Wand-ering Faux-Critters Bring Genuine Excitement to Kitty’s Playtime

Wand toys have unique features that can increase the fun and exercise value of interactive play sessions with your cat.

With wand toys, you can make the “prey” crawl, climb, or fly through the air, to kitty’s delight—and the manipulator of the prey’s action (you) is far enough away so that the prey’s movements seem autonomous. In fact, since the toy bug, bird, or burrower is attached to a string, and is usually light enough to be affected by air currents and tiny obstructions on the ground, there is a degree of randomness to its actions.

Although our cats are too smart to mistake a toy moth or mouse for the real thing, the life-like actions of the toy prey, which you indirectly control through the wand, stimulate kitty’s hunting instincts and inspire her to put on her thinking cap. Fake prey generates real play!

Another advantage to wand toys is that since you’re at one end of the toy and your feline counterpart is at the other end, she can claw and bite with abandon, with no danger to your hands.

General Tips for Getting the Most Out of Wand Toys

• Unless kitty has endless fascination and preference for a specific toy, rotate toys; this keeps playtimes more fresh and surprising.
• Small, subtle movements by the “prey”—even the slight flutter of a wing—may be more compelling to kitty than giant arcs and swoops.
• Give kitty time to analyze. If the toy (“toy” refers to the prey part of the toy from here on) lands on the couch and kitty is staring at it intently, she may be planning a surprise attack. Leave the toy in place long enough for kitty to execute her move. A start-and-stop pattern for the toy typically elicits more kitty involvement than constant movement does.
• Some coyness on the part of the toy usually heightens interest. For example, have the toy hide in a box or bag with just a bit of an occasionally quivering tail sticking out.
• As the play session ends—preferably with a decisive victory pounce—let the toy lose steam and “die.” Then you can carry off the defeated prey until it springs back to life and reappears in a week or so.
• Keep wand toys hidden and inaccessible to your cat when not in use. In addition to making the toys seem fresher when they are reintroduced into play sessions, feathers and small objects attached to wand toys may have sharp or extractable parts that are dangerous for cats unless used under supervision.

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