Tried-and-true kitty favorites? Or, total busts?

The kitties have seemed (gasp!) bored over the last couple of days. I'm always rotating toys in and out, but nothing seems to keep their interest very long. And, when that happens, I always think it's time to spice up their life with a new toy -- be it one that I can play with them with or one they can play with on their own. So, instead of me going out and spending money on toys that just don't make the cut where our feline friends are concerned, I thought I'd post a thread to see what some of your kitties' favorite toys are.

For interactive toys, my crew has always gone bonkers for Da Bird. It's a great toy for when they need to get some pent up energy out. And, I have to say, as far as cat toys go, I enjoy it quite a bit too. The only downside is that I go through refills like water! They also love when I play laser with them. But, that one is definitely more touch and go as far as whether or not everyone will get into it. Other wand toys are fun as well, but it's hard to know whether a new one brought home will be hit or miss.

For independent play, catnip is an all-around favorite here. They love playing with anything that's filled to the brim with potent catnip! They also like treat balls though Finnegan hasn't quite figured out their purpose yet. And, truth be told, he's the one that needs to be entertained the most -- the other cats are always getting annoyed with his antics! Anything with feathers is also a good bet. Little rattly balls aren't a favorite here. Nor are other bat-around toys that don't do much. However, they do like toys that chirp or make noises. I guess you can say that all of mine have high prey drives and like playing with toys that let them express their true nature. And, while I no longer have a Turbo Scratcher, they never seemed overly impressed with the one I did have in the past.

My kitties, truthfully, have a ton of toys. But, I'm always looking for something else that will pique their interests and keep them entertained. My cats are definitely playful and enjoy having lots of new and interesting things to test out and keep busy with. So, that being said, what are some tried-and-true favorites for your cat(s)? Is there anything they absolutely love that would be a wise investment? Or, have you tried something that maybe wasn't such a hit? I'm just curious. As much as I love PetSmart, I don't need their whole toy department in my house (though I might be able to give them a run for their money on that one) -- so opinions and suggestions are very much welcome and appreciated.

I know it's no help, but some of my cats (and my vet's office cats) favorite toys are the ones I've made. If you're creative you can try making some yourself and incorporate features that they really love.
Momofmany makes hand made toys, too, that many on here claim are big hits with their cats.

Jake's favorite toy of all time is this canvas catnip mouse, it's really small, and he always loses it under the couch or somewhere, and one day digs it out. I think the fact that he loses it makes it more fun for him, because he think it hides from him, and then when he finds it again he goes crazy!!!
But he plays with me A LOT, when I sit with legs crosses he attacks me, kicks my legs, slaps me, jumps at my feet if I'm walking .....he still behaves like a kitten even at 2 and a half

Mine love rolled up aluminum foil balls, we call them mr. ball. Only we have to watch Midnight he eventually tries to eat mr. ball. They also love straws, we have them in all different sizes and colors. We call them mr. straw

My cats favorite toy is the "da bird brand" mouse. I attach the mouse to the da bird wand and they go bonkers. They like the mouse way more than the feather. Also my cats really like the ball in the plastic thing that they hit and it goes around, I got it at Walmart. Lilly will play with that on her own for hours.

Da bird mouse "cat catcher" refill.
http://www.amazon.com/Bird-Refill-Ca...629466&sr=8-11

The ball thing that I got at Walmart looks like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Aroma-Cheese-C...29565&sr=1-109

My cats' favorites are usually tissue paper and cardboard boxes that they can rip into.

Several of our cats go BONKERS for the mouse attachment to da Bird; two go insane for the rabbit tail attachment. Totally recommend both in addition to the feathers.

But the other MAJOR interactive wand toy that really gets the kitties moving - especially the two that aren't really into feathers, the mouse, or the rabbit tail - is the NEKO FLIES wands. The Karantula attachment and the Kragonfly get EVERYONE going - and even get BILLY leaping!!!! For kitties that like chasing bugs, there is no better toy.

https://www.nekoflies.com/ (I don't remember where we ordered them, but you can see all the products there).

I never heard of the mouse...I will have to get one of those.

Lets see. Favorites around here. For interactive toys they like the Da-Bird feather toy best. Sometimes the laser pointer but that is hit or miss. I have to keep the Da-Bird put away in the top of the closet when not playing or they destroy it. They also adore their TurboScratcher they got from SS for Christmas. I put more catnip on every week and they play with it ALL the time.

Favorites:

Milk Rings. Spooky spends hours chasing them around. Eventually they break and aren't fun anymore so I throw them out. He loses them under things and when I clean its like a whole new set appears. He probably has 30 or 40 lost in my house somewhere currently.

Pet Stages Carry Critter Mouse. Ebay.com Link. I picked it up on clearance and the boys loved it, especially Jinkers. I think it was the crinkle noise he liked.

Ragtime Pet Collars Handmade-Catnip Mouse. They are a little expensive considering shipping but are much larger than you would think, and Mulder is lost in the world without his. We keep extras on hand. She can make them with no feather tail if your babies eat the feathers.

Handmade Cat Toys. I buy them online usually on ebay or etsy. I go for the larger ones (over 3-4") because they don't get lost as easily and my boys love them. Some of them have bells for sounds. I ordered this lot from a seller on etsy, and would recommend her products, especially for the price!

Reusable Straws. I bought a couple 4 packs at Jo-Ann craft stores for $1 each. They are a thicker plastic made for washing and reusing instead of throwing away. The boys like to toss them around, and they don't wear out like disposable straws.

Hartz Chirp n Chase. Stepmom has a couple of these. They make a bird noise when moved around or thrown. Drives me nuts, but the cats like it.

Cheap Catnip toys from Walmart. They don't sell them online but in store they are usually $1-2 for a package of 2. They are on the smaller side but my boys love love love them!

Catnip Ball (like a Pawbreaker) - They go NUTS for this! Compressed catnip in ball form. They chase it around trying to lick it to get the catnip. Makes a loud noise on hardwood floors, so we pick it up late at night.

Flops:

Fat Cat Brand Toys - Almost universal flop. They get attention at first then fade quickly to toybox dust collectors. I have tried these: Tail Chaser, House Guests "Fish" and "Dem Dum Birdies"

Pet-stages Dental Health Chews - Too small, no catnip, nothing to generate interest. Immediate fail. Amazon Link.

Smarty Kat Flicker Ball - Walmart. My boys didn't care one bit about the flickering light.


I've found when they get tired of their toys even with rotation I can spray them until wet with catnip spray and leave in the sun to dry a couple of days and it brings some life back to old toys.

Hope this helped some!

^I have some of the dental chews (I don't think they were pet stages brand). I periodically wash them and then put them in a baggy of cat nip for a week or two. I've had the same pair for 5-6 years now and they regularly get played with. Whenever I pick up all the cat toys and put them in the toy basket in the den they're one of the first toys fished back out.

Another favorite around my house are a couple of toys I bought 4 and 3 years ago called "great balls of fur". They're no longer made. It's a ball of rabbit fur with octopus like legs on it.

Three of my cats really love mylar balls, but the obsessive one will not let the other two cats play with them.

Aya apparently missed out on the catnip gene so that is a real non-starter around here.

Her favorite is the $4.99 hartz goldfish on a line toy. Followed by those plastic balls with the dingle bells in them. Next would be the mylar crinkle balls and real fur-covered mice.

Since we've moved Aya's gotten much more into the turbo scritcher. She likes to separate the sritcher from the turbo part and I re-assemble it every mornign just to give her something to do at night. Apparently this is a toy that needs some space to be utilized effectively and my old place didn't have it. She likes it in the middle of the floor (-yeah, underfoot!) She pushes the ball around and runs and hides and stalks it and -wham! spins the ball again, repeatedly...

Empty thread spools are another good freebie toy. Followed by everything Mommy doesn't want her to play with.

The biggest favorite around here are the little plastic springs! All of the babies love them. I think I've seen them at most pet supply stores as well and they're not overly expensive.

The one toy that has been around the longest and replaced once is the catnip carrot. We are on number two over a five year span. It gets chased and chewed and tossed and shredded and is really quite sturdy for the abuse it takes. Also I make fishing poles out of some of the fluffy toys we have.

Kis loves the prestiges dental health chews - they are the right size to carry around and he chews on them like a dog. In fact I need to purchase a few more in the next few days LOL

He also LOVES LOVES LOVES little stuffed mice but I have had to take them away because he eats the tails off he won't touch them if I cut the tails off... I would like to make some but no idea what fabric can hold up to his chewing so he can't EAT it.

Also the ethical colorful plastic springs - he loves them so much that I have about 100 of them that I keep in a toybox beside me and throw for him. He never brings them back but begs me to throw another so my house basically looks like a spring toy bomb went off. I pick them up at night before bed and we start again the next day. LOL

Ping pong balls - in the summer when I have my cover down on the desk (it's cloth) he LOVES to hide under it and I toss the balls and he leaps out like he is a killer and gets the balls. In the winter I FOLD the cover up though, as the heater is under the desk and can get overly hot with the cover down.

I have yet to find something that is 100% though. He often gets bored with things and I am stuck trying to find ways to play with him.

One thing that he ALWAYS is up for - is a game of hide n seek.