minding the menagerie

Pleasing the Petit Predator: Choosing a Cat Toy He Will Love Instinctively

Most any vet or rescue worker will tell you that the world we live in is simply too dangerous to leave a cat unattended outside the home. According to Petplace.com, the estimated life span of an outdoor kitty is less than 1/3 that of his indoor-only compatriots, but a bored kitty can get depressed or destructive. Play is the solution, but how do we effectively capture our cats’ interest and imagination? Many cat lovers amass an arsenal of rejected cat toys while their cat does little more than stare back and sigh.

The key to predicting which toy will excite your cat is understanding your cat’s play style. There are three general types. If you watch your cat closely, you can usually discern his favorite.

1. The bird hunter. This cat prefers toys with some loft and movements that encourage a lot of leaping and diving. Feather-style toys come in many shapes and types, but if your cat is bird-obsessed, you need to pick something with a stiff, elongated “body” for its aerodynamic abilities. One popular choice is the fishing pole type with a long, thick wand and a spinning body made of three very stiff feathers. When waving the toy, use your full arm’s length to make the toy “fly” and create the sound of flapping wings. When your cat begins to leap and attack, do your part to play “victim,” popping the toy up and down, bouncing occasionally across the floor. Let your cat win – cats quickly become frustrated if they never get to bite and “kill” the toy. Many bird-fixated players will even want to march off with the toy at the end, proudly carrying it to their lair.
   
2. The insect chaser. This type loves tiny toys with an erratic flight pattern. The two best choices for this cat are the “Cat Chaser” and the laser pointer. The “Cat Chaser” is another fishing pole style toy, but with a very different style of construction than the bird toy. This one should have a very thin wand, sometimes made of nothing more than a wire. At the end, there is usually a tiny cardboard “bug.” Other brands make them with very small “Koosh” type balls or crackling plastic. Make sure the one you choose is very light. Instead of using your whole arm to fling the toy, this one requires little more than gentle wrist flicks. The wire wand will provide most of the bouncy, shivering movement required to look like a flitting insect to your cat. The “Cat Chaser” and the laser pointer have best results if you make an effort to imitate the movement of a real insect. Stick close to walls or fly slowly and erratically across the center of the room. Cats who prefer this style of play will spend a lot of time following the toy with their eyes, rather than randomly attacking. Plotting is this cat’s favorite part.
   
3. The rodent tormentor. Probably the most cerebral of cats, these usually enjoy finding patterns in the movement of their “prey.” Smaller, heavier toys are a big hit. The wand is there to protect you from getting too close and being clawed or bitten. Your cat is mainly concerned with the ball or toy mouse’s skitter along the floor. While occasional jumps add interest, the movements of this toy should be kept low, overall. Be sure to drag the toy behind doors, curtains, or under furniture, then make it pop out of hiding to rush to another dark corner. As with all the toys mentioned, don’t forget to let your cat win at the end.  A few hard bites into the toy will go a long way toward satisfying your cat’s ego.

Knowing your cat’s personal play style will keep him mentally and physically sound. The best benefit, though, is the way it will build your relationship with your cat, giving you the opportunity to enjoy the beauty and dexterity this species is known for.

Veronica Noechel is a trainer and cat consultant for Sylvie’s K9 Solutions and president of 3R Rescues: Raleigh Rodent Rescue. She is the author of several books of poetry and the Yummy for Dogs Cookbook. Reach Veronica at ratgirl@raleighrodentrescue.org.

Published in the August/September 2007 issue of Innerchange.