Ginger Tabby Standing

In general, cats perversely favor the cheap homemade toy over the expensive supermarket toy. Toys commonly mentioned foil or paper balls, superballs, little plastic rings from milk jugs, ornaments on christmas trees, pencils, paper bags, cardboard boxes, Q-tips, cat dancers ... the list is nearly infinite.

A new "cat toy" seems to be the production of videotapes for your furry feline. Tapes of birds and mice complete with intriguing noises have kept several reader's cats entranced. If your cat seems to like watching TV (some do), this might be fun for your cat. Don't give it access to your remote, though.

Take sensible precautions with toys that can injure the cat: avoid toys small enough to be swallowed or choked on; avoid toys with loose or potentially sharp parts; avoid toys that can strangulate the cat or shred the intestines if swallowed (including string and rubber bands). Put strings away when you are not at home.