It’s spring time, which means shedding, lots of shedding. And shedding means brushing. So this weekend all the girls got thoroughly brushed and I ended up with a rather massive ball of cat hair (which is good – it’s a massive ball of cat hair that isn’t on my couch or clothes.)

My three cats are indoor cats, but I’ve been taking them outside for some supervised romps in the back yard, for fresh air and exercise, which they absolutely love. I herd them around the yard and keep them from wandering off the property, and they run, play, explore and exercise their catness.

Normally I throw my mats of cat hair into the compost bin, but in discussing ways to be eco friendly cat owners, Ingrid of Conscious Cat suggested letting the cat hair fly free for the bird to use in nests. What a great idea! So this is what I decided to do.

I took the girls outside and pulled little tufts of hair off the ball and let them loose in the wind. Well, I’m sure the birds will enjoy them eventually, but the cats got an immediate serendipitous treat. Little bits of cat hair, flying around in the wind make for fabulous hunting and chasing.

I stood up-wind of the cats and let a few bits go every time there was a good strong breeze. The cats chased the fast moving pieces, and got in some really good stalking and pouncing of the ones stuck on grasses or just vibrating on the ground. It was great fun for everyone and the cats got a great workout. They all play well with their toys in the house, but there’s nothing quite as exciting as something that moves and flies around on its own. We must have spent an hour out there enjoying the wind and the fruits of our grooming session.

If you have a windy day, a ball of cat hair and an enclosed yard (or a cat you know won’t go wandering) I highly recommend partaking in this fun activity.

My cats love furry cat toys. There’s something about real fur that brings out the primal kitty in them. With real fur toys they play longer and more enthusiastically and they just seem to enjoy their toys more.

By far one of their favourites are Hartz Mini Mice and Kitty Frenzy – both real fur mice with a rubbery centre. They have a bit of weight to them and they bounce nicely and make for hours of fun.

However, despite my cats’ great love for real fur toys, I don’t buy them any more.

Ethical problems with fur

Before you bristle in indignation (or pat me on the back) please understand – I don’t have a broad ethical objection to fur in general. I eat meat, I feed my cats meat, I wear leather and I don’t have a problem with hunting or farming animals. As long as it is done humanely.

And there is where I have issues with real fur cat toys.

Most fur trim on novelties and small items, such as on cat toys, is rabbit fur imported from China. If you’re not familiar with China’s horrific track record when it comes to animal welfare abuses, there’s plenty of reading on Google. To briefly sum up some of the issues with imported fur:

• Animals are often kept packed together in tiny, filthy cages, with not even enough space to turn around.
• Animals are frequently skinned alive and then tossed aside to suffer horribly in their last moments.
• Fur is often mislabelled. What is sold as rabbit fur may actually be dog, cat, raccoon dog or any number of other fur bearing animals. In fact, once you remove the head, paws, tail and internal organs, cat and rabbit carcasses are virtually indistinguishable.
• Many animals are raised for their fur, but that imported fur could be someone’s pet that was snatched off the street.

And while it’s easy to focus on China, North American and European fur trapping and raising practises are also barbaric. Again, we have animals that have a wide natural range confined to tiny cages, normally solitary animals confined in close proximity to each other, poor care, inhumane killing methods, inhumane trapping practises and all sorts of other acts of cruelty. There’s also the matter of waste – raising an animal for nothing but its skin.

What about humanely farmed fur?

I spoke with a Hartz representative a while back, as I was concerned about the source of the fur that was used in my kitties’ favoured toys. They confirmed that the fur came from China, that it was rabbit fur and that it was obtained humanely.

I’m a naturally sceptical person, but I’m inclined to give Hartz the benefit of the doubt. If they say that their fur is humanely obtained rabbit fur, then I believe that they believe that is the truth.

But I’m still not going to buy anything made with imported fur, because in the end, I just don’t know enough about the source. The fact remains that suppliers have deceived their buyers in the past and it could happen again. People who thought they were buying rabbit fur, fur that was labelled as rabbit fur, have received fur from companion animals. I’m not willing to entertain that risk. I don’t know about you, but even the slight chance that my cats’ toys might contain the fur of another cat that was skinned alive is too much of a chance for me.

Left: cat fur; centre: unknown animal fur; right: rabbit fur. Would you be able to tell the difference?

Have your cake fur and… eat it too?

However, just because I’m not going to buy mass produced fur toys from corporate giants (or unknown dollar store brands), doesn’t mean my cats have to give up real fur toys for good. There are still sources of fur that I can feel comfortable with:

• Second-hand fur coats. Readily available at the Salvation Army and other second hand shops. While there are no guarantees about the original source of the fur, you won’t be contributing to the proliferation of the fur industry. Coats in good condition have gone up in price lately (around here anyway) but you can get a ridiculous number of cat toys out of a full length fur coat. If you can find a coat that is slightly ratty and cheaper, bonus! The cats won’t care if the fur is slightly worn. They’re just going to chew the hell out of it anyway.

  Note: Clean the fur with a cat-friendly cleaner before you turn it into toys. It may have been sprayed with Febreeze, stored in mothballs or treated with some other chemical cleaner that would be bad for kitty.

• Rabbit farmers. While rabbits certainly aren’t the most popular meat animals, there’s a good chance that there’s a small rabbit farming operation near where you live. Some meat rabbit operations may tan the hides, while others just throw them away. Whether you buy pre-tanned hides, or get the untanned hides and do it yourself, buying locally means you can check out the farm before hand and find out how the rabbits were raised and killed. You might even be fortunate enough to find that they make cat toys and other items from their pelts.
• Hunters. If you know any responsible hunters, ask them to save unwanted pelts for you. Most hunters will just dispose of the pelts after the finish dressing their kill, so chances are they will be up for grabs.
• Your cat (her shed fur that is). If you prefer an option that requires no animals be harmed, you can collect your cat’s fur when you have a brushing session and felt it.

* Tanning is a learned skill and quite a bit of work, so unless you have an interest in it or are really determined to prepare your own pelts, you’ll probably want to opt for sources of tanned pelts. Rabbit fur is ideal for cat toys, because it is soft and the thin skins are easy to sew. These qualities also make it one of the more challenging pelts to tan.

We need not sacrifice our ethics or turn a blind eye to cruelty in order to give our cats the things they enjoy.

What I’m doing

I still have a few fur toys kicking around the house, purchased before I clued into the major issues with imported fur. I’ll keep these around till they’re worn out, and then start making my own fur toys. I’ve made one attempt at tanning (epic fail) using the pelts of a couple of meat rabbits I bought at a local farm, and I have another fresh pelt from a wild rabbit sitting in the freezer. I’ll tackle it one of these days.

What are you thoughts on real fur toys? Do you buy them, avoid them or just not think about it? Do your cats love real fur, and would you go to the effort of making toys for them from safe sourced fur? Share your thoughts.

Toy photo from hartz.com
Fur photos by Michal Zacharzewski, Asif Akbar & Sirkullay.
Fur coat photo by RebeccaJBuckley.

One of the things I enjoy most about having cats is watching them play. Clover in particular has the most amazing imagination, which is really evident in her play.

We might think of imagination as being a human trait, but it’s very evident that Clover’s imagination gives life to her toys. When she really gets going the toys seem to move with a life of their own. She’ll throw one up into the air and then leap after it; kick it away with a back paw and then dart after it as it tries to make its escape; kick, bite and struggle like it’s putting up a fight and fling it along the floor so that she can stalk and catch it unawares.

Watching the cats play together or playing with them myself brings me a great deal of pleasure, but watching Clover’s solo play is a genuine treat. It’s amazing to watch her creativity and imagination and it’s really clear that she’s having a great deal of fun.

Do your cats enjoy solo play and active imaginations?

If you have a pair of holey socks and some catnip kicking around, this is a really easy toy that cats love.

I wear nothing but striped knee highs, and I always feel so bad throwing them out when I wear a hole in one, so this is the perfect solution for me – I save the socks from the trash and I get some nice, colourful cat toys out of the deal. Novelty socks make the most attractive socknots, but your old, white tube socks will work just as well (I promise, your cat won’t know the difference.)

What you’ll need

This incredibly simple project only requires three items:

• A sock. The longer the sock, the more toys you’ll get out of it. A knee high is good for about four toys.
• Dried catnip. You only need a small pinch for each toy.
• Scissors. A pair of sharp scissors for cutting the sock.

That’s it!

How to make them

Tip: Cats tend to be attracted to the scent of their owners (I’m sure we’ve all peeled off our sweaty socks at the end of a long day only to have kitty attack them with gusto, licking and rolling in them while we can only look on with disgusted amazement.)

Wear the socks around the house for an hour or so (just enough to pick up your scent – not enough to get stinky or crusty) to give the socknots an extra boost of appeal.

1. Lay the sock flat and cut a two inch segment off the leg or instep, so that you have a loop of sock.

2. Cut the loop. You’ll now have a piece of fabric about 5×2 inches.

3. Sprinkle a pinch of catnip into the centre of the rectangle.

4. Fold the fabric into thirds, lengthwise, giving you a long roll of fabric with the catnip inside.

5. Being careful not to let the roll come apart, tie it in a single knot centred over the catnip. Tie so that the raw edges stay on the inside.

6. Toss across the room and watch the frisking begin.

You can also make these out of pieces of fleece, but I find mismatched or holey socks to be a much more common house hold item. Old socks are also free and recycled – throw in some kitty love and you can’t do much better than that.

If you have a whole bunch of old socks, make up a big batch of these and donate them to your local animal shelter (they can also be made without catnip if your shelter doesn’t accept catnip toys.)

Give these toys a try, I think your cat will love them. Post your photos and stories or if you have suggestions I’d love to hear them.

Having cats around seem to make everything more enjoyable, but nothing goes  from boring to entertaining with the addition of a cat (or two) like making the bed.

Violet and Clover always join me for this activity and we have a great time making the bed. The sheets become giant moving cat toys as I shake them out over the bed and they will  pounce and stalk and scamble on their bellies to catch the sheet.

Violet likes to stay under the sheets as I make the bed.  She’ll crawl around and Clover will go on top of the covers for some good chasing and pouncing action. The have a great time wrestling through the sheets. Some times I’ll toss Clover under so that Violet can chase her around for a bit.

Alone, making the bed is a boring chore, but add in the cats and we all have a great time. They’re hilarious and adorable and add a wonderful element of fun to things.

How do cats add joy to your daily routine?

Commercial cat toys are bright, pretty and expensive. We love to buy them and we love to offer them to our cats. Yet all too often cats don’t seem to care and will ignore the shiny new toys in favour of chasing a piece of lint on the floor.

Here are a few items you probably have around the house that make great cat toys. My girls love them. As with all new toys, they should be inspected regularly and discarded if damaged, and cats should be supervised when playing with new toys, especially if your cat is a chewer.

1. Cotton Swabs/Q-Tips

   Violet has been fishing these out of the garbage since the day she came home, and they continue to be one of her favourite toys. The swabs made of rolled paper instead of wood or plastic are soft enough to prevent mouth injury and won’t splinter. Supervise your cat when playing with swabs – the cotton on the end can stick to the barbs on their tongue, and some cats may consider the cotton end to be a good snack.

2. Milk Jug Rings

   Pop these off the jug and let your cat go. They work best on hard surfaces like laminate or tile. Throw out any rings that have been chewed or are broken – they’re not the most sturdy items.

3. Toilet Paper Tubes

   Pull off any toilet paper that’s still stuck on, so that they roll nicely. A whole tube makes a fine toy, or you can cut it into a few pieces if the whole tube is a little big for your kitty.

4. Tissue Paper

   A fresh sheet of tissue paper is a safe and entertaining toy that makes a lovely crinkling sound. The type that is slightly shiny on one side seems to be the most popular with my cats. The texture and sound of the tissue paper is very similar to (unsafe) plastic grocery bags, which they make a beeline for any time a plastic bag isn’t put away immediately.

5. Shoelace/String/Yarn

   A piece of string is great for chasing. Dangle it or drag it along the ground and get your kitty moving. Tie a feather, stuffed toy or other item to the end for extra fun.

   *Very important: Don’t let your cat play with string, shoelaces or yarn unsupervised. Cats will often consume string which can result in bowel obstructions. Because of the barbs on a cat’s tongue they may be unable to spit out a piece of string that gets into their mouth, even if they don’t intend to consume it.

6. Cardboard box

   I’ve bought tents and caves and other enclosures, but the good ol’ cardboard box is a perennial favourite. If there is an empty cardboard box in the house, you can bet there’s a cat inside it.

7. Paper bag

   Crinkly and hidey! Cats can’t resist exploring inside and they make great places to stalk the other cats from. Paper bags are great too, because there’s no risk of suffocation like there is with plastic.

8. Ping pong ball

   They’re light, they bounce and they roll. Not all cats care for balls, but for those that do, ping pong balls are a cheap alternative to commercial cat toys, and you may have some kicking around the house.

9. Cloth Grocery Bag

   These big, soft bags are great for hiding or just relaxing in. My girls love to explore the insides of cloth shopping bags and usually settle in for a nap once everything has been thoroughly investigated.

10. Pompom balls

    If you have a craft or sewing box you may have a few of these on hand. Pompom balls make great soft toys. All the rolly joys of a ball, but soft and squishy enough to be picked up. Make sure they are big enough to prevent swallowing.

For those of you who are crafty, we’ll be putting together some easy-to-make cat toys from inexpensive or free items in another entry.

What kind of household items do your cats enjoy? Do you have any household items that have been a hit with your cats?

Photo by Tammy S.

The Cat Play Cube by Sport Pet was one of the best purchases I ever made for my cats.

At under $4 each at Walmart (in the US – I haven’t seen them in Canadian Walmarts), it’s a great buy for a toy that will provide hours of entertainment and that will never get lost under the fridge or behind the couch.

Product Description

The frame is made from a single piece of flat, sturdy wire. The sides and casing are made from a polyester material. Unfolded, each cube measures 15 inches per side, but can be folded down to fit in a flat packet, roughly 7 inches square, for easy storage and transportation. Each of the three doorways has four soft Velcro tabs which can be used to connect multiple cat cubes into a variety of tunnel configurations. A ribbon is attached to the ceiling of the cube for play.

Why it’s so great

Both the cats and I love this toy. It provides all the joys of a cardboard box (hide inside, wait in ambush, poke your head out the side – or roll it on its side and poke your head out the top) while being soft, flexible and durable.

The three door openings provide plenty of opportunity for hiding, pouncing and stalking – my cats love chasing each other through the cube and play-fighting over who gets to go inside. They greatly enjoy going inside and rolling the cube along the floor; stalking toys (or each other) from inside the cube; pouncing on it and collapsing it or just using it as a safe place to nap.

The first cube we purchased over a year ago is still in use today and has mostly maintained its shape. Despite a lot of clawing and squishing of the cube it’s held up beautifully. Several cat cubes at my mother’s house are also turning out to be quite durable. Another cube we purchased was doing well, until the end of the wire frame started poking through the fabric casing, so it was discarded for safety.

All in all this is a sturdy and affordable toy that my cats love, and I’d recommend it to anyone, whether your cats are young and playful or older and more sedate. I’ll be picking up another cube to add to the collection the next time I’m in an American Walmart.