The soft and agile body, the flexible claws, theσ"♥ large and strong fangs and excellent vis¥₹ion and hearing, these characteristics of the ca ÷'ts make them natural hunters. They are sm ↕♣art and alert, they yearn for f₹♣¥®reedom. But now cats as a domestic a ∞€nimal have had a hard time having the opportδ≥ unity to show their hunter attributes. They can‌αφ± only spend time sleeping and dazing.

With the deepening of people's understand≈<ing of cats, some owners started to prepare som∑λe toys for their own↕↕λ masters to help them release their in≠♣±stincts and instincts, bλ>§&ut found that the toys bought backΩπε☆ rarely attracted the interest of cats. Many toy ♠♣cats also played for a day or two WillΩ'↓ not touch it.

Only prey, no toys

As we have mentioned before, cats are born​σ hunters, so in the wo→÷€¥rld of cats, there is no con∏♦α cept of play, and no such thing as♦×ε toys exists. All be∞∑haviors that we humans see as entertainmen♥σ→✔t are actually cats doing hunting training.•&γ✔ Because cats are solitar¶ ¥y animals and they are smaller, tβ±¥heir hunting success rate in nature is very low.×£≥↓ Only by continuously practicing your own huε α​nting skills can you increase↓↑α≠ the success rate of hunting to su₽♦♣$rvive in nature. Studies havσ e shown that most cats spend at ∞φ™least eight hours a day practici"₹​€ng hunting skills.

Although most cats do ∞ not have the pressure t'​∏αo survive, this blood instinct has been p →assed down from generation to generation. There♣™'₩fore, when choosing toys for cats, you must p≠ ↓ay attention to their instincts. That is, the ☆<toys you choose for them must be moreק like prey that they can hunt i§δ₽§n nature.

This toy generally has↑βΩ the following three characterist≈≠★ics:

First, the toys must be mo♠‍veable so that the cat treats them>✘‌π as prey.

Second, the surface of th×‍♣φe toy is covered with feathers or fur. This ap ∞♥βpearance is closer to the pre♣εy that the cat can kill in nat​→ure, and it can attract the cat's≈♦ attention.

Third, the smell that ca​¥ts like. Felines are very sensitive to smΩ∞☆ell, so when choosing a toy, t​∏≠he owner can consider products that incorpα↕∞orate the cat's favorite odo→&≤r into the toy, such↕< α as catnip or alfalfa.×<δ

At present, there are many types of cat t±≤<oys on the market, but ₩♠there are not many products thεβ≈at can integrate these three characteristics into×♠βε toys. Most of them have only one or δ€two. Therefore, the σ¥  owner can try toys with∞β<& different combinations of ≥¶characteristics according to "•the characteristics of his cat.Such♥≥ ♥ as leather mice (will move + the surfaγ  ce is covered with fur), stuffing toys ®≤•‌(will move + the smell of cats) and so on.

In addition, it should b α ♦e noted that cat toys must be stur≠‍₩∞dy and can withstand the cat's gra<∏πsp, bite, slap, and po‌¶ ←unce. Those toys that are easy to fa$≥ll off are easily ingested by c§↓ats and accidents occur.

How to play with cat toys?

Although there are thousands of ty₹♣pes of cat toys, they can be roughly divided♦> ≠ into three types in terms of u•εsage:

The first is interactive, that is, to‌±ys that require the owner to ↓☆©↓play with the cat, such as funny cat st×®φ€icks and handheld laser lights, are mo↔♥re typical interactive cat t→&¥oys.

The second is a self-enterδ ₩✘tainment type, which is a toy that cδ✔Ω ats can play without φ™‍$the help of others, such ≥♠£¶as leather mice, cat tables, electric ball≈λs, and so on. This toy is more suita↓‌©±ble for office workers or owners who don't¶✔​δ have much time to play with c¥♣÷₽ats.

The third type is an automatic operation t•₹ype. This type of toy is a to≤¥$∏y that can attract the cat's attentio‌₹εn through its own moveme ∑™→nt. The electric funny c♣₩at stick and trackbal≈λ∏l we usually see are this type o€©β↓f toy.

The three types of toys have their o÷∑©wn advantages, and each owner ca∑₩n choose different toys according to the situati∑→∞on of his family and the characteristics o‍₩↑♦f the cat. The first type  ₽&∑of interactive toys is suitable for famil★§ies who are not very busy®ε  and have time to play with cats. The second ∞≤and third types of toys are suitable for ₹&office workers or fami☆•lies who don't have tε>α'ime to spend with cats.

In addition, when using®>∞ interactive toys, the owner needs ♠↔ εto pay attention to the method of using tφ$✔he toy, because the toy may be different in ✔☆♣φthe eyes of the owner and the cat. Therefore, it₹© is necessary for the owner to ≈™®≈learn to adopt a method suitable for →↑δhis own cat and corre&&©βctly guide the cat to use toys. Depending o$÷n the nature of the toy and tλ♣$σhe cat's usual habits, m$↑♣↔easures can be taken to attract th<±e cat's attention. For example, we c‍§an use cat sticks to imitate the movements of ani↕™mals such as snakes and rats to stimulate t✔★✔™he hunting nature of cats"→"♥.

The new cat and the old↔±λ‌ cat

A cat is a very curious animal. It likes fr≥✔♦eshness and loves old and new. He Jun, a↑> well-known domestic pet ®<↔trainer, once mentioned i♣ σn a lecture that cats nee®→φd 21 different toys tβ₹hroughout their lives, which iβ ☆s based on this characteristic of cats. ₩ If only one toy is prepared, there is no way to s ♣∑λatisfy the cat.

Dudu's suggestion is to♠>♥  give the cat at least three different to♣™ys every day to practice "hunting", aε↕σ♠nd at least to ensure that the types of toys are‍±÷​ not the same every week.¥π₹ And each kind of toy can't let the cat play for→ ✔ too long at a time, it is be↕©™↔st to let the cat play a toy for✘≥ no more than ten minutes, ®→↑≤so as to keep the cat's i ¶‍£nterest in toys.

In fact, it is not just cats. Many domestic a∏α¶σnimals that have become pets after human d¥✘α£omestication actuallyβσ retain some of their former™≥☆ instincts, but the  β•living environment suppresses this part of the£₹"∏ir instincts. Therefore, pet owners should consiλ€der issues from their perspective in €§α daily life, and release their instincts when c₩ ∏≤onditions allow, so that they can♣λ enjoy life more freely ≈✘₩€and more comfortably.