Virtual Ping Pong

Russell Clark asked:


You can train your cat to retrieve its toys just like a dog. Many cats love to retrieve a crumpled piece of paper, a rolled up sock , or even a pom pom ball. After they learn, they will wear you out demanding that you throw this toy for them again and again. You can train your cat to fetch a toy in a half - hour or so, with a little patience and persistence. Start by getting your cats attention and throwing the toy so your cat chases it. Keep throwing the toy and keep repeating “ bring it here.” When your cat plays with the toy rather than bringing it to you, go get it and throw it again. Before long, he will get the idea. Once your cat picks up this habit you have to keep doing it every day or they will soon lose interest and forget how to fetch for you. This trick is easy to learn and most cats will quickly learn how to do it for you.

The best toys for cats and kittens. . . Now you have taught your cat how to fetch and he is constantly amazing you with his great talent, you need to spice up your cats life with a new toy.

You can purchase any number of fun toys for your cat from the store. Ping Pong balls make an ideal toy. They are light to bat around, and they are cheap to buy. You get six or twelve balls in a package for under three bucks.

Small rubber balls are also a favorite for some cats. Be careful that the ball is not so small that the cat can swallow and chock on it. Another consideration is whether the toy is made from something that your cat can tare up and swallow this includes rubber bands.

Plastic cat toys are fine but be leery of thin plastic toys that will become brittle when affected by sunlight and bells that your cat can swallow. My cats love to play with balls of crumpled up foil.

Cats love to play in bags. I always cut the handles on plastic bags if I let my cats play with them. I prefer paper bags and so do my cats. A few sheets of newspaper will entertain your cat for hours.

Cat houses and towers are great for letting your cat climb indoors. Most towers have toys attached to them and a scratching post. These days you can find them cheap on the net.

Catnip is a favorite for a lot of cats, but there are some cats that don’t like it. If your lucky your cats love catnip and you can enjoy the pleasure of watching them go ballistic after eating some. My cats race around the house chasing each other after getting nipped up.

In conclusion, its really a simple task to teach your cat to fetch lice a dog. Keep working at it and before long both you and your cat will be having so much fun it will drive you nuts.

Jay Schindler asked:


When the mouse is away, cats play. And cats have the tendency to both play hard and play soft. Toys are to cats the same as toys are to dogs. It helps fight the boredom experienced by these pets as well as gives our feline friends the opportunity to practice and use their natural inclination to chase and hunt for prey. It also gives the cat owner that great chance to play with their pets, an experience that will aid in bonding their relationship.

But what toys are best for cats? The following are tips and helpful advice to get that perfect toy for the cat owners perfect pets.

Play safe

The good thing about cats is that they can play ball inside the house and the owners will never know it. Still, there may be things inside the house that cats could find attractive yet might actually endanger their health and safety. Houses must be cat-friendly. As much as possible, take away any string, yarn, needles, rubber bands or other objects that could easily be swallowed by cats. These things could be lethal to cats. Do not let them play with these articles no matter how cute they may appear to be.

Play soft

Choose soft toys that can easily be machine-washed. It is best that the toys chosen to be played with by cats are also the toys marked as safe to be played with by children below three years old. Toys such as these usually contain fillings that are not hazardous. Also, avoid giving cats toys that are hard and rigid, these types do not appeal to them that much. 

Know your cat, know their toy

It is best that one also familiarize themselves with your cat. Doing so helps in ones selection of the kind of plaything that best serves the size of ones cat - the kind of activity the cat likes and its unique preferences. Know the environment in which the cat likes to spend its time the most. 

Choose active toys

Toys that are great to play with for cats are usually the round plastic ones (such as rings from shower curtains, plastic balls, golf balls, balls used in ping-pong) as these give cats the opportunity to chase and paw around. They could also carry these in their mouths, make sure though that these are big enough they cannot be swallowed but not so large that they cannot carry them in their mouths. 

Choose active play

Balls can be placed inside bath tubs filled with water. Watch as cats frolic and play on and around the toy. It is just as enjoyable to the cat as it is fun for the cat owner. Another added feature that could be placed on balls are bells. One not only sees how cats play, one could also listen and take pleasure in the playful sound . Another simple yet effective plaything for cats is a paper bag.  Use paper bags that do not have handles. These bags are good for pouncing around. Cats hide in them too. As much as possible, avoid the plastic ones as cats have the tendency to chew these and they may eat the plastic. This is not good. 

Toys with tails

Cats like playing with soft toy animals - specially the ones that have tails. They either bite them, paw them or chase these little stuffed toys around.  It is best if these toys are as big or as small as the cats playing them. 

Toys with catnip

Catnip is sometimes used as stuffing for toys that are soft. Putting catnip in such playthings make the toys more enjoyable to carry, kick and throw around. More importantly, it is safe for cats to chew on, roll around in, or eat. It is okay for owners to place catnip on carpeted floors, or (to make clean-up easy) on towels. There are now catnip oils that can be placed on carpets, and they usually stay there. Cats detect these too. Although small cats, specifically kittens who are younger than six months have shown a certain kind of immunity to catnip.

All in all, it is best that cat owners define what kind of toy should be played by their cats. It is advisable that different kinds of toys be given on certain days, and that displaying all toys simultaneously may not be a good idea. Cats can easily tire of seeing the same fluffy toy animal again and again. Variety always works best. However if cats show a certain liking to a specific toy, let them play with it, or sleep with it - whichever they like.