The Magical World of Cat Toys

Hi BEBHS Friends!

Working at a non-profit humane society means that we are always looking for ways to get the most out of what resources we have. We are always looking for fun toys to give to our kittens and cats that won’t break our budget. You might not know it but some of our furry felines’ favorite toys are things that are VERY cheap and reusable!

8 year old Desmond and his favorite straw!

Straws: Straws are a hot commodity in the cat world. All cats LOVE straws. Why do they love straws? I’m not sure why but I do know that even the pickiest of of cats find entertainment in them. I hadn’t thought to give a cat a straw until one of our very dedicated foster moms let me in on the secret. Ever since then I’ve been giving our cats and kittens straws and see them go nuts over them. Even our older cats that have lost that kitten spunk to play with anything and everything in sight, light up when they see that straw being dragged across their cage floor. They pounce on them, chew on them, and even appear to hug them if you catch them at the right moment. Not only do our cats love straws, WE love straws because they are cheap! You can go down to your local drugstore and pick up a bag of a 100 straws for $1.00! Straws get chewed, lost in the hustle and bustle of cage cleaning, or end up disappearing so we are always have a need for them.

Quill has clearly destroyed this straw.

Pipe Cleaners: Pipe cleaners, like straws, are a great, affordable toy for cats and kittens. Unlike straws, pipe cleaners can be molded to cling onto a cage door, providing lots of entertainment for playful kittens. We also use pipe cleaners to make interactive toys to dangle from the ceiling of their cages. To prevent the spread of disease we cannot reuse them so we constantly have to throw them out. You can donate 1,000 pipe cleaners for only $15.00 – do you know how much fun that will bring our feline friends???

Bailey absolutely loved his crazy circle. 

Crazy Circles: One crazy circle will run you about $11.00, a bit more expensive than some straws but think of it like this – Crazy circles are made out of hard plastic that can be sanitized over and over and over again. One crazy circle will provide entertainment for literally hundreds of cats!!! Even when a kitten's human family is gone for the day, they have something that will play back with them. We need crazy circles and other forms of interactive toys to provide much needed mental stimulation that keeps our felines happy and healthy. 

Vi and his siblings went crazy over their cat cube!

Play Cubes: Play cubes are little kitten palaces. These play cubes can be easily washed so we can use them over and over again – always a big plus in the shelter world. There are many different kinds of play cubes out there but we can only use the ones made out of plastic materials that can be thrown into the wash. Our foster families have all said that if their litter of kittens is lucky enough to get one of these cubes (we only have 2 for our entire cat population!) they couldn’t be happier. They jump on top of it, play hide-and-seek all around it, and then can settle down inside for a nice nap after playtime is over. As we grow our foster program and have even more cats and kittens into the system we will definitely need more than 2 cubes! These cheap and reusable cubes make a great addition to the home of any kitten or cat.

Thank you for reading! I hope this inspires you all to head on down to buy some straws or check our wish list online: http://amzn.com/w/2JXAA0SVNUF36. Let’s keep our cats and kittens happy and healthy!