Ever bought something for your cat/s that you never actually used?

Anne

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Spring cleaning question
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Do you have stuff tucked away in some closet that you once bought for your cat and never, or almost never, got to use? If you only used it once and then tucked it away, that counts as well. Cat treats that they didn't like? Cat toys that were too boring? A cat collar that just wouldn't stay on? Or maybe something more "exotic" like a cat sweater?

I'm working on a "Spring Cleaning" special and would love to know which items you got for the cat/s that are just tucked away someplace?
 

frappe

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We JUST donated a bunch of stuff that we had previously bought for Java and that she refused to use or we never got around to it.

1. A bag of those fake mice... Had to take them away because she ate them.

2. A Kuranda 4 level cat tower. She hated it! It went untouched for 7 months.

3. SmartCat Ultimate Scratch post. Refused to touch it.

4. A set of 10 kitten collars that I ordered from Ebay. (By the time they arrived.. coming from overseas... she was too big! Lol)

All of this stuff was shoved in our outdoor storage and I forgot about most of it. The shelter really appreciated it!
 

katluver4life

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Oh do I.

2 drawers full of toys they wouldn't play with or got bored with, especially all kinds of balls. Lots of treats bags they turned their nose up on. I handed out a lot of the stuff as each of my fosters got adopted. Even cat beds they never liked, Those too got donated. They are now almost 2 and I now know what NOT to buy them.
 
 

sambo

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Yes! And after cleaning it all out i just stick with our pepsi boxes for toys. Thats all they want! Oh and a potato....as well as my socks. Odd little kitty cats :) ive rehomed toys cubbies scratching posts treats (theyre picky) and a nasty smelling spray! It was meant to keep them away from the christmas tree...well...it kept EVERYONE away from it lol gag! Bows collars costumes...countless things! :)
 

Winchester

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I really need to get their aquarium back out. A GF gave me her cat's aquarium (her kitty got too old to really enjoy it). It's a nice size and holds maybe a couple gallons of distilled water. It has fishes and plants and such (all fake, of course) as well as a little motor. You put it all together and when you plug it in, the fishes "swim" and the plants move in the water. The cats just loved it (especially Amber Louise) and we had it out for quite a while. Then I decided to put it away for awhile and it's been in the computer room for several years now.

Same with their Deli Dome. This is a toy that shoots out a ball filled with kitty kibble. You can set the timer and every so often a kibble-filled ball will come out. It rolls along the kitchen floor and kibble falls out. Banshee, especially, loved that thing and, after she died, I put it away. But she would chase the ball all over the kitchen.....exercise and treats at the same time! It stores six balls (I think) and there are two extra balls. It was battery-operated.

They have this HUGE mobile. We hung it from the kitchen light at the ceiling and it was very long. It had balls on the ends of the "arms" and the idea was that the cats would jump up at the balls. But the first time we put it up, I think it scared them so badly they wanted nothing to do with it for several days. Then one cat got brave enough to try swatting at a ball and that was all it took. We would have kept it up in the kitchen, but it really got in the way of everything. We put it away and never got it back out. I don't even know where that one is anymore, but I'm sure it's around somewhere.

Honestly, the best toy for our kids? A large paper bag. Just a plain old brown paper bag. They love it and they'll play in it for hours. Oh, and milk caps. They love to toss milk caps around.
 
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AbbysMom

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Oh I have bought Abby plenty of things over the years that she refuses! Food, beds, toys, you name it! I usually give the food to a shelter. Three of my nieces now have cats, and one also fosters and volunteers at a shelter, so that is where all of Abby's castoffs and hand me downs go now. :)
 

sambau

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Hmmm, Scratch pole, never touched it (doors and armchairs are better), sleeping cushions/baskets - never even looked at it ( top of the cabinetss   tv, fridge, any kind of cardboard boxes, top of my head... are better), catnip mousse - he almost scratch my eyes out, have no idea why)
 

jcat

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There have been plenty of toys and beds, but what sticks in my mind is the Drinkwell Jamie refused to use. He had a Petmate fountain which he liked, but stuck his nose up at the Drinkwell I bought to replace it. I've got it tucked away, and will put it out for Mogli over Easter when I'm home to supervise him.
 

gemlady

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Most notably, a child's fishing pole. On sale, I got it and put a feather cluster on the line with the idea of casting it and having Aristotle play with it. I was wanting a toy with a longer wand and string. It was cheaper than the wand toys at the store. He is scared of it and I only cast it once. I can't even just hold it and he runs to the other room.

I also have assorted toys ignored for the neon fur mice.
 

vball91

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Mostly toys and anything catnip filled. She doesn't seem to react to catnip at all. And if the toy doesn't move after she bats it around once or twice, she gets bored of it. The only toys she really likes have one of us at the other end. Lesson learned.
 

auroraei

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I bought my cat a cardboard curved scratching post and he never uses it, I found out he prefers sisal. Also, I recently bought him a collar + tag but he just rips it off. It's a break away collar, but I didn't know he'd be able to break away so easily! LOL. He likes all his toys, so that's good. He loves balls and anything with feathers and toys that make noise. Also can't believe he has so much fun with just stuffed mice. He bats them around for hours! I thought he'd be bored of them by now.

I take it back, I just remembered one toy he won't play with. At Walmart they had a dog toy in the cat section! I bought it for him thinking it was a cat toy. He won't go near it! It's like he KNOWS it's made for dogs.
 
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Ms. Freya

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A few things, but there are enough cat owners in my family and circle of friends that we tend to pass the unused things around until someone's cat likes it. My favorite was an emery cat board we bought for our guys and they never touched it. After 6 months, I gave it to my brother and his cat shredded it in a few weeks. One cat's trash is another's treasure, I guess.
 

MoochNNoodles

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I have no idea where it is; but I wanted to buy them one of those crinkly tunnels to run through for a long time before I actually did.  It didn't get more than a weeks worth of use.  I should have gotten it when they were smaller kittens.  It also just took up a lot of room to be leaving it laying out in the living room.  
 

katluver4life

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Mostly toys and anything catnip filled. She doesn't seem to react to catnip at all. And if the toy doesn't move after she bats it around once or twice, she gets bored of it. The only toys she really likes have one of us at the other end. Lesson learned.
you just described BOTH my cats
 

vball91

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I don't know how you handle 2 of them! It's hard to find the time to play with one cat all the time, much less 2.
 

kittylover23

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 Almost everything gets used at our house! Cookie is absolutely nuts when it comes to toys! Whatever I see that my gals don't use anymore, I donate to the humane society or the rescue I work with. I bought this cute scratching pad the other day and the kitties refused to use it, guess I will be donating that too!
 

sweet sally2

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Our cat toys are played with, the Cedar scratching post is a big hit, so are the sisal mats.  Still, there is nothing like a few big rubber bands to toss up into the air and balled up pages from catalogs to be torn into teeny tinny pieces all over the floor. 
 
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