The Real Hello Kitty

don't you hate buying cat toys and bringing them home to find your kitty isn't interested in them at all?   this happens to me quite a bit, but i seem to buy hello a new toy every week.  hello loves small, furry things - furry balls, furry mice, small furry stuffed animals.  she also loves things to hide in - a brown paper bag, kitty tunnel, or the pet tent from IKEA.  her second form of exercise is chasing a laser pointer.  here are some of her other favorite kitty toys:

Da Bird.  this is hello's absolute favorite toy (and is responsible for the majority of her exercise).  we have to hide it from her b/c she will seek it out and try to rip it to shreds.  da bird is basically a fiberglass rod with braided nylon string attached to one end.  at the end of the string is a safety pin-like mechanism that is commonly used in fishing (to secure lures maybe?) that a bouquet of feathers is attached to.  long rod + long string = lots of fun and exercise.  the feathers make a "whippy" noise and closely mimics a bird in flight.  this toy runs you about $10 at petsmart or petco. (i have to get into the kitty toy making business.)  here is a video of her playing with da bird. it's kinda lame, but it would be hard to get a proper one of her playing with this thing.  she runs and jumps all over the place.

The Cat Dancer.  this one is a bargain at $2.99.  it is basically a piece of wire with rolled up brown paper cylinders on each end.  the kitty end has 5 little paper rolls which makes it heavier than the other end with 1.  tape it to the end of a table (tape it good!) and she will keep herself entertained for a surprisingly long time.

 Peek-a-Prize.  this is hello's most expensive toy (~$25).  i was impressed when it arrived in the mail.  it is heavy and very well constructed.  i drop assorted balls, toys, fuzzy mice, and treats into the peek-a-prize and hello goes "hunting."  she has to use some problem-solving skills to figure out how to extract the toys from the puzzle.  she pounces on top of it, around it, and usually puts one paw in through the top and another one in through the side.  the holes are strategically placed to make it harder to push things out of it.  i think this toy relieves boredom by providing some mental stimulation and treats always taste better when they have been "hunted for."  i do not leave this toy out all the time.  i think it keeps it fun for her when i bring it out for playtime every couple days.  it's really fun watching hello play with this.  i'll post a video soon.

 Crazy Circle.  she has the big one (shown here) and she's so lazy, she usually just lays down in the middle of it with one paw inside and so she can wait for the ball to come back around to her before pushing it around again.  it is fun to watch her approach and attack the ball when she's in a playful mood.  such a simple toy, but loads of kitty fun.