What game/toy do you play with your older cat boy/lady?

November 2, 2019 8:57 AM

I have a 13-year old male cat at home. When he was younger, his favorite game is to play "catch ball" with me throwing out a paper ball that I crumple a small sheet of paper into small and tight that rolls and bounces fast.

More and more, he would still watch me throwing so hard to get those balls to hit and bounce around but he doesn't go chase as much as before. I wonder what other toys/games might be suitable for an older cat?

posted by lanhan to Pets & Animals (13 answers total)

Best answer: Mine seems to enjoy watching me drag a string or long slip of paper around. Even if she doesn’t pounce, she’ll excitedly trot from room to room to see where it goes.
posted by Secretariat at 9:06 AM on November 2, 2019 [7 favorites]

Best answer: Similar to Secretariat's cat, my 19 year old cat likes to watch string go by. Particularly if you drag it around something like a clothes hamper, or a box, where the location of the string is a bit of a surprise. She won't pounce any more, but she'll crouch low, wiggle and move her head intently. My cat prefers leather "string", like an old boot lace.
posted by Guess What at 10:14 AM on November 2, 2019 [1 favorite]

Best answer: My old lady thinks CLOTH ON A STICK MUST DIE!!!1!!
posted by bile and syntax at 10:16 AM on November 2, 2019 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Our 13-year-old loves her Da Bird toy.
posted by Lexica at 10:34 AM on November 2, 2019 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Some older cats I've played with still loved laser pointers, I just don't sweep them around the room quite as frenetically as I would with a younger cat. Others have really loved the little rolling balls with a bell in them or the rolling ball in a grooved track.
posted by Candleman at 10:37 AM on November 2, 2019 [1 favorite]

Best answer: My parent's former cat was crazy about the plastic that they use to bundle newspapers and fliers. It twists and twirls in a way that really triggers them and they can chew on it without shredding it. If you get a long piece they will lie on their backs and attack it while you sit on the couch just idly twirling it. It worked for her entire life. My current cat has never gotten bored of it in the 7 years we have had her (and she does gets bored of other toys).
posted by srboisvert at 11:11 AM on November 2, 2019

Best answer: My old guys - 16+ like their toy mice still - we often are awakened in the night by the howl of a triumphant hunter carrying the toy mouse. The occasional dip into catnip helps keep those toys appealing. They still like boxes or bags and will playfight over who is the boss of the box. We have had to put a chair next to their tower to make access easier but they still like to hang out in it.
posted by leslies at 11:19 AM on November 2, 2019 [1 favorite]

Best answer: My 17 year old girl doesn't play much at all any more. She otherwise acts healthy and non-decrepit, just not so much interested in the nonsense. I can sometimes get her interested in the laser pointer for short periods of time, and she will sometimes grab at the yarn if I crochet, but due to the innate contrariness of her cat nature, she is less interested in string-like things when I am dangling them strictly for her benefit. She did seem to enjoy a similar toy to this cat teaser thing for a while.

The one toy that she really loves and seeks out on her own is this catnip-stuffed rainbow. She doesn't so much "play" with it though. She likes to lay down with it, hug it, lick it and rub her face on it.

The one thing she is really enthusiastic about these days is her nightly treat time, where I sprinkle a bunch of these treats on the floor for her. I've never tried it, but it occurs to me she might find some sort of treat toy intriguing. Or maybe toss them out one at a time for her to chase and pounce on.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 11:50 AM on November 2, 2019 [1 favorite]

Best answer: My treat loving older girl loved pushing around a treat ball I created: take a plastic whiffle ball and tape up all but one hole then put in some treats through the open one. Put on floor and seed a few treats under/near it then watch as kitty figures out that something smells good in the thing she had to move out of her way; hmmmm, it smells like treats; push it to find treats; oh magic treat dispenser!

Depending on the size of treat, you may have to partially tape up the open hole. But it is a fun toy for treat obsessed kitties.
posted by mightshould at 12:49 PM on November 2, 2019 [1 favorite]

Best answer: My 18 year old stepkitty enjoys string too! She will paw at loose yarn when I'm crocheting and will follow/chase bits o fyarn dragged across the floor. She also enjoys playing with a feather at the end of a string. She'll flip over on her back and furiously try to disembowel the feather. When she gets tired, she'll still watch the feather/string pretty intently.
posted by astapasta24 at 2:07 PM on November 2, 2019

Best answer: String going by is a big hit with my terminally lazy old man cat. He also enjoys “blanket monster” where a hand under the blanket makes scratching noises. He used to aggressively pounce but now he gently swats.
posted by some chick at 2:21 PM on November 2, 2019

Best answer: Pony is only 11, but he's very particular about his toys. Cat Dancer is a favorite, as is that catnip rainbow Serene Empress Dork linked to above. At first I thought it was just that Yeowww makes really good catnip toys, but he really does prefer the rainbow over all of their other options.
posted by dizziest at 4:50 PM on November 2, 2019

Best answer: The grand-duchess, 15, enjoys a feather on a string. She was a birder when she was younger, and though she has not gotten a bird in a long time, she loves watching/batting a feather on a string.
posted by hworth at 11:20 PM on November 3, 2019