Are you travelling with your cat, or have you just moved into a new place? Or perhaps you’ve just adopted your first kitty and haven’t had time to buy any toys yet? From this blog post, you will learn how to play with cats without toys. Or rather, to be more precise, we will try to show you that with a little bit of creativity and goodwill, you can turn pretty much anything into an amazing cat toy.
Get Creative with Things You Have at Home
Instead of asking how to play with cats without toys, think about items you already have at home. Is there anything lightweight you could toss around? Anything stringy? Perhaps some bags and boxes? Your cat doesn’t care about fancy brands and can find entertainment in even simple and mundane objects.
Check out our post about unusual cat toys to find some inspiration. I guarantee that within 5 minutes, you can collect at least a couple of playable items. Test them all to find out which catches your cat’s interest… and play as usual!
Make Simple DIY Feeder Toys
Try to make some very simple feeder toys for your cat. Don’t be scared, I am not talking about anything fancy and time-consuming. 5 minutes is more than enough to make a simple DIY feeder.
1. Envelope Treat Toy
- What you need: Envelopes, sellotape, treats
- How to make it:
- Grab an envelope and punch small holes in it.
- Place some treats inside the envelope.
- Seal the envelope and let your cat tear it open to get the treats.
2. Box Feeder Toy
- What you need: Small boxes (e.g. pills or toiletries boxes), sellotape, treats
- Easy version:
- Simply place some treats inside the box and let your cat dig them out.
- Difficult version:
- Pierce the box in several places or make small holes.
- Close the box and seal it with tape.
- Your cat will need to move the box around until the treats fall out.
3. Towel or Blanket Snuffle Mat
- What you need: A towel or blanket, treats
- How to make it:
- Wrap the towel or blanket in a messy, loose manner.
- Hide treats inside the folds.
- Let your cat explore and use it as a snuffle mat to find the treats.
4. Paper Ball Toy
- What you need: A piece of paper, treats
- How to make it:
- Place some treats in the middle of the paper.
- Wrap the paper around the treats to form a ball.
- Toss the ball for your cat to chase and “kill” to get the treats out.
One of the biggest advantages of such toys is that while getting the treats out, your cat will likely have to destroy the toy. This is amazing because it simulates the process of “killing” the prey, making the play very exciting for your cat. And since you only invested a couple of minutes in making these toys, it’s not a problem that these are only used once.
Let Your Cat Chase Treats
This is another easy hunting game you can use if you don’t have any actual toys around. Make your cat chase the treats as you toss them in different directions. Call your cat and show them that you have treats. Then, take one piece and toss it. Your cat will likely follow. Once they found and ate the treat, toss another piece in the opposite direction. It is as simple as that, and most cats will happily engage in this tasty chase!
Hide Treats Around Your House
A more difficult variation of the previous game is hiding the treats around your house. If you have never played such games with your cat, you don’t have to do actual hiding. It’s enough if you toss some treats around the room once your cat is not present there. And as your cat gets more advanced, you can make this game more difficult for them. Place a couple of treats in places where your cat can’t immediately notice them (e.g. in the room corner, under the carpet age, or under some furniture). Let your cat use their sense of smell to get these out.
Play Simplified Whack-a-Mole
An improvised version of an endless classic. You will need a blanket or a pillow and any elongated object you can find. As long as you are not using your hands, anything will work. I used to play this with my cat using… a spoon. Call your cat and tease them with the object. As they pounce, hide the object and show it again after a moment, sticking it out on the opposite side of your pillow. Rinse and repeat until your cat gets tired!
Final Thought on Playing with Cats without Toys
As you can see, there are plenty of ways to play with your cats, even if you don’t have any actual toys. If only you are a bit creative, you can always find ways to entertain your kitty and spend quality time with them. Unfortunately, that also means you will never ever have an excuse again! ;p
Let us know your favourite ways of playing with your cats without toys. We would love to check them out, too!