Tag Archives: cat toys

Indoor Activities for Stir-Crazy Pets

Bad weather can be tough on pets AND owners — your usual walks or yard time are cut short, sometimes for days on end. How can you keep your pets entertained and yourself sane? Here are a few ideas. Homemade toys can provide a few minutes (or hours) of entertainment so you can get some peace. I’ve been stuffing treats into paper towel tubes and then taping the ends shut, so the dogs have to chew or rip them open. Moose figured out that he can tear the tube on the seam and get to his treats quickly; Lally likes … Continue reading →

A Collection of Cat Toys

As impressive as the collage of cat toys to the left might be, it’s only a small representation of the entire collection of cat toys my cats claim. (Wayne’s decided if we’re looking for ways to cut money in case of a depression, cutting out my pet toy spending is a place to start. Sadly, he’s probably right.) But the purpose of this blog isn’t to show off my cats’ impressive collection of cat toys. Rather, it’s to discuss the names they know their toys by. (As I wrote in another article, I’m big on naming things.) See if you … Continue reading →

The Things We Do for Our Cats

If you’re the kind of doting cat mama that I am, you do more than just clean litter boxes and take them to the vet for their annual checkup, don’t you? When you go on vacations you fret about their wellbeing and miss them like mad. (Even though no doubt you’ve either placed them in a great cat B&B like the one Aimee works at or with a trustworthy pet sitter.) Heck, you might even plan it so they can come along. Their safety is always first and foremost on your mind. When you have to take them in the … Continue reading →

Grandma Dorothy’s Top Doctors Foster and Smith Cat Catalog Picks

When I recruited Murphy, Tabby, and Mr. Meow to help in the personal pet therapy project, they had no idea their Grandma Dorothy might want to show her appreciation for their help by shopping for them. But that’s what she’s been dong the past few days –via one of the Doctors Foster and Smith catalogs. Specifically the one just for cats. The Doctors Foster and Smith catalogs are among my favorite pet catalogs to browse through. (And, yes, even buy from. The Drinkwell Pet Fountain and the infamous cat cottage are two prime examples.) But I have to admit I … Continue reading →

Halloween Tricks and Treats for Pets: Toys

As I was admiring all the cute Halloween costumes for dogs, I also came across some cute Halloween-themed toys. Some of these just might provoke a few tricks from your four-legged friend. Doctors Foster and Smith • Halloween Trio –Ghost, Pumpkin, or Frankenstein: These are smaller toys (six inches) for small and toy breed dogs. But don’t let the name fool you –you don’t get one of each in the “trio.” You have to order them all separately. However, singly they’re $2.99, but buy all three and they’re $2.29 each. • Spooky Musical Odd Toys –Pumpkin, Ghost, or Cyclops: These … Continue reading →

Chaotic Cat Chronicles: The Case of the Missing Wiffie

We’ve got a big problem in our house. Tabby’s beloved wiffie is missing. I sort of feared this very thing happening. She has other toys, her huts, and even a new “crinkle cave,” but her all-time, number one favorite is her wiffie. Tabby in the crinkle cave. It wasn’t until yesterday that I realized something was missing. There hadn’t been a certain nighttime racket either preventing me from falling to sleep or waking me up. Then it dawned on me, “She hasn’t been whapping her wiffie around!” Which was a relief to realize, because poor Tab just hasn’t been herself … Continue reading →

The Wiffie

What the heck is a Wiffie you may be wondering? It happens to be Tabby’s favorite toy. “I thought the red and blue-and-yellow huts were her favorite toys?” those of you who have followed the continuing Tabby saga might be asking. True. They rank up there. But they’ve been out ranked by a seemingly boring white and green wiffle ball-like cat toy that Mr. Meow’s had since as far back as I can remember. He never paid it much mind, but Tabby? It’s like her security blanket. Nothing’s more playful than a young cat. ~-Thomas Fuller-~ It wasn’t her first … Continue reading →

Target: A Surprising Place to Find Great Cat Toys

I was doing a little shopping in Target the other day for our everyday household items, including pet supplies. One of the things I desperately needed to pick up was either a replacement or a refill for Tabby’s cardboard Cat SuperScratcher+. Instead, I ended up marveling at the array of interactive cat toys they had. I always think Petsmart has a great selection of in-store pet toys (for both cats and dogs), but I went in there after Target and didn’t find half the neat toys Target had. (For cats at least. They still have a better selection of dog … Continue reading →

The Cat Cottage: Can I Get My Money Back?

Back in January I was shopping the sales for cool Christmas clearances for cats and saw these fun looking cardboard cat playhouses. I knew I had to get one! Well, originally I was going to get the City Place Cat Playhouse. At $25 it was going to be the most expensive pet toy–dog or cat–I’d ever bought. But I was sure Mr. Meow, who loves playing in boxes, would love it. Well, when I realized how much Tabby also liked to play in boxes, I decided, “Oh no, this cat cottage is just too cute. They have to have that.” … Continue reading →

The Great Pet Toy Swap

Wayne is always scolding me for spoiling our pets with new toys. It’s true. I do. Murphy, Kitty, and Tabby have so many toys they could play with a different one every day for at least two weeks. (If not maybe a whole month.) But in my partial defense (I say partial because I fully admit sometimes I go overboard with the spending), every toy was bought with them in mind. This is not as obvious a statement as it might seem. What I’m getting at is I know Kitty (and now Tabby) likes to hide in things. Hence the … Continue reading →