Hey Pet Parents & Pet Lovers,
Yesterday I talked about what catnip was, how it affects cats and whether or not it was safe for cats to eat. and a few weeks back I talked about whether or not cats can actually overdose on catnip. Well, now that we’ve covered how to make sure you keep your cat safe while giving them this stimulant, I thought… why not share some of our favourite inexpensive catnip toys.
It’s no secret that cat toys can get extremely expensive, so whenever I can find good quality toys for under 5 or $10, I tend to grab them immediately! Now that we have a catnip addicted kitty in the household, it’s become quite a bit easier to find great toys (since a number of cat toys are conveniently infused with catnip.) So, what are my absolute favourite catnip toys that are under $10? Which do we recommend? Let’s get cracking.
SmartyKat Compressed Catnip Cat Toy
Compressed catnip balls are one of the most popular types of catnip toys in our family. Not only because Kalista absolute loves kicking them around while getting “high”, but because Beau loves to bat anything that rolls. It often becomes a battle to get Beau to stop knocking around things like batteries or rings, just because he likes watching them roll across the floor.
A PETS OVERLOAD TOP CHOICE
Petlinks Refillable Catnip Cat Toy
My top favourite toys will always be refillable catnip toys. It’s so great when companies actually give you the opportunity to make sure that the catnip inside of their toys is always fresh. While you could rip open other catnip toys or even use sprays to keep it smelling potent, nothing is better than actually being able to put in fresh catnip. We’ve had a number of catnip stuffers from Petlinks including the Jeepers Creepers Mouse, Lil’ Creepers Mice, and Knit Nipper Cat & Mouse. Our Top Pick is the Jeepers Creepers Mouse as it was very durable and really got both of our cats kangaroo kicking! Can’t recommend it enough!
SPOT Cat or Kitten Colorful Fun Tubes
I truthfully don’t know how much I can recommend this toy since we’ve had great experiences with some cats, but not all cats. While I have to admit that these toys are great for cats to play with, we did have an issue with Beau ripping them to shreds and swallowing a little piece. Now, this isn’t going to be the same for every cat, as Kalista was perfectly fine with these springy toys, but due to the fact that Beau is a kitty with Pica, we have to be a bit more careful with which toys we give him. I think the greatest thing about these toys if the fact that your cats will be interested in them with or without catnip (well, just as long as your cat doesn’t have Pica!)
Petstages Catnip Chew Mice
These were one of the most popular toys we sold at the pet store and it’s not hard to understand why. These toys are fairly durable (dependant on how aggressive of a biter your cat/kitten is) and they are marketed as toys that help clean your cat’s teeth. Who could ask for anything better? Well, I can’t endorse these toys for sure as a teeth cleaner, I can say that my cats loved how light these mice were. The only reason I can’t tell you whether or not they really clean our cat’s teeth is that we use a number of products to try to improve our cat’s teeth healthy. There are, however, a number of reviews that do suggest that this product works for it’s intended purpose, some have even stated that it has helped reverse the effects of gingivitis.
OurPets 100-Percent Premium North- American Grown Cosmic Catnip Cat Toy
My sister was actually the one who got me a couple of these toys including the pepper and the fish. The only negative thing about this toy was again… Beau. Beau loved the material of both toys and ended up suckling them until they ripped open and catnip was all over the floor. In general, I don’t recommend soft toys for cats with Pica, however, this toy has withstood 3 other cats and they haven’t broken. The awesome thing about these toys is the fact that they come in such different shapes including a carrot, banana, snake (which is a bit surprising since a number of cats are terrified of snakes/snake-shaped objects), a stogie/cigar and cactus. My favourites are the two we had which are the pepper and the fish.
A PETS OVERLOAD TOP CHOICE
Our Pets Play-N-Squeak Backyard Cat Toy
Beau is the biggest fan of these toys. He’s a fan of anything that tweets like a bird or squeaks like a mouse. We’ve tried a number of the bird toys, and I wasn’t aware that they actually come in bunnies as well. I think the bunny is massively adorable and if our local pet store had it, I would have gotten it immediately. These toys are awesome because they have a double whammy. They’re perfect for cats who love catnip and perfect for cats who love squeaky toys! Other shapes of these toys include a fox, raccoon, skunk and squirrel. My favourites are the bunny, bird and squirrel. All absolutely adorable, although again we’ve only used the bird!
KONG Cat Cozie Kickeroo Catnip Toy
I absolutely love the brand KONG, especially for dog toys. KONG tends to make very durable chew toys and over my time dealing with the company for the pet store, I have never run into a problem. My favourite thing about these toys in specific is the size. It tends to be difficult to find large kicker toys for under $10, so these were a great choice. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but all of them are extremely fluffy and ready to kick. Remember a few toys ago I mentioned that I hate soft toys for cats with Pica? Well, for some reason Beau isn’t interested in suckling these toys, but he does love to play with them!
Sushi Toys for Cats and Kittens
If you know anything about me, you know that my absolute favourite food is sushi. I love sushi so much that I included how much I love sushi into one of my plays and my partner even bought me a sushi onesie. So, what’s better than some sushi toys for the cats! Not only is this toy infused with catnip, but it also has a bell. Again, a great toy for cats who love catnip and love bells! Although Beau isn’t a huge fan of bells, Kalista is a fan of both bells and catnip… so a big winner for her!
KONG Beaver Refillable Catnip Toy
These kong toys are fairly low on my list, mostly due to how thin the material is for them. While you’d think they fit my quota because they are refillable, they were fairly easy for Beau to rip open, even though he isn’t a huge fan of catnip. Again, a great toy for kitties who aren’t aggressive chewers or for cats who don’t have diseases such as Pica. This toy does allow you to put quite a bit of catnip inside, which is awesome, but it wasn’t the toy for us.
Pet Craft Supply Funny Enticing Crinkle Toy
These are fairly cute toys and again, come in a variety of shapes including BLT, Chips & Guac, Hot Wings, Meowy Meal, Mewshi (Sushi), and Taco. These are a fairly durable toy, however, both of our cats aren’t super into the crinkle sound. Kalista doesn’t have a huge issue with the sound as one of the toys we see her walking around the apartment with is a crinkle ball. Beau, however, is terrified of crinkle sounds and hates toys like this, but that was something we assumed would happen, especially as Beau is terrified of the sounds of plastic bags.
A PETS OVERLOAD TOP CHOICE
Yeowww! Catnip Toy
Truthfully, Yeowww is some of the most potent catnip I have ever smelled, as well as one of the most durable catnip toys I have found. Now, I can’t speak for all of their toys as they including the banana and apple. However, we have bought the fish toy (which you can see to the right), which was very durable and hasn’t broken yet. We’ve had a Yeowww toy in our house for about 3.5 years now, and it still smells as strong as it used to smell, which is very surprising. Normally, we have to douse catnip toys with a bit of catnip spray after a few months (or if we’re lucky after a year.) So great job Yeowww for producing some very, very potent catnip!
Laifug Fish Cat Toy with Catnip
Another toy that we found as durable as it is adorable. These toys are a fairly large catnip toy that is perfect for cats to snuggle, kick and play with. As mentioned, it can be hard to find larger catnip toys or kicker toys, and this is a perfect solution for that. Now, the only reason why this isn’t a top choice for us is that Beau, our cat who doesn’t really care much for catnip, was not interested in this toy at all. Beau is one of those weird cats who can be picky about his toys and while he fell for the Yeowww toys, he didn’t really fall for this one. Odd. Kalista, on the other hand, was a big fan as usual. This toy, as many of the above ones, also comes in different styles including the redfish.
Madcap Go Buggy Cat Catnip Toss and Bat Plush Toy
It’s hard not to call this the craziest catnip toy I have ever seen. Again, this is a very durable toy, however, it did not pique Beau’s interest. Kalista, again, has been a huge fan of this mad bugger and I can highly recommend it on her behalf. It’s definitely a toy that has kept our house interesting since getting it, I just wish both of our kitties were fans!
A PETS OVERLOAD TOP CHOICE
KONG Softies Patchwork Bear Catnip Toy
For the last toy, I had to mention this absolutely adorable teddy catnip toy. This is a toy both cats have slept with and while it provides a lot of exercise for Kalista, it definitely does the job of being an adorable toy for both of our cats. I originally bought this toy for myself, since it was too cute to pass up, and it ended up being a favourite for our cats. It’s made out of a material that Beau doesn’t want to chew up (which is a huge plus) and it’s infused with catnip which makes it a Kalista favourite! All around, I love this toy, especially because of how adorable it is.
So Pet Parents, what are some of your favourite catnip toys? Let me know in the comments below.