Best cat toys for indoor play: Catnip, feathers, feeders and electronics

If you’re a pet owner, take a look at the floor of the largest room in your home right now. How many toys are laying around? How many do they actually play with and how many do they ignore? And how many have you bought recently in hopes it will become the toy, the one they love and will play with whether or not you’re the one swinging or throwing it around? No judgment here – as we survey our floor, there’s no fewer than six. And that’s just the toys outside their box.

Cats are finicky and fickle creatures. One day they seem perfectly happy to play independently, but the next day nothing will do unless you pick up a wand chaser and swing it around until your arm aches.

It can get frustrating, particularly when you’re working from home and really need to get something done, and your beloved moggy won’t stop meowing for your undivided attention. We love them and cannot stand them in almost equal measure.

As long as your kitty is a purely indoor one, it is up to you to keep them stimulated and happy, since they can’t expend energy roaming the neighbourhood and terrorising local birds. Making sure your cat’s playtime is energetic and exciting will also help to tire them out, which means a better night’s sleep for both of you. Win-win!

The key to making your cat’s playtime as appealing as possible is to mix things up. A “dead” toy that lays on the ground is nowhere near as interesting as a toy that’s moving about or that’s suddenly ended up in a different place. So, if you have a cat tree or other platforms they’re allowed to climb up on, try moving their favourite toys around for them to hunt and knock off, stimulating their hunting instinct.

Another trick we learned was putting small toys in a resealable bag with a strong-smelling catnip toy can reinvigorate your moggy’s senses and make that old toy seem new again. Also, cats can build up a tolerance for catnip if they’re around it all the time, so to ensure it doesn’t lose its effect, keep any catnip toy in a resealable bag and only bring it out once or twice a week as a treat.

How we tested

You can’t always be expected to be around or available to play with your tenacious tabby. So, we hunted for a range of toys that can encourage independent play, as well as toys that engage cats quickly, leading to more playtime and less “are you going to play or not?”. We chose our best toys based on how engaging they were to our feline friends and how long it kept them happy for.

The best cat toys are:

Best overall – PetSafe peek-a-bird electronic cat toy: £36.99, Petsafe.net
Best for cats who love hiding – Kong playspaces burrow: £23.94, Vivapets.com
Best cat teaser – Pets at Home marabou cat teaser: £3.50, Petsathome.com
Best electric cat toy – Kong purrsuit whirlwind: £14.37, Amazon.co.uk
Best for encouraging slow eating – Amazon Basics pet activity centre and feeder: £11.84, Amazon.co.uk
Best catnip cat toy – Ducky World Yeowww! Catnip cat toy banana: £5.85, Amazon.co.uk
Best for playing ball – Catit senses cat super roller circuit: £12.99, Amazon.co.uk
Best laser cat toy – PetSafe dancing dot laser cat toy: £30.99, Petsafe.net