Cats need 21 types of toys in their lifetime

Release date:2023-09-11 14:12:08

       The soft and agile body, flexible claws, large and sturdy fangs, and excellent visual and auditory abilities of the Meow Man make them natural hunters. They are intelligent and alert, they yearn for freedom. But now, as a domestic animal, cats have difficulty showing their hunting attributes and can only pass the time by sleeping and daydreaming.

With the deepening of people's understanding of cats, some owners began to prepare toys for their owners to help them unleash their instincts and instincts. However, they found that the toys they bought back rarely aroused the cat's interest, and many toy cats would not touch them after playing for a day or two.

       Only prey, no toys

       We have mentioned before that cats are natural hunters, so in the cat world, there is no concept of play, let alone toys. All behaviors that we humans perceive as entertainment are actually cats doing hunting training. Because cats are solitary animals and have a small size, their success rate in hunting in nature is very low. Only by continuously practicing one's hunting skills and improving the success rate of hunting can one survive in nature. Previous studies have shown that most cats spend at least 8 hours a day practicing their hunting skills.

       Although most cats nowadays do not have the pressure to survive, this instinct in their blood has been passed down from generation to generation. So when choosing toys for cats, it is important to pay attention to their instincts, that is, the toys chosen for them must be more like the prey they can hunt in nature.

       This type of toy generally has the following three characteristics:

       Toys must be movable so that cats can treat them as prey.

       Secondly, the surface of the toy is covered with feathers or fur, which is closer to the prey that cats can hunt in nature and can attract their attention.

       Thirdly, the scent that cats like. Cats are very sensitive to odors, so when choosing toys, owners can consider products that incorporate the cat's favorite odors into the toy, such as cat mint or alfalfa.

        At present, there are a wide variety of cat toys on the market, but there are not many products that can integrate these three characteristics into toys, most of which only have one or two types. So owners can try toys with different combinations of characteristics based on the personality traits of their cats, such as skin mice (able to move+covered with fur on the surface), feeding toys (able to move+the cat's favorite odor), and so on.

       In addition, it should be noted that cat toys must be sturdy and able to withstand cat scratching, biting, patting, and pouncing. Toys that are prone to falling off can easily be accidentally eaten by cats, leading to accidents.

        How to play with cat toys?

       Although there are countless types of cat toys, they can be roughly divided into three types in terms of usage:

       The type is interactive, that is, toys that require the owner to play with the cat, such as cat teasers and handheld laser lights, are typical interactive cat toys.

       The second type is the self entertainment type, which is a toy that cats can play on their own without the need for others, such as leather mice, cat platforms, electric balls, and so on. This type of toy is more suitable for office workers or owners who don't have much time to play with cats.

The third type is the automatic running type, which is a toy that can attract the cat's attention by moving itself. The electric cat teasers and trackballs we usually see are this type of toy.

       Each of the three types of toys has its own advantages, and owners can choose different toys based on their own family situation and the personality characteristics of their cats. Class interactive toys are suitable for families who are not very busy and have time to play with cats. The second and third types of toys are suitable for office workers or families who do not have time to spend with cats.

       In addition, when using interactive toys, the owner needs to pay attention to the method of using the toy, as the toy may be different in the eyes of the owner and the cat. So it is necessary for owners to learn to adopt a suitable approach for their own cats and guide them to use toys correctly. Targeted measures can be taken to attract the cat's attention based on the different properties of the toy and the cat's usual habits. For example, cat teasers can be used to imitate the movement of animals such as snakes and mice, thereby stimulating the hunting nature of cats.