Which Cat Toys Encourage Self Play?

We often notice our cats having fun on their own, but have you ever wondered which cat toys encourage self play? We know that sometimes it can be difficult to choose the right toys for your cat, but this activity shouldn’t be a burden.

After all, you’re buying precious items for your furry baby to enjoy playing with.

That said, you can’t go wrong with whatever you choose, although there are some toys that really encourage cats into self play.

Let’s find out which ones are those.

5 Types of Toys That Encourage Self Play in Cats

In the world of cats, toys play a vital role in stimulating their senses, hunting instincts, and managing their energy levels, especially for indoor cats. This means that we as purr-ents have the obligation to find and bring home the finest play toys to meet our cat’s needs.

With a plethora of toys available, it comes down to each cat’s preference – some may like automatic cat toys, while others enjoy bonding and playing with their purr-ents.

Whichever the case is, oftentimes cats can get bored and would require other types of stimuli – hence toys that encourage self play.

With that in mind, here’s what you need to know about which cat toys encourage self play, so you’ll know what to look out for the next time you’re in the cat toy aisle.

1. Interactive Puzzle Feeders

Interactive puzzle feeders are excellent if you want to keep your cat engaged and active throughout the day.

These types of cat toys are popular as they dispense food or treats for your cat to play with and around them. The way they work is, your cat needs to figure out how to get the treats out, which makes them stimulated and entertained.

Interactive puzzle feeders come in all forms, shapes, and sizes, with some having hidden compartments, while others have sliding pieces, and then there are those with holes where the treats fall when the toy is battled around.

This type of play helps keep your cat’s brain engaged, mentally sharp, and it gives them some much needed physical exercise.

Using such a toy can be very helpful if your cat tends to eat too quickly as it slows down their eating while making mealtime more fun. Besides, it also prevents boredom and unwanted behaviors that come with being bored.

🐾 Interactive puzzle feeders are a simple, yet great way to keep your furry baby happy, healthy, stimulated, and engaged.

2. Automated Rolling & Swatting Toys

Automated rolling and swatting toys are another interesting choice to encourage your kitty or cat in chase’n’play activities.

These types of toys move around unpredictably, which makes them more irresistible, especially for curious cats. As the toys roll or swat around, your cat will be tempted to use its hunting instincts to bat, chase, or jump at it all across the room.

Keep in mind, though, that these automated rolling and swatting toys come with various features, such as erratic movement patterns, sounds, or flashing lights, and some even have strings or feathers attached to make the game even more exciting.

However, before you decide on getting automatic cat toys for when you are away, make sure your furry baby doesn’t get scared of such features. Our Kiki has found a new fear of whirring, machine-like sounds coming from remote controlled toy cars and similar toys. We brought home a few of these and she got scared of the sound they make and no longer plays with them or at all – just goes in a corner and hides.

On the other hand, these automated toys are excellent for high-energy cats as they move on their own, making your cat play even when you’re not around. Besides, the unpredictable movement mimics prey behavior, which directly taps into cats’ natural hunting instincts.

🐾 Automated rolling and swatting toys are a very fun and engaging tool to keep your cat entertained, active, and stimulated while you’re not around.

3. Catnip-Infused Toys

Catnip-infused toys are a big hit among many cats and purr-ents. These toys are specifically designed to stimulate your cat’s senses and boost their playfulness to new levels.

Catnip is a natural herb that most cats find irresistible and when they get a whiff of it, they become more playful and active.

These toys are available in various sizes and forms and you can even use catnip for your already existing toys. We did that with some of our plush mice toys and Kiki couldn’t stop playing with them! The catnip inside and around it makes them extra appealing, encouraging punching, batting, wrestling, or in our case, rubbing.

Catnip-infused toys are an excellent way to stimulate your furry baby’s body and mind. The excitement they get and the energy they receive when playing with these toys also helps to reduce stress and keeps them away from getting bored.

🐾 Catnip-infused toys are simple, effective, and very entertaining for your cat, and also for us purr-ents who are happy to see our furry little babies engaged and active!

4. Self-Rolling Balls & Mice

Self-rolling balls and other various plush mice toys are classic and provide endless entertainment for your cat. These simple, yet effective toys are perfect for self-play, as cats can chase, run, jump, or bat them around.

For self-rolling balls, they come in different sizes and are made of different material, so you’ll likely encounter plastic, soft, hard, or plush fabric balls. Some even have bells attached on them or inside them, which adds a whole new layer of excitement.

All you need to do is plug in the charger, wait for the self-rolling ball to charge, and then just let it go. It will start moving randomly on its own and when your cat discovers it, just watch their eyes!

We used these for our Kiki and she was quite amused, although didn’t quite get the zoomies, she was very curious and followed it around until the battery ran out.

Plush mice are also a good choice as they are small, soft, and have realistic features like tails and ears. Cats pounce on these, toss them in the air, and carry them around, which surprised us when Kiki did this, bringing her toys next to us so she can play while being around us.

🐾 Self-rolling balls and plush mice are simple, effective, and mentally stimulating types of toys that will keep your cat heavily engaged and entertained.

5. Vertical Structures

Vertical structures, such as cat trees, scratching posts, or climbing towers, are the best possible type of cat toy for cats to entertain themselves.

These structures provide various platforms and levels for cats to jump, perch, scratch as they love to explore different areas.
Many cat trees, for example, come in with some built-in scratching posts and areas, cozy hideaways, and dangling toys that would keep your cat entertained. This allows cats to climb up high and observe their territory, nap in a comfy safe place, or scratch as much as they need and want.

The different levels also allow your cat to endure physical exercise as they jump and climb these posts. This can be very important in multi-cat households as it gives each furry baby their own space to relax and lay down.

🐾 Vertical structures are an excellent addition to any cat home, satisfying your cat’s natural instinct to climb and observe their territory.

Wrapping Up

Now that we learned which cat toys encourage self play, it all comes down to yours and your furry baby’s likes and preferences. Not all are mandatory, but having a variety of them may help in the long run, especially if your cat is living solely indoors.

Cats like to hunt, climb, play, and be active, so a mix of vertical structures, self-rolling balls, and interactive puzzle feeders, may just be what your furry little baby needs.

This will also give you a great opportunity to record some cute, fun videos with your cat as the star of the show.