The Cat Dancer is probably the most affordable cat toy that your cat will actually play with.
It’s a piece of wire with rolled cardboard pieces at the end.
Cats love its sporadic and shiny movements.
Plus cats love cardboard!
Here are ten different ways to play with the cat dancer toy:
- Slide it on the floor
- Slide it across the floor
- Toss it across the room
- Slide it under a door
- Play on a scratching post
- Tease it around under a rug or blanket
- Slide it under furniture
- Roll it across the floor
- Wave it in the air
- Hang it on furniture
Check out the tips today or pin the image below to your Cat Toys board on Pinterest.
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Where to buy the Cat Dancer
The Cat Dancer is available at Pets Warehouse and Amazon (US, CA, UK).
I’ve also tested Chewy’s version of this toy.
It’s a bit longer and more difficult to manage. But Jericho still loves playing with it if you want more options.
1. Slide the cat dancer toy on the floor
This routine is probably the most basic.
You hold the cat dancer on the end that has only one piece of cardboard.
Slide it around on the floor so that the other end moves all over the place.
This will make your cat run around and chase.
You can also slide the cat dancer on the floor closed up in a circle.
This is how the cat dancer comes in the package.
I also slide this along other surfaces like the refrigerator.
2. Slide it across the floor
You can do this with the cat dancer closed or open. I usually roll it up the way it is when you first receive it.
I slide it across the floor a few times before letting it go.
This tactic gets your cat ready to determine the right moment to pounce. Watch his eyes for dilating, and you’ll probably see his butt wiggle.
This means he is charging up to pounce!
Slide the dancer across the floor as soon as you think your cat is about to attack.
3. Toss it across the room
When I say toss, I mean the lightest underhand toss you can ever do possible.
Safety first during playtime, please!
Jericho loves to chase things across the room.
The Cat Dancer makes a whirling sound when you toss it in the air. Jericho loves to chase after this sound.
I toss the dancer closed and open.
4. Slide the cat dancer under a door
If you have space under a bedroom, closet, or bathroom door, use this!
Take the dancer open and slide it around under a door so that only a little pop in and out.
Jericho loves to paw at stuff under doors.
Cats love pawing at stuff.
This is the perfect way to engage them.
It also replicates prey movement which is crucial when you play with cats.
5. Play on a scratching post
Move the dancer up and down on the sisal rope of your scratching post and get your cat to start scratching.
You can also tease the end of the dancer on top of the scratching post.
Move it around so only a small piece of it shows so that kitty gets more and more interested.
Again, this in and out of sight movement mimics prey which is necessary when you play with cats.
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6. Tease it around under a rug or blanket
Cats are attracted to movement. So moving the dancer around under a rug or blanket will be a hit.
We have the Ripple Rug which comes with different sized holes that I put the dancer through.
I move it in and out to enhance hunt mode.
7. Slide the cat dancer under furniture
If your doors come to the floor and you don’t have fun rugs, move the cat dancer around under furniture.
Make the dancer seen and unseen by quickly sliding it under the coffee table or sofa or refrigerator.
This will activate hunt mode as well.
Sometimes I’ll put the Cat Dancer under my coffee table and leave it there.
Jericho will spot it underneath and run around the table to paw at it to try to get it out.
8. Roll it across the floor
Close up the dancer and roll it across the floor like a wheel. It will move differently than when you slide it and sometimes it bounces.
Your cat will chase, pounce, and try to catch it.
Jericho likes to run alongside it.
9. Wave it in the air
Hold the end that has one piece of cardboard and move your wrist so that the Cat Dancer plays in the air a few inches from the ground.
This will mimic prey that flies or jump around.
The movements are unpredictable so make sure you aren’t moving too quickly or close to your cat. You don’t want to hit his eye!
He’ll go crazy trying to catch it.
10. Hang the end of the dancer to furniture
Take the end of the Cat Dancer that has one piece of cardboard.
Hang it on furniture so it is suspended in the air.
Your cat can play by himself by whacking and pawing at the dancer.
It will go back and forth in the air creating sporadic movements that will entertain your cat for a long time.
Final thoughts on the Cat Dancer Toy
The Cat Dancer is a wonderful and affordable cat toy.
There are so many different ways to play with it.
Cats are attracted to its unpredictable movements and cardboard pieces at the end.
We all know that cats love cardboard!
Need a centralized place to keep track of everything related to your cat? Grab my Cat Care Binder Bundle!
