WORD OF WARNING

A word of caution about any toys you choose. Make sure that parts that can be bitten off and ingested are removed before giving the toy to your cat. Likewise, avoid leaving any string or rod toys out where your cat could get caught up in them. If you use paper bags, ensure any handles are removed.

Choosing the right toys for your cat is no easy undertaking, especially when you consider how a cat plays and what he plays with is more than likely shaped by his genetics, experience, and how he’s feeling at any given moment.

Something else for us to think about is that when it comes to real prey, cats tend to have specific preferences. So, if you have a cat that always brings home mice then it’s likely that he’s going to respond to small furry toys, both in physical and digital form. However, this doesn’t mean you should limit the toys you provide your cat with to this type — it’s important that he is able to experience a variety.

For all cats, my advice would be to provide a selection of toys, big, small, furry, feathered (as well as other textures), shreddable, chase-able, smelly, and electronic, and offer them one at a time to find out which your cat is attracted to.

As for my cat Billy, I finally found something that he loves: mouse videos. And while this might not be my toy of choice for him, I can’t begrudge him something that, as a senior citizen, genuinely absorbs him for long periods of time.What also makes me happy about this is that it supports my belief that you really can get any cat interested in play in one form or another.