Toys needed in a cat’s life
Soft and agile body, flexible claws, large and strong fangs, and excellent vision and hearing, these characteristics of cats make them natural hunters. They are smart and alert, they yearn for freedom. But nowadays, as a domesticated animal, it is difficult for cats to have the opportunity to show their hunter attributes. They can only pass the time by sleeping and being in a daze.
Only prey, no toys
Cats are born hunters, so in the world of cats, there is no concept of play, let alone toys. All behaviors that we humans regard as entertainment are actually cats doing hunting training. Because cats are solitary animals and small in size, their hunting success rate in nature is very low. Only by constantly practicing their hunting skills and increasing the success rate of hunting can you survive in nature. Studies have shown that most cats spend at least 8 hours a day to practice hunting skills.
Although most cats do not have the pressure to survive, this instinct in the blood has been passed down from generation to generation. Therefore, when choosing toys for cats, we must pay attention to their instincts, that is, the toys chosen for them must be more like prey that they can hunt in nature.
This kind of toy generally has the following three characteristics:
First, toys must be movable so that cats can treat them as prey.
Second, the surface of the toy is covered with feathers or fur, so that the appearance is closer to the prey that the cat can kill in nature, and it can attract the cat’s attention.
Third, the smell that cats like. Cats are very sensitive to odors, so when choosing toys, the owner can consider products that incorporate cats’ favorite odors into toys, such as catnip or alfalfa.
In the past, there are many types of cat toys on the market, but there are not many products that can incorporate these three characteristics into toys, and most of them only have one or two. Therefore, owners can try toys with different combinations of characteristics according to their own cat’s personality characteristics, such as leather mice (will move + surface covered with fur), stuffed toys (will move + cat’s favorite smell) and so on.
In addition, it should be noted that cat toys must be sturdy and able to withstand the cat’s scratching, biting, slap and swooping. Those toys that are easy to fall off can easily be eaten by the cat and cause accidents.