Cat safe toys are important for their good health and the good health of your pocketbook. Vet bills are expensive and if you use good common sense in choosing the toys, you should avoid having to go, except for the yearly visits.
Sometimes the things that cats are most attracted to are the most dangerous for them. Things like strings, yarn and ribbons can be played with, but hide them away when not in use. Your cat can chew and ingest them. Rubber bands, plastic milk jug rings, paper clips, pins and needles, dental floss, etc. should never be left out for them to find. Cat proofing your home is similar to child proofing it for a small child.
Alternate toys so that they keep a fresh interest. Play with them, when you introduce a new toy. Some people think that cats are too independent and stand offish. This generally happens when you do not show your cat that you are interested in playing, training, grooming and loving it. Think about how you would react to someone who just fed you and ignored you the rest of the time. You would soon give up on trying to interact with them.
Choose soft toys wisely. They should be machine washable with no dangerous fillings like nut shells or poly styrene beads. No plastic eyes or other parts that can be chewed off and ingested. Toys that are rated for 3 years and under are usually OK, but check them out carefully. Please remember that catnip is a drug.
Holiday time is a time to be extra careful. Christmas tree tinsel is lovely, but deadly to cats, dogs and other household pets. It is bright, shiny and ever so enticing.
We put up our tree and let it sit for a day for the cats to get use to it. Then we put on the lights another night and let them get use to that. Then we decorate it. We reserve the bottom 1 - 2 feet for soft ornaments that are OK for them to take off and play with. We put them back on again and again. They will pick out the ones they like the best.
This idea works out very well for the work schedule, because you are getting sometime done each night and not pushing to do it all at once.
Be careful about your holiday plants. Holly berries can be cute for your cat to swat around, but they will make them sick. Mistletoe berries, poinsettia and amaryllis bulbs will also ruin the holidays for your cat and for you.
Ease your own stress level by playing with your cat each and every night before bedtime. Studies have shown that cat owners are less likely to die from heart related issues. It creates a good loving bond and most important it tires the cat out. A tired cat at bedtime will want a good nights sleep, which counters its natural instinct to be nocturnal.
Shower rings linked together and hung to entice your cat will lead to hours of fun. A paper bag, a clothes pin attached to the lower part of a curtain are also quick and easy treats. Very soft balls that children play with, balls with bells inside and ping pong balls are all great.
Try putting a ball in the bottom of the bathtub or shower. Cardboard boxes with a toy in the bottom and tubes from paper towels, start to unwind the tubes first, are fun time. Do not forget to put a favorite toy in the cat carrier when it is needed.
Make playtime a period of mutual enjoyment for you and your cat and you will be richly rewarded with love and many delightful laughs.
Author: Judy Jantzen My husband and I have owned cats for the past 25 years. Currently has a orange tabby and a black short hair. All the cats we have owned have been strays.
For more information about cats check out our web site at Cat Goodies Finder.com
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