Choosing the best toys for your cat

A drawer full of toys your cat ignores is one of the most common complaints we hear from cat owners. The good news is that this usually isn't about buying the wrong brand — it's about matching toys to the way your particular cat likes to play, and to the natural hunting instincts every cat, however pampered, still carries.

Cats aren't playing simply to burn energy. Play taps into the same sequence a wild cat uses to catch dinner: search, stalk, chase, pounce, catch, and then bite or carry the 'prey' away. A toy that only satisfies part of that sequence — a laser dot your cat can chase but never catch, for example — can leave them frustrated rather than satisfied. Understanding this sequence is the single most useful thing you can do before buying anything.

This guide covers the main play styles cats show, the toy types that suit each one, how to use puzzle feeders safely, and the safety checks that matter most, so you can build a toy box that actually gets used.

Understanding how your cat likes to play

Every cat has a hunting drive, but not every cat expresses it the same way. According to Cats Protection, play is rooted in a cat's natural instinct to stalk, pounce and chase, and it releases endorphins that keep cats calmer and mentally stimulated — this matters just as much for adult cats as it does for kittens, though kittens need it to develop coordination and social skills.

Watch your cat over a few play sessions and you'll usually see a preference emerge:

• Chase-and-catch cats love anything that moves unpredictably away from them — a feather on a string, a ball rolled across the floor, or a toy dragged just out of reach.
• Ambush cats prefer to lie in wait, low to the ground, before pouncing on a toy that appears suddenly from behind a sofa or box.
• Wrestle-and-kick cats want something they can grab with their front paws and 'bunny kick' with their back legs — this is normal predatory behaviour, not aggression.
• Forager cats are more interested in working for their food than chasing a toy at all, and do best with puzzle feeders.

Most cats show a blend of these, and preferences can change with age, so it's worth having at least one toy type from each category rather than assuming one will do.

Toys for the chase-and-catch instinct

For cats who love the thrill of the chase, a wand or fishing-rod toy — a stick with a string and something dangly on the end — is the toy most likely to get an enthusiastic response. Cats Protection specifically recommends fishing rod-style toys with feathers, as they mimic prey and let your cat periodically 'catch and kill' the toy, which stops them becoming frustrated mid-game.

Battersea makes the same point: cats like to work through the full sequence of search, stalk, chase, pounce and catch, so a good play session should end with your cat actually getting hold of the toy, ideally just before a meal so the 'catch' is followed by eating, just as it would be in the wild.

Letting your cat catch the toy at the end of a game isn't just kind — it's how you avoid the frustration that comes from a hunt with no successful ending.

Balls, wind-up toys and anything that rolls or skitters unpredictably also work well for chase-driven cats, particularly those who prefer to play solo when you're busy.

Toys for cats who like to wrestle and kick

Some cats show their play drive differently: lying on their side, grabbing a toy with their front paws, and kicking hard with their back legs. This is completely normal predatory behaviour — it mimics how a cat would subdue larger prey — and it's best satisfied with a toy sized to be grabbed and kicked rather than chased. A stuffed toy roughly the size of a small rabbit or large mouse, ideally one that can be thrown so your cat can pounce on it from a distance first, tends to suit this play style best. These toys also give your cat something appropriate to direct that kicking energy towards, rather than your hands or feet.

Puzzle feeders and foraging toys

Not every cat wants to chase something — many are far more interested in working for their food. Cats Protection's guide to feeding enrichment explains that pet cats retain the same hunting instinct as their ancestor, the African wildcat, and that using puzzle feeders lets indoor cats in particular express natural foraging behaviour they'd otherwise miss out on, while also helping to prevent boredom.

Introduce puzzle feeders gradually. Cats Protection suggests starting simple — an open egg box with dry food in each cup — before increasing the challenge over time, for example by closing the lid or wrapping biscuits in newspaper. Spend a few minutes showing your cat how the puzzle works the first time, so they don't give up before they've worked it out.

One important safety point: food used in a puzzle feeder should come out of your cat's normal daily food allowance, not be added on top of it, to avoid contributing to weight gain. If you're not sure how much your cat should be eating in total, our Pet Calorie Calculator can help you work out a sensible daily amount before you start splitting it between meals and puzzle feeders.

Homemade toys that cost nothing

You don't need to spend money to enrich your cat's day. PDSA's guide to homemade cat toys points out that empty toilet or kitchen roll tubes, filled with treats and folded closed, keep most cats entertained for free, and that cats of all sizes will happily try to squeeze into cardboard boxes — even ones far too small for them.

Other low-cost options confirmed by UK welfare charities include:

• Foil or paper balls — Cats Protection notes a scrunched-up ball of tin foil makes a perfectly good toy, as long as your cat can't chew off and swallow small pieces.
• Sock kick-toys — PDSA suggests filling an old sock with fabric scraps and a pinch of catnip, then tying it off, for a toy suited to wrestle-and-kick play.
• Toilet-roll tube puzzles — the RSPCA's DIY pet games guide describes gluing several tubes into a honeycomb shape so your cat can fish treats or a chase toy out of the holes, or cutting a tube into rings and reassembling it around a treat to make a rolling ball.
• DIY wand toys — Battersea's guide to DIY cat toys shows how to make a wand toy from fabric strips tied to a stick, or a simple cardboard-box hideaway using an old t-shirt.

Whichever you choose, rotate two or three toys at a time and swap them every few days — cats are naturally drawn to novelty, and a toy that's been left out for weeks quickly loses its appeal.

Safety: what to avoid when choosing cat toys

Safety should always be the first thing you check, before whether a toy looks fun. The clearest warning across UK welfare charities concerns string, wool, ribbon and thread. PDSA is explicit that these should never be left with a cat unattended, since a swallowed length of string or wool can cause a serious gut blockage requiring emergency surgery.

Other safety points worth building into your routine:

• Put wand and string toys away after every play session. Battersea recommends never leaving your cat alone with a wand toy, partly because of the swallowing risk and partly because claws can get caught in the string.
• Check homemade toys for loose threads or small parts before giving them to your cat. PDSA warns that fabric with loose threads can be chewed off and swallowed.
• Inspect toys regularly for wear, and replace anything that's starting to fray, split or shed small pieces.
• Avoid anything your cat could fully swallow. As a rule of thumb, if a toy or part of a toy is small enough to fit entirely in your cat's mouth, it's a choking or blockage risk.

This matters just as much for shop-bought toys as homemade ones — a dangly feather toy left on the floor overnight poses exactly the same risk as a loose ball of wool.

How often, and when, to play

Cats are most naturally active at dawn and dusk, which PDSA notes mirrors when their wild ancestors would have been hunting — so these are good windows to schedule play if your cat's routine allows it. PDSA recommends starting with two 15–20 minute sessions a day, building up gradually as your cat's enthusiasm grows, with rest in between rather than one long continuous session.

Cats Protection gives a useful age-based guide: older cats are often happy with three or four short play sessions a day, while younger, more energetic cats may want ten or more. In both cases, individual bursts can be as brief as one to two minutes — it's the frequency that matters more than the length of any single session.

Common mistakes when choosing and using cat toys

A few habits are worth avoiding even though they seem harmless:

• Relying only on laser pointers. PDSA doesn't recommend laser pointers or screen-based games as a cat's only form of play, because there's nothing physical for your cat to catch at the end, which can build frustration over time rather than satisfying the hunting sequence.
• Using your hands or feet as toys. Cats Protection specifically advises against play-fighting with fingers or toes, even with kittens, since it teaches a cat that human skin is fair game for biting and scratching — a habit that's much harder to unlearn than it is to prevent.
• Leaving every toy out all the time. Constant availability makes toys boring faster. Keep most of the toy box put away and rotate what's accessible.
• Forgetting to weigh puzzle-feeder food into the daily allowance, which can lead to slow, hard-to-notice weight gain over months.

Kittens, older cats, and different needs

A kitten's play needs look different from a senior cat's. Kittens are naturally more energetic and, per Cats Protection, may happily play ten or more short sessions a day — this is also when play matters most for teaching bite inhibition and safe interaction, so wand toys that keep claws and teeth away from your hands are particularly useful early on.

Older cats generally want fewer, gentler sessions, and arthritis or reduced mobility can make jumping or fast chasing uncomfortable. For senior cats, toys that can be played with from a lying or sitting position — a treat ball nudged gently, or a puzzle feeder that doesn't require pouncing — tend to be better received than a fast-moving wand toy. If your cat has slowed down noticeably or seems reluctant to play in ways they used to enjoy, it's worth mentioning at their next check-up rather than assuming it's simply old age.

When to see your vet

A sudden change in how your cat plays is worth paying attention to. Cats Protection notes that if a cat starts playing unusually roughly — biting ankles or scratching without warning — this can be a sign of boredom, particularly in indoor cats, but it can also occasionally point to an underlying medical issue, so it's sensible to rule that out with your vet first before assuming it's purely behavioural. Similarly, a cat that suddenly stops wanting to play at all, especially if this comes alongside other changes like reduced appetite or grooming, should be checked over rather than put down to a personality change.

*This is general guidance, not a substitute for advice from your vet, who can assess your individual pet.*

Sources

• PDSA — homemade cat toys and safety advice (pdsa.org.uk).
• PDSA — exercising your cat, including play frequency and toys to avoid (pdsa.org.uk).
• Cats Protection — cats and play, including the predatory sequence and play aggression advice (cats.org.uk).
• Cats Protection — feeding enrichment puzzles for your cat (cats.org.uk).
• Battersea Dogs & Cats Home — DIY cat toys and safety notes (battersea.org.uk).
• RSPCA — DIY pet games, including toilet-roll tube toys (rspca.org.uk).