Hi-tech, ultra expensive cat toys...

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

I never have straws in so wouldn't have thought of that.  Might 'borrow' one next time I'm in a cafe that has straws    Mind you, Mosi will probably eat it as he tries to eat most things, and that wouldn't be good.

[Ellie]

Lol brill pic Helen and a gorgeous subject of course 

[Tiggy's Mum]

Never one to miss a photo opportunity 

Riley about to take a straw!



A few day old straw in good condition for it's age 

[Ellie]

My lot love straws  Guinness hides them in my daughter's bed 

An old favourite is a hanky box turned upside down with the pingball/rolled up paper ball in it 

[Mark]

Willow loves the green caps off the milk. Not funny at 6.30am - she will knock it to the floor as many times as I pick it up 

[Den]

I'm going to try giving Memphy a straw later, bet he'll love one.

Riley wrestles the straws out of the plastic bit on top of the cup he loves them so much!   He goes wild if I hold the straw above him and tap it like you would tap a cigarette to get the ash off, he loves being poked with it too 

You mean meowmy poking Riley .....  sounds like a fun thing to do with Memphy he'd love to be poked.
He's currently playing with one of those plastic plug covers (you know the things you get with new electrical appliances). Otherwise he's recreating the scene from Alien where those Aliens latch onto the faces of humans - in his case he's the alien and the dogs the human 

[Tiggy's Mum]

I'm going to try giving Memphy a straw later, bet he'll love one.

Riley wrestles the straws out of the plastic bit on top of the cup he loves them so much!   He goes wild if I hold the straw above him and tap it like you would tap a cigarette to get the ash off, he loves being poked with it too 

[Bryony84]

In my experience favoured toys have always been rolled up balls of foil and ping pong balls, especially on laminate flooring!

Caspers favourites included plug holes, dripping taps, the phone cord (good for chewing to get attention) and bal point pens (all with lids on!).

Our 2 little rescues enjoyed the laser pointer I took with me the other day, but mostly it seems that we are the best playthings, they love climbing all over us!

[JackSpratt]

I prefer dolly pegs. But not a lot of places sell them these days which is a shame.

[Den]

I'm going to try giving Memphy a straw later, bet he'll love one.

His favourite toys of the moment is wallpaper (redecorating - so it's all over the place). He looooooooooooves bringing bits over for me to through and he can go fetch.
Also the lid off my bottle.

[Mark]

Hope so.

I have soft-grip ones that have the spring enclosed but I know you can still get old fashioned ones in Tesco - I haven't seen dolly pegs for a long time though (showing my age  )

[JackSpratt]

Mark, you can get wooden pegs that don't have the spring. Maybe it was one of those?

[Mark]

A wooden peg was the best toy in our house last night.

I know this is a really old post but alarm bells rang when I saw it 

When I was very young, I was playing with a peg and chewed it. Somehow the metal spring got wedged in my throat. Luckily, our neighbour was a nurse and she did the Heinrich manoeuvre 

[J (Indoorcatsuk)]

2008 UPDATE:

McDonald drink straws - before I started my diet I went in and accidentally picked up a rather large amount of straws to keep the boys in supplies   They both go crazy for them, whizzing round the house with a straw in their mouth.  They last about a week before they are uunrecognisable as a straw and a replacement comes out!

Two of ours like those too.

Also the container that Kinder eggs come in is a favourite currently of our youngest.

[Tiggy's Mum]

2008 UPDATE:

McDonald drink straws - before I started my diet I went in and accidentally picked up a rather large amount of straws to keep the boys in supplies   They both go crazy for them, whizzing round the house with a straw in their mouth.  They last about a week before they are uunrecognisable as a straw and a replacement comes out!

Voile / net curtain panel - I was trying to hang some voiles and one was too wide so needed cutting down to size.  The boys had a whale of a time sitting on it and chasing the scissors while I was trying to cut it    The piece that was left over is very popular - it can either be draped over their head when they get all excited for a frenzied voile fight or placed over their favourite toys, they then have to 'fight' the voile to get the toys!

[Tiggy's Mum]

Mine like to play with dried pasta and fresh peas but Lola eats the pasta and Taz eats the peas  i dont feed them you know 

Riley ate the pasta in the end too, he was having a good old crunch on it - I suppose it's better for him than munching on bic pens 

[Millys Mum]

Mine like to play with dried pasta and fresh peas but Lola eats the pasta and Taz eats the peas  i dont feed them you know 

[em1209]

A wooden peg was the best toy in our house last night. Not quite sure how, but Polly found it under the sofa, she must have hidden it there from the last time! Anyhow she found it, had a quick chew and play, then raced off with it in her mouth to hide it in the tent, with the rest of her stash of various items! Obviously so Fergus couldn't get to it and nick it from her!

Also my slippers seem to be be separated and in various places around the house when I get home, upstairs, behind the litter tray ......

[Tiggy's Mum]

The latest craze in my house is....

Dried Penne pasta!  I dropped a piece putting the bag away the other day and Riley went mad for it whizzing it around the kitchen floor, had to give Lukey a piece too so he wasn't left out 

I like the sound of your feathery toys Ash 

[Ash75]

Im glad this has already been mentioned, I never buy cat toys anymore.  I learnt this from my previous cat A.S.B.O (rip) bought him an amazing rat looking toy that flew across the floor and vibrated.. within 20 seconds it was shredded and never even looked at again or you Can spend loads on a fancy, attractive looking cat toy that they will just turn their nose up and walk away from. 
I love experimenting with stuff lying around the house, I dont have any children myself but plenty of niece and nephews that come over so  theres quite a lot of craft materials lying about. 
One of the best things Ive found to entertain the cats is a few peacock feathers with one of the oversized luminous pipe-cleaners wrapped around them.  They go absolutely mental over this, throwing it in the air, carrying it around, pouncing and stalking it.. and it cost literally nothing. Now thats a proper cats toy 
Interesting to see what other people have come up with..

[Reynard]

Today's special...

A screwed-up trimming of greaseproof paper! 

[Rogue]

Squidgy's high tech toys are long bits of grass, bottle tops and anything that makes a rattly sound on the laminate flooring.

I've also been finding a high number of dead spiders and flies on the carpets in the house, no doubt after my little man has had a good game with them! 

[Rosella moggy]

Forgot to say - another popular toy here is the huge box the cat tree came in a year ago.  I kept it for a while thinking it would make a toy for Mosi but a year later I still have it in the hall (where it has the benefit of providing a barrier to the front door but also trips me up everyday) and they still play with it.  They like to play hide and seek with it    I think they play with that more than with the cat tree.

That takes me back about 15 years when we put a long cardboard box in hallway and created a "tunnel". Gandi and Tom used to spend hours chasing each other thru it

[tab]

Mogs doesnt really do toys. I dont know her history but when I first got and tried to play with her she ran away. Over the years though Amber has been teaching her a few things. They now both like the cardboard box in the middle of the floor in fact Amber sleeps in it at night and not in her bed at the side.
Last week though I heard a strange noise in the kitchen and went in prepared to tell Amber off as shes started trying to get in the treat draw only to find Mogs batting a water bottle top around. Thing is when I left it it was on the draining board so I think Amber was involved somewhere along the line 
love
Tab

[Annie]

Fluffy doesn't really have any apart from the greta outdoors, he loves the big rad arm chair in the upstairs hallway but that's for sleeping..

Susie, as she's blind, seems to play with nothing, I think she hears stuff, and then thinks it must be right by her and then attacks thr floor bless her..

Sam's favourite toy is his own tail...

One of Cindy's favourite toys is also Sam's tail  .. When my mum was marking (she's a uni lecturer) Cindy decided that her favourite toy was the Student exam papers  teehee.. She also like to carry off and hide hair bobbles, I've lost loads in the past 2 weeks.. And I had been sorting out my old barbies from years ago to give away (yeah it's taken me way to long but I don't like to get rid of stuff) and i dropped a top or something, she's claimed it and likes to carry it around with her lol...

[Tiggy's Mum]

Updated list of hi-tech, ultra expensive cat toys for this week:

Riley - a blue peanut M & M

Lucas - A curtain ring (have NO idea where he got it from) 

Both - The cat collar I bought to get them used to wearing one when they are bigger, it's no fun on -  but off it makes a great item to carry round the house in their mouth

It's a good job they are finding 'alternative' toys as so far they have lost 9 furry mice and 4 ping pong balls into a mystery balck hole    I have checked under all furniture and have no idea where they can be 

[Sarah (seldom_use)]

I third it, ping pong balls are a MUST 

They make the most satisfying noise when they play with them in the kitchen hahaha.

[goatboy]

I second that. Ping Pong balls rock Ozzy's world.

[Millys Mum]

Ditto Blackcat, although i just ordered my kennel from zooplus  i will go look at woof n whiskers just to annoy myself!

My lots fav toys are long pieces of grass, corks, tinfoil, ping pong balls and leaves 

[swampmaxmum]

HA! But there are 2 types of milk bottle style cat toys, sorry, rings. One is soft and chewable and a BAD idea. The other is tougher and harder and a continuous loop. Probably M&S methinks. Anyhow, yes, it is supervised play activity that.
I'm gobsmacked at the boxes allowed in the lounge days, weeks or months after they arrived. The cats and I have tried that, but Cat Dad is ferocious when it comes to not allowing it. He says the lounge is not a cat playhouse. It isnt????!!! 

[blackcat]

You really shouldn't be telling me this when I have just given my bank manager a heart attack at the sight of my order with Zooplus. 29 pounds free delivery. They should be paying me to deliver with what i just spent!!  And then there was Vetuk, and another little place called woofnwhiskas that I just discovered  - great cat toys and a dog kennel 10 pounds cheaper than at other sites.!!

What fun I will have unpacking this lot when it arrives!!

PS will save the boxes so the cats have something to play with .......................

[Kittybabe (Ruth)]

Forgot to say - another popular toy here is the huge box the cat tree came in a year ago.  I kept it for a while thinking it would make a toy for Mosi but a year later I still have it in the hall (where it has the benefit of providing a barrier to the front door but also trips me up everyday) and they still play with it.  They like to play hide and seek with it    I think they play with that more than with the cat tree.

Here is Lexy's.... and it is still in the same spot 2 months later.

[karenjet]

I had a few expensive toys for Jasmine too, and by far the kittens favourite are 2 spiders on elastic that I bounce for them, a pack of 2 for 80p from Poundstretcher 

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

I used to let Mosi play with the plastic rings that come on bottles of juice etc (and on the tubs of litter I buy) until I realised he actually chewed them into small pieces and swallowed them!

Forgot to say - another popular toy here is the huge box the cat tree came in a year ago.  I kept it for a while thinking it would make a toy for Mosi but a year later I still have it in the hall (where it has the benefit of providing a barrier to the front door but also trips me up everyday) and they still play with it.  They like to play hide and seek with it    I think they play with that more than with the cat tree.

[swampmaxmum]

Glad to see someone else likes the rings around milk bottles. The ultimate Swampthrill, even at 15 yrs old, is the ring from around a big Boots aqueous cream jar

When Max was a kitten, he loved taking stuff (socks, nightie, T shirts) out of the laundry basket, put them in his mouth and drag them as 'kill' around the house between his legs, not letting anyone near without fearsome growls. He grew out of that one when he tried a king size duvet cover once  (cats don't like being laughed at....and he got plenty).
The only expensive thing they love is the (in)activity centre. Not sure if that's a toy or a chair though really.

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

Mosi's favourite hi tech toy is the piece of plastic that hold the litter box filter in place.  He keeps pulling it out so that he can play with it.

[goatboy]

Ozzy has many toys I have bought her which she just ignores. But her favorite home made toys are (in no perticular order)

Chasing her own tail
The bottom draw of my freezer (she loves to sit in the ice? wierd!)
My keyborad
any utlility bill (she loves to destroy my bank statements, what is she trying to hide)
my head at 4:30am everymorning!

[Sarah (seldom_use)]

Mines is -

* A cork from a wine bottle
* A big DHL cardboard box
* Cotton buds (Charlie keeps stealing them and hiding them around the house  )
* And the bits and pieces from my table centre-piece (Most of which are now under the couch.)
 

The fridge door when opened is actually a new toy known as a Lukey magnet, he feels the need to hang of the freezer bit like his life depended on it - there is kitty milk in there after all  

Charlie said that he likes the sound of that one Lukey 

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

More things for  the auction ? 

[Kittybabe (Ruth)]

The destroyed fishing rod. Lexy's latest was pulling the mouse off the rod so she could play with the string.. forget the laser.