Needing ideas for larger/smarter cats that are not challenged by the "typical toys"

Naku (my male cat) is a rough player, where my Esme (my female) does not like store bought toys, at all. Probably one of their favorite and CHEAPEST toys, is good 'ol classic Milk Rings. Yes, they get lost, but we have so many around the house, that they find them again, lose them, find them, and so on. So really, any time we get milk, OJ, or juice, they get the rings.

 

Some other toys that they love though are:

http://www.target.com/p/Kitty-City-Pouncing-Paws-Motorized-Cat-Toy/-/A-12737303 - Neither of them can pick this toy up. The most that happens is they pounce on it and it slides across the floor when they are trying to catch the motorized wand.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Petmate-Crazy-Circle-Interactive-Large/dp/B0002AT5AO/ref=sr_1_25?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1323533412&sr=1-25 - I have one similar to this and it occasionally gets flipped over, but never lost.

 

Hope this helps!

 

My cats love their City Kitty Climber which is a sisal-covered post that attaches on a door:

http://www.citykittyclimber.com/

 

As far as toys, maybe some dogs toys would work? One thing your cats might like if they like treats is a puzzle toy. There are different types of these including ones that are a cube or ball with food inside, and ones that are more like an actual puzzle they have to solve.

 

Here are some of the more puzzle-like ones:

 

http://www.interactivedoggames.com/

 

http://catforager.com/

I second the milk rings! Nova loves hers; we have 1-2 dozen... mostly under the stove and refrigerator!

 

Da Bird. It's a wand toy that you hold and wave around, but it's different from the other wand toys that are out there! The feathers kind of flutter (like a real bird ?).

 

Squishy balls they sell at PetSmart (they have kind of a spongy texture, and are sold in a pack of 4). They sell something similar at Petco, but the ones at Petco have these annoying seams in the middle. One of our cats likes to fetch them, but the others like to bat them around.

 

Another favorite is the Yeowww! Catnip Pollock.

 

They also enjoy munching on cat grass.

 

If you have time to supervise their play, some of the human toys that have interested ours include bubbles (they are mesmerized by these for much longer than I can actually blow them) and ZhuZhu pets (be careful that their fur doesn't catch in the wheels!).

 

One of our cats loves to look out the window. We bought a couple of those LazyPet window perches, and put a bird feeder up outside.

 

Another thing they really like are these pop-up cloth cubes they sell at Walmart for about $4 each. They come in red and purple, and maybe other colors too. The cats hide in them when they're chasing each other, and they also take naps in them.

 

We have 4 cats and they don't go out, so we have a big variety of toys and cat furniture. (Two cat trees, several cat beds, several play cubes, and a whole box full of toys). They really like to play in paper bags, and cardboard boxes, and their cat trees.

 

Your eight month old might calm down a little bit as he gets older. I've fostered some kittens/young cats that made my 4 look mellow in comparison!

 

I've also noticed that some toys are popular for a little bit, aren't played with in a long while, and are popular again months later. Try hiding some of their toys and then bringing them back out later.

Also try DaMouse, especially if your cat is afraid of things flying towards him.  Ritz hated the squishy balls (texture?), but likes the plastic balls with bells inside.  Note that some toys work MUCH better on tile; a lot of toys that work well in my friend's cattery (with tile flooring) do not work well in my carpeted apartment.

If your cats like crinkle tunnels:  get the really long one, like three foot long.  Ritz really liked the shorter version:  she'd "hide" behind it, with me pulling DaMouse in front of the opening and she'd race through to catch the mouse).  So I decided to challenge her and get the longer version.  She's quite liking it, now that she's figured out how to play with it.

And, I think that's important:  mental as well as physical challengers, stimulation.

The more levels, openings, the cat tree, the better:  cats can think of all sorts of activities.  PUt peacock feathers in the cat tree, as well as furry (fake) mouse.  Ritz doesn't play with furry mice when I place them on the floor, but when I put them in various places in the cat tree, she loves it.

In our house, the single greatest toy has been the bendy straw!  They are obsessed with them, and all 3 can play with one straw for extra fun & bonding.  (Or, you know, fighting.  Either way.)  The only thing is to hide the box.  I got lazy and left the (closed) box sitting on my nightstand one day before work - I'm STILL finding bendy straws in the weirdest places. 

 

The thing I really love is that they can really get into the soft plastic and chew and tear it, but they can't really tear off small pieces to swallow or choke on, or leave around.  With maybe 2 dozen straws hanging out in random places around my house (I'm sure the maintenance crew at my complex think I am a major weirdo), I haven't found any small pieces or splinters/shards of the straw.

I think most cats appreciate what they discover/create on their own the most (even if they love store-bought too), so "plain" toys that let them be creative and decide how they want to play are the biggest winners.  Even my Turbo Scratcher (the circle with the ball they can push around) doesn't get nearly as much action as the bendy straws.

The one thing I do want to try, that you've already tried, is those Kickeroos!!!  I think Joni especially would go nutso.

Mine have exhausted most sorts of toys, though they do love their tunnels, and treat balls. But what never palls is the good old cardboard box! I just bring home as many as I can, so they keep varying in size and shape. The cats play in and around them, fight over them and then destroy them, and I give them another one.They especially like it if it partially closes, so they have to work out how to get in and out. ANd a sprinking of catnip on the bottom adds to the fun.