The 5 Best Cat Toys Your Ragdoll Needs
If you’re reading this blog, you love your cats, and you want to give them the best life possible. One of the best ways to achieve this goal is to spend time with them, playing together and giving them special attention.
Not only is it fun to play with your cats, it’s very important for their well-being. According to Pet Medical Center, if cats don’t get enough mental stimulation, they can become bored and show adverse behaviors, like the destruction of your home, or lack of interest in eating.
Cats in the wild get to spend their time running, hunting, playing, and pouncing. If they aren’t given an outlet to exercise these instincts at home, they won’t feel complete. It’s your job to provide all kinds of fun for them, so they can feel happy and fulfilled at home.
If you feel overwhelmed by all the options of cat toys out there and you’re not sure what to choose, don’t worry. We’ve compiled a list of the best-selling cat toys that you can get online to help you please and play with your furry friends.
Before we dive into the reviews and videos of our favorite cat toys, we’ll walk through the factors we used to narrow down our options to select our top picks.
All products featured on the site are carefully selected by the editor of Floppycats, Jenny Dean. In addition, we may earn a small commission when you purchase something through our affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
What are the best cat toys available?
Not every cat toy is the best for your cats, even if it is popular and has good reviews, and it can be hard to know what you’re even looking for. Luckily, there are a few factors that can guide the way and help you make your decision.
Here are 5 of the most important things that we considered while compiling this list that are important to keep in mind when selecting the best toys for your kitty:
1. Is It a Danger to Your Cats?
As a pet owner, you would never want anything in your house or yard that could pose a risk to your cats. Unfortunately, there are a lot of items that many cat owners don’t realize are unsafe, and they might end up having them in a place that’s accessible to their cats.
Here are some things that are unsafe for cats to play with:
- Yarn or string, which can cause strangulation or choking
- Toys with small parts like bells or sparkle balls, if you leave them out and there’s risk of ingestion
- Climbing trees, if they’re too tall for your kitty’s age or physical ability, or they’re placed in small spaces
- Toys with sharp pieces or ingestible pieces inside, like a plush toy or some toy mice
- Since there are plenty of toys available on the market, there is no need to choose one that could harm your cat. We’ve filtered all the dangerous stuff out! But, as always, use wisdom in how you let your cats play with them to keep them safe and happy.
2. Mental Stimulation
It is really important for your furry friend to get the mental stimulation they need to feel happy and fulfilled. Any interactive toy that will put your cat’s mind to the test while they play is a good option, as long as it’s safe and fun for your cat!
3. Cats’ Enjoyment
Indoor cats need a lot of physical stimulation and to use their natural instincts, and toys definitely help with that. But, of course, the most important part of a toy is that it’s fun for your cats! I have personally cat-tested each of these toys with my cats at home before writing my reviews, so we can vouch that they are good options that your cats will love.
4. Price
Price isn’t the most important factor when choosing a cat toy, but it is a consideration, since not every pet parent is made of money. I have made sure to select items that won’t break the bank, and that are good deals for the product you get.
Durability factors into this factor as well. If your cats have fun with a particular toy, but you keep having to buy new ones because they aren’t durable, it’s better to buy one toy that will last you a long time. You don’t want the prices to just keep adding up!
5. Easy to Clean
Cats are easy to love, but they aren’t always easy to clean up after. Not only does their fur tend to get on your clothes and furniture, it can also end up covering their toys, making them look a bit gross.
You also don’t want to have toys around that are disintegrating around the house and adding to the mess. We made sure to keep an eye out for the ease of cleaning while we used each of these toys.
Floppycats’ Official List of Best Cat Toys:
You don’t need to feel lost if you’re trying to get toys for a new kitty or find a fun way to entertain one you’ve had for a long time. Don’t wander through the pet store aisles, stick with the usual teaser wand and laser pointers, or rely on arbitrary lists of toys that aren’t trustworthy. Listen to real cats about what they like to play with, and get the inside scoop from knowledgeable cat experts on which toys are actually safe for your kitties.
Without further ado, here are all the winners in our Floppycats-tested search for the best of the best cat toys currently on the market:
1. Yeowww! Catnip Yellow Banana Cat Toy
The Yeowww! Banana Catnip Toy is my favorite cat toy of all time. This banana shaped cat toy is filled with 100% organically grown catnip. My cats love to bite the ends of the banana. It’s 7″ in length, which gives them the opportunity to hold on to it with their claws while they bite it and kick it. After they are done licking, biting and kicking it, my cats Caymus and Trigg sit on it like they’re trying to hatch an egg.
It’s important to mention that not all kitties respond to catnip. It’s a genetic trait to respond to catnip – so if you have a kitten, try and find out if his or her parents responded to catnip. Also, kittens don’t respond to catnip toys until they are about 6 months old. So keep all of that in mind before purchasing.
Why is this my favorite toy of all time? This is my top pick because of my Rags. Nearly 15 years ago, Santa gave Rags (site founder) The Yeowww! Banana Catnip Toy in his stocking. Rags was 15-years old at the time and had never liked any cat toy. However, he went bonkers for the banana – and moreover, continued to go back to it over and over again to play with it.
You can read the full Floppycats Yeowww Catnip Toy review on our site.
2. Ripple Rug Cat Activity Mat
The Ripple Rug Cat Activity Mat is a dual-layered cat activity mat. The top layer of the cat activity play rug Velcros to the bottom layer, and can be secured to the base layer in many different configurations, making it the perfect toy for pet owners who want adjustable options.
The top rug has a simple design, featuring holes your cat can use to jump in and out of the play mat (between the layers) or peek through. You can also use the holes for interactive play by putting cat toys through the holes. We used it with the Yeowww! Catnip Toy, which is a great way to enhance the experience, and my cats went crazy for it. See my review video to see me put it together and the cats play with the mat.
This toy collects loose hair, which is a nice feature. I would rather the Ripple Cat Mat collects the extra hair than have it collect on my furniture. These are easy to clean and can be vacuumed off. It’s also easy to roll up and store away if you have guests or for cleaning. This is a nice product for cats to play with independently, with other cats, or with you. It helps provide mental stimulation and an energy outlet. If your kitty needs to lose weight or get more exercise, this would be the perfect toy to start.
The full Floppycats Ripple Rug review will help you wrap your mind around how it works.
3. Nina Ottosson Dog Brick Treat Puzzle Dog Toy by Outward Hound
The Nina Ottosson Dog Brick Puzzle by Outward Hound is a toy that makes eating extremely fun for pets. It is a 2-level puzzle feeder that animals are very interested in. For the first level, they have to flip open the top compartments of the Dog Brick puzzle to unravel the treats. Then, for the second level, they have to first paw and nuzzle to remove middle white-bone compartments. This will also reveal some treats for them to keep them interested in the game.
After this, they have to slide up the lower bone compartments to get to the last of the treats. They have to rely on their smell, their agility, and their hunting instincts to solve the puzzle and it all leads to a very fun activity.
While the Nina Ottosson Dog Brick Puzzle is made for dogs, it is a great toy for cats as well. You can read the full Floppycats Brick Puzzle review of the product to find out just how much fun cats can have with this pet toy. This game reduces boredom and it steers animals clear of destructive behavior.
4. RompiCatz Rustlin’ Winged Bug Teaser
RompiCatz makes some excellent wand toys, and their winged bug teaser is no exception. The ‘bug’ is designed to look like a flying insect, with four large colorful wings. It’s not only visually appealing to your cat, but it sounds great too – as you way the toy through the air the wings will gently crackle as they flap, and when your cat pounces there’s a satisfying crinkling sound that they’ll love.
It’s connected with a string, which means you can either drag it around on the floor or bounce it through the air, giving you a lot of different play options with your cat.
You can read the full Floppycats Rompicatz Cat Wand review here.
5. Blackhole Catch The Tail Cat Toy
This electronic cat toy will spin a toy “mouse” under a circular tarp. The “mouse” makes circular moves, but it also moves further and closer to the center, making it more exciting for your cat. My cats love this toy.
Electronic toys are the best way to entertain your cat during the day when you’re away to work. It mimics a mouse’s movements and it features a 360-degree spin and hide motion that is bound to get your cat’s attention. This toy is interactive and it does not require you to move it, throw it, or manipulate it in any way for your cat to play with it. You can turn it on and the fun can begin.
You can personalize how the toy moves according to what your cat likes. It comes with 5 speed settings, as well as a squeaking mouse sound, so you can set it up just the way your kitty likes it. It also comes with some safety settings – After 3 minutes at 5th speed, the toy is automatically turned off. In a random speed setting, it will turn off after 15 minutes.
These settings are in place to keep your cat interested in the toy, but also to save the battery. The Blackhole Catch The Tail Cat Toy works with 3 AA Alkaline batteries and a set of 3 comes in the pack when you make the purchase on Amazon.
Make sure to check out the full Floppycats Blackhole Catch the Tail review to see how much my cats love it!
In Conclusion
Your furry friends need you to make the best choices for their well-being in a lot of areas so they can live a happy, healthy life, but the most fun part is choosing a new toy. The list we provided is full of safe products that our Floppycats love, at prices that won’t break the bank.
We’d love to hear how your cats responded to these toys! It’s important to remember that not every cat is the same, so yours might not have the same feelings about these toys, and you have to keep an open mind and keep trying to discover your own cats’ preferences.
Have fun enjoying these toys with your cats!
Did you like these awesome cat toy reviews? We have more cat toy related posts you’d like:
Hi, I’m Jenny Dean, creator of Floppycats! Ever since my Aunt got the first Ragdoll cat in our family, I have loved the breed. Inspired by my childhood Ragdoll cat, Rags, I created Floppycats to connect, share and inspire other Ragdoll cat lovers around the world,
Can rag doll cats have the toys with feathers and balls?
if they are non-toxic toys and supervised while playing with them.
WANT ALL OF THESE!!! TYSVM, Jenny honey!
Big hugs & lots of love & purrs!
Patti & Miss Pink Sugarbelle 🙂 <3