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Also, nothing I say is medical advice. All photos are of my cats.
The best active cat toys
If you’re owned by a cat, you know how important it is to have versatile toys.
Cats get finicky, and it’s up to us to get creative with playtime to alleviate boredom.
I rescued my cat, Jericho, from the streets.
I’m constantly getting creative with toys, and I’m always on the hunt for active cat toys.
Jericho has a lot of energy so I need to make sure my toys can match his level.
Here’s your guide to active cat toys:
- What are active cat toys?
- What is the Catit Senses 2.0 Play Circuit?
- Different ways to build your Play Circuit
- Connecting the straight tunnel to end pieces
- Incorporating the straight tunnel in the middle
What are active cat toys?
Active cat toys are toys for active cats. This sounds more simple than it is. Interactive play provides crucial exercise to cats. But they also require mental stimulation.
In the wild, cats get lots of mental stimulation from hunting.
They have to study prey behavior, plan out the right moment to attack, then attack and kill prey.
After all this work, their brains reward them with chemicals that make them feel good.
Our brains release serotonin when we do things that are beneficial to us, and serotonin makes us happy.
If indoor cats do not receive mental stimulation and proper enrichment, they get bored.
An active cat is a happy cat so we must provide both exercise and mental stimulation to keep them happy.
What is the Catit Senses 2.0 Play Circuit?
We enjoy the Catit Senses 2.0 Play Circuit because there are so many different ways to use this toy.
It’s available on Amazon and Chewy.
The race track comes with a ball, five track tunnels, and two end pieces. Four of the tunnels are curved, and there is a straight one.
Each piece snaps together and comes apart easily so you can create different ways to play within seconds.
You can also buy additional tunnels to build even more combinations.
Cats love to paw and dig around at things. And movement attracts cats. The Catit Play Circuit hits all of these targets.
The ball rolls around on the track which entices kitty to inspect.
Then when he paws at the ball, it continues to roll around which entices kitty to paw around some more, and so on.
If you want to add more attraction to this toy, Catit also sells illuminated balls that light up as they move around the track.
The tunnels are slightly covered. There is a small slit of space to get to the ball.
This keeps the ball inside the track which is nice because it won’t get lost under the couch.
But also, this feature makes kitty have to hunt for the toy.
Challenging your cat will help provide extra mental stimulation.
Active cat toys are best when your cat plays for a longer amount of time. Since your cat has to do a little more work to get the ball, she will spend more time playing with it.
Catit Senses 2.0 also has the Wave Circuit which has an elevation in some of the tunnels.
This creates hills in the track which makes the ball move faster after going down a hill.
I prefer the Play Circuit (which lays flat and parallel to the floor) because sometimes the hills are tough for the ball to get over with just a soft paw swipe.
Need help getting your cat to play? Watch my secret playing hacks.
Different ways to build your Play Circuit
The product’s website says there are 100+ different combinations. However, some of the images displayed only use one or two of the tunnels.
The following 17 different ways to build your Play Circuit use all of the tunnels, except for a few that exclude one tunnel.
Figuring out different ways to build this toy starts with anchoring the straight tunnel to an end piece or incorporating the straight piece in the middle somewhere.
Then you just rotate the curved tunnels in opposite directions when you want to change it up.
There are endless amounts of combinations, but here are 17 different combinations that will keep your cat active and happy.
Disclaimer: my cat Jericho is the cat in these pictures.
I built these all in one sitting, and it was during our routine scheduled nap time. Well, he naps on me while I work, but this is our routine every afternoon after he hunts for treats.
So, he doesn’t look too engaged because he wanted to nap instead of play model. What can I sayβcats love their routines!
Connecting the straight tunnel to end pieces
Incorporating the straight tunnel in the middle
There are a few combinations above that exclude one tunnel, but all of the other combinations use all tunnels. I’m sure there are way more ways to build the Play Circuit, but here are a few to start with.
To get your cat interested, you may have to roll the ball around. Soon enough he will be playing on his own and staying active.
Did you find these ideas fun? Pin the image below to your Cat Toys board on Pinterest.
