This morning I missed a one in a million camera opportunities with Alexa.  I was walking across the kitchen floor in a “must have coffee” stupor when she caught my eye.  She was obviously stalking something, which always leads to two questions:

1. Mouse?!?!?
2. Have one of my youngest daughter’s hamsters or guinea pigs gotten loose?

Either option would involve me running (either in the opposite direction if it proved to be number 1 and toward the escapee in rescue mode if it were number 2).  As I was weighing my options, She leaped into the air and did a pirouette that any ballerina would be jealous of.  It hit me then that it was a moth she was having so much fun with.  Stalking, jumping, showing off her speed, agility, and beautiful grace.

Then she ate him.

Grace flew out the window.. the moth, not so much.

She was having so much fun for those brief moments that I HAD to look around a few of my favorite websites for cat toys that would simulate this sort of fun and reckless abandonment. I found the perfect thing, the Go Cat Teaser Cat Catcher Wand Cat Toy (46″ Length), pictured above.

Product Description:

Cats will love to jump and play with this teaser cat toy. The flexible wire provides quick movement to test your cat’s agility. He or she will love to try to catch the mouse on this cat toy in mid flight. Great for encouraging interactive play, this cat toy will entertain your kitty for hours.

Features:

• Flexible wire for durability
• Tiny, cute mouse to attract attention
• Colorful glitter wand for that extra sparkle

See Go Cat Teaser Cat Catcher Wand Cat Toy (46″ Length) to take a closer look today.

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I’m astounded (and, truth be told, saddened) by the number of people who go to Google and enter the words “How to Be Happy.” It can be hard to phantom being so down that you have to LITERALLY search for ways to be happy.  Then again, I suppose some people who are “happy enough” search for ways to be even happier.

Who can blame them?

We all want to be as happy as we possibly can be but have you ever stopped to consider that the same can be said of our beloved cats? They want to experience as much happiness and contentment as possible.  Naturally all cats are different. Some enjoy sleeping more than playing, some enjoy playing more than sleeping… and some enjoy few things in life quite as much as they do a good meal.

However, regardless of which activities are their favorites, all cats have pretty much the same requirements for happiness:

• Food
• Fresh water
• Clean, quite, private Litter Box or a safe yard
• Several comfortable, special places to sleep – free from disturbances and drafts
• Scratching posts
• Plenty of playtime!

Most loving cat parents provide the best food possible, plenty of fresh water, a clean litter box, scratching opportunities, and great beds – and many even buy their cats plenty of great toys.  However what many of us fail to realize is just how important playtime is.  Not only does a cat love to play with their toys, they love for their humans to get involved.

Different cats prefer different types of toys.  Some cats love toys with crinkly cellophane inside of them, some love toys with bells, while others prefer that their toys look and feel like real prey.  Alexa has absolutely zero interest in the crinkly cellophane or bells.  She loves nothing more than playing ball, though.  Her favorite game involves someone rolling one of her toy balls to her as she bats it back.  She seems to especially love it when she bats it past one of us and we have to get it.

Sometimes it feels like she’s “playing fetch” with us…  and we’re her pets!

She also loves toys that mimic prey – Cat Toys with feathers, fur, or toys that look like bugs.   Like most cats, she loves any sort of playtime that involves her stalking or chasing something.

Sometimes a cat will even create their own “game.”  For example, at least once a day, when I go into the back of the house (to put something in the master bathroom or in our closet), Alexa will slink in and hide on the opposite side of our bed.  She crouches down and expects me to get on my hands and knees and sneak up on her.

When I get to the edge, she loves for me to put my arm and hand underneath the covers and move it along, making a scratching noise on the mattress.  She’ll stand up (ears pinned back in full attack mode), and wait for just the right time to pounce on my poor hand.  I learned pretty fast that she pounces with her SHARP claws out as far as they’ll possibly go, so I have to be fast.

That, or reach for the band-aids.

This routine goes on everyday, for about 10 minutes each time.  She has a ball, I have a ball, and she looks so stinking cute when she’s stalking my hand I can never keep from laughing (which, I’m sure draws the claws out even further).

Something else I’ve learned over the years with my cats is this: They love the unexpected!  If you cats, like ours, have a great number of cat toys and “play pretties,” rotate the collection often.  Place different toys in different places – sometimes in places they won’t expect them to be.  Alexa has 4 different places in our house where that she “hangs out in” the most: When I’m working online during the day, she sleeps nearby – until lunchtime, of course. Nothing interferes with that girl’s lunch.

During the evening, she has a certain area in the living room, one in the family room, and one in the master bedroom.  I kind of rotate different toys amongst her favorite hangouts.

I’ve also found that cats, just like human kids, LOVE it when you come back from the store with something special for them.  I’ll often (okay, very often) pick up a little bag of treats, or a special cat toy, that I know she’ll adore.  Fortunately, we have a PetSmart in Owensboro, so I’ll never run out of great toys to bring home to her.  (By the way, here’s a tip that I think is pretty special.  If your cat has certain toys she or he isn’t interested in, bag them up, mark CAT TOYS and take them to Goodwill. How much would it mean for someone who might be a little down on their luck to also have the opportunity to take cat toys home to their precious cats?!)

Speaking of Pet Smart, within this post are a few new toys they have that Alexa speaks highly of.  You can always trust Pet Smart to have quality cat food, cat toys, and other cat items (as well as everything you’d need for other pets as well).  What’s more, they have the prices I’m always looking for. (Content continued after the cute cat video!)

Cat toys and playtime don’t just lead to happier cats, they lead to healthier cats as well – both physically and mentally.  But that’s not all (though it’s certainly enough!), playing with your cat is a perfect way for YOU to relax and unwind.  The benefits are amazing, and they definitely go both ways.

Need a toy box for you cat’s toys? Check out the Martha Stewart toy bin below (from PetSmart). Love it! Click the image for a closer look.

Please click the link to find more Cat Toys at PetSmart.com!

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Spot “Micro Mouse” Radio Controlled Mouse

Did you know that when you play with your cat, you not only give yourself a much needed break, you’re also doing something very beneficial for him – even lengthening his life?

Not only is play time fun for your cat, it makes him feel loved, keeps his mind and instincts sharp, provides exercise, keeps his appetite healthy, relieves stress and alleviates boredom. As painful as stress and boredom are for us humans, they’re doubly so for animals – so anything we can do to prevent them should be a priority.
So, gab a string, a ping pong ball, a shoelace, or your cat’s favorite toy and have a blast.

It’s good for both of you!

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