Domestic cats might not look much like tigers and lions, yet they still have many of the same skills and traits; they’re born hunters! Living with people means that most cats are pampered and well provided for, and that can lead to boredom.
A bored cat is an unhappy pet and can even become destructive. Plus, if they don’t move around much, cats can gain weight, and, like a human, being overweight can significantly shorten their lifespan. The good news is that the best cat enrichment toys will help your cat stay busy and not bored.
They’ll stimulate your furry pal’s mind and body, leading to an improved quality of life. As an added benefit, watching a cat play is one of life’s greatest pleasures, and some toys allow you to play with your cat; they’re double the fun!
Keep your cat active, engaged, and entertained with these cat toys. Your feline friend will love them.
Best Cat Enrichment Toys
Why do cats like fish when most of them hate water? That unanswerable question aside, this interactive cat enrichment toy looks just like a real fish and responds to your cats’ touch. Designed to stimulate your pets’ hunting instincts, this toy will provide your cat with hours of stimulation and fun.
Key Features
- Interactive toy
- Looks like a real fish
- Rechargeable – USB charger supplied
- Catnip pouch – catnip supplied
- Bite-resistant design
- Soft-cotton outer layer
The more your cat plays with this toy, the more animated it becomes. This encourages your cat to play with it more. The catnip helps further their interest and also provides them with a well-earned reward.
Pros
- Realistic design
- Easy to charge
- Made to last
- Very stimulating
- Long-lasting charge
- Totally silent
Cons
- Random fish design – no guarantee you’ll get the exact color or design you want
This floppy fish is great fun. It comes alive when your cat touches it and then lies dormant until it is moved again. It makes no sound, so it won’t disturb nearby humans and lasts up to three days between charges. Most cats will LOVE playing with this interactive fish!
2. All kind Variety Pack
If your cat gets bored quickly, this is the product for you. Instead of being just one toy, it’s a variety pack of 25 different enrichment toys for cats. With so many things to play with, this is the perfect purchase for cats with attention deficit disorder!
Key Features
- 25 assorted toys
- Includes balls, balls with bells inside, plushy mice, a mouse on a wand, a tunnel, and a bag of catnip
- Some toys also contain catnip
This toy variety pack is ideal for new cat owners. Think of it as a cat toy starter set. You can give all the toys to your cat at the same time or a different one every few days. Either way, there are plenty of enrichment toys to keep your cat entertained for hours.
Pros
- Very well-priced
- A good range of toys
- A great way to provide your cat with mental and physical stimulation
- Suitable for kittens and cats
Cons
- There are more than one of some toys
While this pack does contain 25 toys, they’re not all different. Some reviewers report that they would have preferred more variety. That said, for the price, this pack of toys is tough to beat and will provide your cat with lots of fun and stimulation.
3. Frisco Fabric Teaser
Sometimes the simplest cat toys are the most entertaining! This is basically a ribbon on a stick, but cats love it, and adults will enjoy using it too. Very well-priced, this is the perfect interactive toy for adults and kids who like to play with their cats.
Key Features
- Brightly colored ribbon
- Flexible wand
- Easy to use
There are many different ways to use this teaser toy, and all you have to do is wave it near your cat to get their attention. Cats will love chasing this ribbon, and will pounce, stalk, claw, and bite it for hours on end. Your only problem will be getting your cat to leave it alone!
Pros
- Very budget-friendly
- Simple but fun
- Nothing to break
- Fully interactive
- Fun for human kids and adult too
- Suitable for kittens and cats
Cons
- Hard to get back from your cat once it’s snagged on their claws
This cheap and cheerful enrichment toy is ideal for active cats who like to pounce and stalk. Using it will also provide the perfect opportunity/excuse to spend time playing and bonding with your cat.
4. Multipet Talking Chicken
Despite its name, this toy doesn’t actually talk. However, it does make a noise when it’s squeezed to make play more stimulating. Filled with catnip, cats of all ages will enjoy this enrichment toy.
Key Features
- Brightly colored
- Reinforced stitching
- Stuffed with organic catnip
- Soft, velvety material
- Easy to bite shape
- Makes exciting sounds when squeezed
This interactive toy is very enticing. Kittens and cats will enjoy biting, batting, and chasing this noisy critter. It’s powered by two LR44 1.5B button batteries and should provide many months of play.
Pros
- Well-priced
- Made to last
- Suitable for cats of all ages
Cons
- Sounds like a miniature car alarm!
- Batteries cannot be replaced
This enrichment toy makes a noise when your cat is playing with it. Your cat will try and stop the noise, which will, of course, have the opposite effect! If this sort of sound bothers you, this is not the toy for you and your cat. But, if you want a very well-priced, entertaining cat toy, this product is a great choice.
5. Frisco Butterfly
This toy has a lot going on! With butterflies and balls to chase, it should entertain and amuse even the most reserved cat. The butterfly and ball design means two cats can play with this toy at the same time.
Key Features
- Three-tier ball track
- Two butterflies on flexible wires
- Non-slip base so it won’t move away from your cat as they play
- Provides visual and sound stimulation
- Easy to clean – just wipe with a damp cloth
This multifunctional enrichment toy will keep cats of all ages thoroughly entertained. They can bat the butterflies around or chase the balls. The rolling balls also make an entertaining sound. This product is supplied with an extra butterfly attachment in case a replacement is required.
Pros
- No batteries required
- Suitable for single or multi-cat use
- Provides mental stimulation and exercise
- Well-priced
Cons
- Replacement balls not available
This simple but fun toy is ideal for lazy and energetic cats. The less active will enjoy just batting the balls around the track, while frisky felines will love trying to catch the butterflies. Either way, this enrichment product will entertain your cat all day long.
6. Multipet Kickerz
This enrichment toy is not unlike a sock stuffed with cotton wool and catnip. Cats and kittens will enjoy pouncing on and wrestling this catnip-filled plushy. With no moving parts or batteries, it should provide many months, if not years, of feline fun.
Key Features
- 17” long
- Soft, velvety exterior
- Reinforced stitching
- Contains catnip
- Eye-catching safari prints
- Feathers at each end to increase interest
- Crinkly interior
- Comes in one of four designs
Sadly, you can’t choose which of the four eye-catching designs you’ll get when you order this product. But they all look great, and your cat will enjoy whichever one you receive. The combination of a plushy outer and crinkly inner means that cats of all ages will love this toy.
Pros
- Well-made
- A mixture of stimulating materials and textures
- It can be suspended to make it more interactive
Cons
- You cannot choose which design you receive
Users report that this product does contain catnip, but not a lot of it. You can make this toy more stimulating and fun by hanging it so that it swings when your cat plays with it. All the designs look great but, unfortunately, you cannot choose which of the four you will get.
7. Petstages Tower
This very interactive toy features a three-tiered track with a ball enclosed within each. Your cat will have endless fun batting the balls around and watching or chasing them. This might be a very simple toy, but it’s stimulating, and most cats will love playing with it.
Key Features
- Three circular tracks and balls
- Non-skip base
- Balls make an enticing noise as they roll
- Brightly colored tracks and balls
- Suitable for single or multiple cats
With three balls to bat and chase, even the most energetic cat will enjoy playing with this toy. The three tiers mean it’s also the perfect plaything for multi-cat households. Don’t lose the balls, though, as no spares are provided.
Pros
- No batteries required
- Nothing to break, so it should be very durable
- Made for kittens and cats of all ages
- Can be used by more than one cat
Cons
- No replacement balls supplied
The balls are designed to stay inside the tracks, so they should be almost impossible to lose. We say nearly impossible because the tiers can be separated, so a ball could conceivably pop out. That said, even if you do lose a ball, there are still two more to keep your cat entertained.
8. Ethical Pet Laser
Laser pointers are great enrichment toys, but the ones made for office use can be too powerful for cats and could damage your pet’s eyes. This model uses a low-level LED, so it’s entirely safe for cats.
Key Features
- Low-powered LED which is safe for cats and humans
- Comes with a key chain
- Supplied with three LR44 button batteries (replaceable)
Point this laser near your cat and watch them chase and pounce on it! This product encourages your cat’s hunting instincts. If you enjoy playing with your cat and watching them leap and run, this is the product for you.
Pros
- Fun for cats and humans!
- Pocket-sized pet toy
- Very well-priced
- Doubles as a keyring
Cons
- Works best in low-light conditions
For this laser to be safe, it has to be relatively low powered. That means it’s not very visible in bright light or direct sunshine. However, a more powerful laser could be dangerous and might harm your cat’s eyes. This toy works best indoors and with the lights dimmed.
9. Frisco Peek-a-Boo
This pop-up play tunnel is ideal for cats of all ages. Your pet will love playing inside and around these colorful tubes. Cats love a game of hide and go seek and will enjoy just napping in their own personal cavern.
Key Features
- 18” long x 18” wide
- Pop-up design
- Three interlinked tunnels
- Perfect for one or more cats
- Brightly colored
- Hole in the center for placing treats or catnip
Cats will love playing with these tunnels on their own, but enjoy it even more if you get involved too! Put treats inside for them to find, or even tie a plushy to a piece of string and drag it through the tunnel for your cat to chase.
Once you’re finished playing, your cat will probably enjoy just hanging out in one of the tunnels.
Pros
- Multifunctional cat enrichment toy
- Collapsible for easy storage
- Can be used in conjunction with other toys
Cons
- The material could be torn by cat claws
This is the perfect enrichment toy for cats who like to explore and chase. They’ll also enjoy hiding inside. Make this toy even more fun by putting your cat’s favorite treats or toys inside for them to find.
Bottom Line
Cats love to play. They enjoy exploring and are hardwired to investigate and chase almost everything they see. Sounds fascinate them, and they’re drawn to certain smells too. But domesticated cats often lack an outlet for these behaviors.
They don’t need to use their hunting instincts when they spend most of their time in and around your house, where food is always available. And that’s where cat enrichment toys come in. A good cat enrichment toy will stimulate all of your pets’ senses – sight, hearing, touch, smell, and even taste.
After all, these are the senses they’d usually use when out hunting for food. Of course, your cat no longer needs to stalk their prey, but that doesn’t mean they don’t miss the thrill of the hunt!
A few well-chosen toys can do a lot for your cats’ mental and physical well-being. Toys can help prevent the boredom and inactivity that can lead to destructive habits like shredding upholstery or chewing furniture.
Cat enrichment toys are not just good for your pet; they’re good for you and your home too!
The Review
Best Cat Enrichment Toys
Your cat seems bored? Keep your furry pal’s mind and body active as entertained. Read below to know the best enrichment toys for your feline!
Review Breakdown
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Flippity Floppy Fish
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All kind Variety Pack
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Frisco Fabric Teaser
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Multipet Talking Chicken
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Frisco Butterfly
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Multipet Kickerz
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Petstages Tower
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Ethical Pet Laser
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Frisco Peek-a-Boo
Best Cat Enrichment Toys DEALS
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