Large cat-safe feathers - good idea? Available online?
April 8, 2018 5:53 PM Subscribe
Our cat is somewhat sedentary but really likes to play with feathers.
Our most successful feather so far is a long undyed feather from...a turkey? It came as part of a cat toy that was, in itself, rather a failure. Some kind of barred-wing bird with 14-inch feathers, anyway. She likes to run after the feather if I run it along the floor or wave it through the air. This is much more successful than feather wands, that cat-dancer thing, etc.
Unless you advise me that this is grossly unsafe, I would like to find a source of clean, un-dyed and above all large feathers for further play.
Is this safe? Can you recommend particular sources?
Our most successful feather so far is a long undyed feather from...a turkey? It came as part of a cat toy that was, in itself, rather a failure. Some kind of barred-wing bird with 14-inch feathers, anyway. She likes to run after the feather if I run it along the floor or wave it through the air. This is much more successful than feather wands, that cat-dancer thing, etc.
Unless you advise me that this is grossly unsafe, I would like to find a source of clean, un-dyed and above all large feathers for further play.
Is this safe? Can you recommend particular sources?
Oh, and I am either going to get some on Amazon or Alibaba Express if I go bulk order. It doesn't feel 100% safe, but it also feels that it's in my risk tolerance zone.
posted by Stewriffic at 6:08 PM on April 8, 2018
posted by Stewriffic at 6:08 PM on April 8, 2018
One of ours goes *wild* for goose wing feathers; I've been able to pick up a few off the ground for her by keeping my eyes open when I walk or run at shoreline parks, but they've all become a bit beat up so I too would like a good source for cat-safe feathers.
(We did find dyed feathers at the craft store, but they didn't grab her attention the way the natural feathers did; shorter, and I think she likes them to smell birdy and outdoorsy rather than processed.)
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 6:15 PM on April 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
(We did find dyed feathers at the craft store, but they didn't grab her attention the way the natural feathers did; shorter, and I think she likes them to smell birdy and outdoorsy rather than processed.)
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 6:15 PM on April 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
I have more cats than I should have (four, so not a hoarding issue). Because of your question, I went looking on Amazon for feathers for cats. These are a long pheasant tail feather with a handle (and bells, which I'd clip off). Same maker uses peacock feathers for these.
Perhaps this is included in your "etc.", but my cats go nuts for "da bird", feathers on a string. They get pretty acrobatic chasing the feathers as they fly past.
Amazon also has peacock feathers advertised for use with cats. Steamed and sterilized!
Hopefully those peacock feathers are as awesome as they sound. The package will arrive on my doorstep in two days.
posted by LOLAttorney2009 at 6:33 PM on April 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
Perhaps this is included in your "etc.", but my cats go nuts for "da bird", feathers on a string. They get pretty acrobatic chasing the feathers as they fly past.
Amazon also has peacock feathers advertised for use with cats. Steamed and sterilized!
Hopefully those peacock feathers are as awesome as they sound. The package will arrive on my doorstep in two days.
posted by LOLAttorney2009 at 6:33 PM on April 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
My walk to work takes me through a park, and one day last winter I found the remains of some large bird on the ground - just feathers, though, no carcass. I figure that cats eat wild birds all the time, and that I was probably safe to let my cat play with some stray feathers, saving him the trouble of having to murder something first. He played with that feather until it was a chewed, broken mess and I had to throw it out.
So my vote is yes, a feather from a cat toy should be fine!
posted by janepanic at 7:10 PM on April 8, 2018
So my vote is yes, a feather from a cat toy should be fine!
posted by janepanic at 7:10 PM on April 8, 2018
I don't have sources, but in regards to safety--it's not harmful in the way that, say, yarn is, but if you cat chews on it and swallows some of it you may have some unexpected surprises on your carpet later. My cat does this with her feather toy, so we just make sure to put it away when we're not playing with her. As long as you're not leaving it around or letting her sit and chew on it, it should be fine!
posted by brook horse at 7:14 PM on April 8, 2018
posted by brook horse at 7:14 PM on April 8, 2018
Nthing da bird. One of my little monsters goes so insane over it that we legit worry for his sanity when he plays with it.
posted by holborne at 8:21 PM on April 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by holborne at 8:21 PM on April 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
If you have a Tandy Leather nearby, I used to swing by and pick up feathers for my cats there. Then I bought a bulk box of peacock feathers, and I've been parceling them out a couple a year for ... a while now. They get played with, the spine gets snapped, they get a little raggedy, Guus picks one up and brings it to me to play with, eventually it's tattered and I throw it out and start with a new unsnapped one. It's all good.
posted by sldownard at 12:03 AM on April 9, 2018
posted by sldownard at 12:03 AM on April 9, 2018
I got some ostrich feathers for a hat once, and they make excellent cat toys. They look soft and fluffy but they are tough!
posted by ceithern at 5:40 AM on April 9, 2018
posted by ceithern at 5:40 AM on April 9, 2018
Peacock feathers, available at some craft stores or on amazon etc. for about a buck each. My former cats LOVED the things, and you can just plop them in a vase for storage. They lasted throughout a lot of play, too, and are naturally long enough to be quite interactive.
posted by OneSmartMonkey at 9:17 AM on April 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by OneSmartMonkey at 9:17 AM on April 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
Birds are often riddled with parasites...picking feathers off the ground for your cat may be unsafe for YOU and for the cat. I'd source feathers that have been cleaned, like from a craft store. And no toy like that should ever be played with unsupervised.
posted by agregoli at 10:10 AM on April 9, 2018
posted by agregoli at 10:10 AM on April 9, 2018
This thread is closed to new comments.
The good pet store near me sells individual, 3 foot long peacock feathers that are HUGE hit in our house. I'm assuming that the store's not getting them from the farm down the road. I've been planning on a bulk order online for a while. The other option is guinea fowl feathers. But those are more like the ones you already probably have. 14" or so.
posted by Stewriffic at 6:07 PM on April 8, 2018 [1 favorite]