Looking for toys cats can play with by themselves? Got lots of work to do, but have a playful cat or kitten you want to keep entertained? Then you’re in luck…
Because sure, balls, mice and feathers can be left around and will do the trick (to a degree!) But cats can have a short attention span. They can get bored fairly easily as their natural hunting instincts come out! For this reason, playing by themselves, with the same old toys, can be a little short lived.
So, what are the best toys to get your cat when you want to keep them busy? Toys that you can set up, then leave them with for a little while, without having to worry?
Well, here’s our top 10 favourites to keep your furry friend occupied (with minimal supervision needed!)
10 Best Toys Cats Can Play With By Themselves
In no particular order, here’s our top 10 toys cats can play with by themselves.
With each of these, I highly recommend you click the link to “shop”, watch the promo videos (with information of how it works, plus video footage of real-life cats playing with these toys!) and weigh it all up from there.
You’ll also find product reviews on each link, which are super insightful!
Disclaimer: An Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. There may be affiliate links within the post. However, please note – I will never recommend a product I haven’t personally used & approved, or thoroughly researched & want to get myself.
1) Automatic Robotic Mice Toy
So first off, let’s get started with one of my all-time favourite toys cats can play with by themselves and that’s this Robotic Mouse.
See, this clever little cat toy is activated by touch, which means when your cat / kitten taps it, it will then turn on. It then stays on for 5 minutes and turns off itself after this duration so that your furry friend gets the satisfaction of a successful “hunt.”
The feather tail and erratic movements encourage chasing and bring our your cats natural hunting instinct.
It also changes direction automatically when colliding with walls, tables and doors with no extra help required – keeping your little one safely entertained and well-exercised.
The only thing you may need to keep an eye on, is if it gets knocked upside down and not turned back around, but other than that – it’s totally purrfect, and has really great reviews to back it up!
2) Hide and Seek Peekaboo Cat Toy
Talking of mice, our next favourite toy cats can play with by themselves is Pawaboo’s Peekaboo Mouse Game.
With two different levels – both fast and slow, this pop and play cat toy then rotates irregularly, getting your cat hunting, stalking and swooping after it.
They don’t need to chase far like with the last electronic mouse toy, but it certainly keeps them engrossed and entertained.
It’s therefore a great cat toy you can simply switch on and leave with them, whilst you get on with whatever else you need to.
3) BurgeonNest Electronic Mouse & Feather Toy
The last mouse toy I want to add into the mix is BurgeonNest’s.
Again, this has a slow speed for sensitive or quiet cats, plus a fast speed for energetic cats or kittens. You can also turn on “squeaking”mouse sound to make it even more engaging.
The great thing about this one is not only does it race around, with 360 degree rotating, forward, backward + shaking. But it is also fully automatic…
So you can set it up to play for 20 minutes, it then switches itself off for 1.5 hours and will restart for the next 20-minute happy time. This cycle can continue repeatedly, for up to 7 days by one full charge. It’s brilliant!
It’s also very durable and works on both carpet and smooth surfaces; and the reviews are great! Our kitten’s favourite toys is a feather chaser, so I’ve just ordered this for him now. (I’ll be sure to update to let you know how he gets on!)
4) YOFUN Smart Interactive Self-Rotating Ball
Next up, it’s YOFUN’s rotating ball. This is great if your cat already loves playing with balls!
The difference here is – it will keep them playing for longer, as it’s essentially like you’re playing with them, as the ball spins and moves around itself!
Similarly to the last one – this toy switches itself off after a certain period of time, so you don’t even need to think about it – you just leave your cat to play!
The only thing with this one, is it’s not recommended for use on carpet, so you only really want to purchase it if you already have hard floors.
But… if you do, it’s a great fit, and comes at a very low price for an electronic toy. (Whilst still sustaining very high reviews!)
5) Fling-a-String Cat Toy
A really different one, now then, is Fling a String. It’s simple, award-winning and pretty genius actually. It does, exactly what it says…
Essentially Fling-a-String is a box that attaches to a door which flings a string out then in completely (so that is disappears!) The cat videos you can watch on this one are hilarious!
Now the only thing with it – is the reviews say that sometimes the string can get caught, which is why it’s a toy cats can play with by themselves, but not so much one you’d want to leave them to play with (when they’re home alone) as it could end up just draining the battery, without them able to really do anything.
But, if you’re around and about to simply unhook it when it may need – it’s no trouble at all!
Talking of Simple Cat Toys That Keep Them Entertained…
I also want to take a moment to mention the super-simple, yet best-selling Cat Dancer Toy here. It’s ridiculously cheap and has (literally!) tens of thousands of 5* reviews!
Now, it’s not strictly a toy cats can play with by themselves. After all, you do need to either attach it to something and keep an eye on it. Or -my recommendation – is to simply hold it in your hand whilst watching tv (or something similar.)
It therefore requires pretty-much no work from you. (Yay!) But will have your cat bouncing around, having the best time going after it! So it’s well, well, well worth checking out!
Toys Cats Can Play With By Themselves
We’re storming through these cat toy recommendations now. So what next? Well…
6) Petlinks Electronic Motion Cat Toy
Do you ever play the game where you move your feed under the bedsheets, or your hand under a blanket, and your cat then excitedly jumps on it and chases after it?
Well, that’s pretty much what you get with this Electronic Motion Cat Toy – but the toy does all the movement for you!
It also has a feather on the end which can be chased and operates on 4 different speed settings for customisable fun!
We got one for our kitten, Cody, and rated it as one of the Top Toys Kittens Love, as it’s had hours of use already.
This product has really great reviews, with people buying it over and over again, and saying the same thing, because – quite simply – their cats adore it!
It can be used with or without the over, which means it’s kind-of two toys in one.
7) PetSafe Bolt Interactive Laser Cat Toy
Another classic game (that you’re likely to have played with your cat at one point or another) that can be – very cleverly – made electronic, is the laser cat toy!
Now, every cat is different so will have different preferences when it comes to cat toys. However, if you know that the laser toy is one they do love, this is an absolute must-buy when it then comes to toys cats can play with by themselves!
See, the exciting laser moves randomly across floors and walls, keeping them happily occupied and bringing out their natural hunting instincts. The toy also automatically turns off after 15 minutes to prevent your cat from being over-stimulated and keep the game exciting.
Now what I would recommend is that you leave them playing, then give them a treat once the timer has stopped. It will only take you one minute to stop and do this, but:
When playing with a laser pen, you must allow your cat to catch it – otherwise it drives them crazy (essentially). To catch it you put a treat down, shine the laser around and land it on the treat, then switch it off so they finish with the treat / “their catch”. This gives them a successful hunt and stops any behavioural issues from it.
You can therefore do this yourself to finish off the game nicely for them, whilst ensuring the game is being played properly! The laser pen is great exercise for your cat however, and really gets them running, jumping and diving – so it’s certainly one we recommend!
8) Brain Teaser Cat Feeder Toy
Now a list of toys cats can play with by themselves can’t be complete without some sort of cat feeder / brain teaser puzzle! After all – it promotes physical exercise and mental stimulation, whilst offering treats as rewards!
I especially love this Brain Teaser Puzzle as it’s simple, but still advanced enough to stop them from getting bored too quickly.
With 4 different modules requiring different skills, it gets them thinking and developing – keeping them occupied on something positive, whilst you get on with whatever you need!
The alternative is to save money and make your own Cat Feeder Toy. This still works just as well and is actually a lot of fun to make!
Here, watch how we made our own, plus, how well it went down:
DIY Cat Feeder Toy
9) Floppy Fish, Smart Toy
Whilst on the topic of food, I want to throw in the Floppy Fish Smart Toy.
See the best thing about this is it has a built-in touch motion sensor. This means, when your cat touches the fish toy, the cat fish toy will automatically waggle and make a sound, attracting your cat to play and kick.
If not touched in a while, the flopping fish will turn into “sleep” mode, which makes it one of the best toys cats can play with by themselves as it even turns itself on and off for you; similar to our Automatic Robotic Mice Toy at the start there!
It’s fun, different and can be filled with catnip to keep them even further engaged!
10) Cat Spiral Springs!
From smart to simple, I want to finish off with Cody’s new favourite cat toy, which is actually – quite simply – some springs!
We ordered them from Amazon Prime as we realised how much this little munchkin actually needs to play(!), and they came straight away – the next day.
They’re only cheap but are absolutely brilliant, keeping him entertained for what seems like, hours on end!
He flicks them around, chases after them, pounces on them, picks them up, carries them around, nibbles away at them. He just loves them! (And based on their reviews – it seems like they’re a popular choice for other cats too!)
They’re definitely my top recommendation when it comes to toys cats can play with by themselves, and with the price of them – there’s no risk; nothing to lose!
BONUS: PING PONG BALLS (GENIUS!)
Now, I like to keep Totally Purrfect updated with the top recommendations, as and when I come across them, and one of Cody’s favourite games at the moment is Cat Ping Pong in the Bathtub!
The great thing about it? Ping Pong Balls are nice & cheap, this is a super simple toy / game that can’t go wrong, and – if your cat enjoys it – it keeps them entertained for ages… daily. (Trust me!)
I started this game with Cody and now simply leave the ping pong balls in the bath tub for him to play by himself. It’s brilliant. Here, watch and see:
Best Toys Cats Can Play With By Themselves
So there we have it – our top 10 favourite toys cats can play with by themselves. As mentioned, I’ll be sure to keep this post updated as we try, test and find, more of the best cat toys on the market!
Thanks for reading. Be sure to browse our articles for more tips and tricks to keep your cat the happiest and healthiest that it can be!
