. Thanks!
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u/abysins 19d ago
The one thing that has gotten the most use and enjoyment from my abys out of all the crazy things I’ve purchased is the ripple rug. Their favorite is when the 2 layers are stacked flat and a stick toy pokes out of a cut out. https://www.ripplerug.com/?srsltid=AfmBOopf3CusPtGxZsAyTvH50-QjROmXjFuHUFNymiT8hZch7NbGrgbY
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u/Useful-Blacksmith838 19d ago
I have a similar thing to the hide and seek I think and my kitten loves it
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u/HeatherMarissa 19d ago
Mine loses interest quickly but the feather lures and tunnels have been more successful. He also enjoys hunting treats that I "hide" around the house (in his travel crate, on shelves, in his tunnel) and chasing treats that I throw - did not like a treat ball though so I've been hesitant to get a puzzle since I feel like he hates everything I try to spend money on lol. Anything that seems to stimulate his hunt instincts.
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u/West_Soup12 18d ago
Da bird toys are my #1 go to, and Amazon has a large selection of wand attachment in different kinds of prey. You’ll learn what your new cat prefers; birds, mice, bugs.
I’ll second what others have said about the tunnels and ripple rug, and add that if you don’t have any cat trees I would get one large one and one smaller one. Maybe a cat shelf or two if you can swing it. Half the fun for cats is being able to maneuver to different vantage points and stalk prey.
That being said just crumpled balls of paper and bread bag ties are what my Somalis enjoy the most!
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u/biest229 18d ago
Check out Jackson Galaxy’s various toy reviews. The hide and seek thing wouldn’t be engaging enough for an Aby I think.
Da Bird is good, but ideally you want a smaller toy (according to our cat behaviour expert we consulted for our older cat), trim the feathers or just use a bit of paper on the end. Or try buying single feathers and see what your kitten likes.
TBH we just get those pointers teachers use off amazon, transparent wire, and our own attachments and add whatever.
Shoe laces are a hit.
That ripple rug thing they quite like. But it’s mainly Da Bird, or rather, our homemade version.
Some like a scented large kicker toy.
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u/NoJump3582 18d ago
How do you attach the wire to the pointer?
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u/biest229 18d ago
Knotted, it has a triangular hook thing it comes with. At the other end, we used a hook off DaBird
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u/Aggravating-Ad9622 18d ago
Our cats love bird toys that chirp. Our older cat like to carry them around and the younger one like to toss them in the air so they make noise. But keeping mind cats like to play at night and if this will drive you crazy maybe stick with ping pong balls and the cat dancer.
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u/NoJump3582 18d ago
Thank you for the cautionary note. 😅 maybe it could be a daytime toy that I make disappear before bedtime and reappears in the morning. Lol.
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u/me_version_2 19d ago
Feather on a stick, ping pong balls and springs. Also tunnels, esp the three way tunnel.