Same here for one of my cats. The other cat prefers batting things around and bunny kicking a small stuffed. I bought that toy "Da Bird" Waste of money. My cats won't even look at it. I should take the feathers off it and attach them to the toy they do like.
Same, the string always works the best. It's like a little snake to them. Since stores don't sell a stick with a string on it, you either have to make one yourself or buy one with feathers or something on it, and then cut it off.
We got our first cat in 1968. My mother cut the open end of a bread wrapper off about 6 inches long and tied a stray fabric belt from a dress to the middle so it flared out both sides like a floofy ball. Our cat adored it. Turned her into a kitten even when she was old. When we cleaned out the house in 2012 I found the toy hanging in the closet, where my mom had put it when Fluffy died in 1980.
I modified all wand toys to make a loop the the end, it then holds the “prey” object using friction and the “prey” could be pull off when my cat catches it. He loved it immensely because he can take the caught prey to his “lair” when he finally catches it
I know you hate the electric spinning toys but my 4 cats loved it so much they learned how to turn it on by themselves they even play with it when I'm out.
Two of my cats absolutely LOVE their electronic toy. If I put it away, Thomas George will sit in front of the closet and meow his precious head off until I either get it back out or distract him with a treat. They like wand toys for about 10 minutes. My old guy, Salem isn't much into toys. I don't think his original human played with him. He prefers lap time😺
@@angiecolwell9596 If Salem was an indoor-outdoor cat with his original owner, he will most likely have lost interest in playing, as he became an adult and expanded his outdoor life. Indoor will have become for relaxation, outdoor for spending energy. Nothing you can do to activate him indoors will ever compete with the attraction of outdoor life. Adult cats that enjoy playing with humans are mostly the ones who have never experienced real, natural cat activities, aka the outdoors. Of course, he may just be lazy. Cats have been known to be lazy, on occasion. By "on occasion", I mean 90% of the time.
It's the one with the mat that covers the feather arm that spins underneath. Jackson shows one in the video his is yellow and that's my cats favorite toy
FISHING FOR KITTIES. The best toy I have ever found was by accident. I needed to teach my children to cast a fishing pole. I had old Rapala lures. First I removed all hooks and loops. Anything that could snag a cat was gone. My kids and I went into the front yard and they cast the lure. While reeling it in the cats would pounce on it. The kids got to feel the fight and the cats absolutely loved it. Not once were the cats ever hurt and the kids became very accurate at casting. We called it "Fighing for Kitties." Very happy memories and the kids loved the cats more for it and vice-versa.
Best toy my cat has ever gotten: a paper grocery bag. We keep a stockpile. Once she puts holes in one and beats it up too much we bring out another. She loves nothing more than sitting in it
My cats love this too. They’ll hide in it until the other cat walks past so they can pounce. I always joke that I can’t fully clean the living room because the cats like boxes and bags too much 😝
Cats don’t eat their prey when they have a place where they get all the food they want. All of my cats stalk and catch their prey, then they play with it till they die, then they leave it on my porch as a present. Love your show. I have learned many things on best ways to care for my cat. Great job!
I had a cat we only fed her dry food but she always had access to some..she was only outdoor but stuck around the property but every couple days she would bring a bird, squirrel or anything else small and leave it and after we came home that evening or noticed it she would then eat every bit
Thank you for highlighting the importance of playing with my cats. I had gotten so busy and I had seen him looking dissatisfied listless and not even wanting to interact with me. I knew this meant they were depressed. Now I really understand that I cannot neglect them in this way - even one day it’s too long. THANK YOU.
All my cats have liked playing 'bed monster' - my hand under the duvet as prey. It's good because they can bite and I can 'fight back' in a safe way. I love the physical contact playing with them like that.
I know it’s generally discouraged but I play rough with my kitty with a sweatshirt sleeve pulled over my arm. Its the only way I’ve managed to get out her play aggression without getting hurt. She loves it and it really feels like bonding. She distinguishes between a bare arm and a thick sweatshirt covered hand easily, even will stop attacking and lick my fingers if they come out
Dear Jackson, I have such deep gratitude for you and what you do❤After watching your videos, and you telling me to play with my cat! Not only has my cat’s life improved tenfold, but so has my own. I laugh more and I am less stressed. Playing with your cat is the best therapy, for whatever ails you.❤️🇨🇦
Yes, interactive toys are the best!! Our house mates say we’re lucky our kitten is such a good girl, but I think one of the reasons why she is (besides temperament) is because she gets lots of attention, interactive playtime, and raw food straight after. Thank goodness for Jackson Galaxy videos for helping more of us be better cat parents! Couldn’t have done it without you Jackson! 💜
I have the toys with feathers on them and my cat likes them but she perfers a long tennis shoestring. She carries it all over the house to find me to play. I am so happy to play with her. She gives me such joy.
Our cat has a real feather from an owl that perches in our very large trees outback. I crocheted a Long string that we pull for him to play with around corners within our Home. Such fun! 🐾🐾
Be careful to put it away when he's done playing. Mine got a hold of my crocheting and ate the long tail I'd left to sew in. Thank God he threw it up a day later.
@@drfreud65 He has absolutely no teeth in his mouth he can’t chew on anything, however he only eats hard kibble his gums are like rock. But good advice for choking purposes.
Love this! We do pull out the wand every evening and then give an extra mini supper and the kittens let us sleep! Two things…First, another reason to put it away when you’re done is that they can get it wrapped around their neck! This happened with our Minou and I’m so glad I noticed it as soon as it happened! Also, laser toys are cruel because they never get to catch it! At our house the perfect remote toy is a little foil ball. They’ll chase it for an hour! Minou even carries it around and hides it! Love you!!!
We adopted a stray. It’s like living with two cats. One is lovey dovey. The other is wild. When the wild one appears, out come the teaser toys. That cat can hunt! I love these toys. I have breathing problems. I can sit in the middle of my bed and throw that line in all direction. She runs and jumps and has a ball!
I just knew you were going to say that the best toy is the one that you and your cat play with together!!! And I foster kittens, Bramble is your perfect straight man for this video. It’s such a joy for me to help my little babies feel their mojo, and I learned it all from you, Jackson. Thank you for helping us to make great kitties in this world.
I am disabled. I have a lot of activated toys because there are days when playing with our wands and ribbon dancers and so on simply isn't physically possible - which I think is important to talk about. Some pet owners really can't do interactive play all the time - that doesn't mean they don't still love their pets and want to play with them. But there's a lot of different ways to make activated toys more interesting - I move them around the house a lot, or do things like put them on top of stools or hang them off the wall to get a new perspective. I've found that even something as simple as a different location can make toys seem brand new again.
@@jaysmith2858 She's a petite cat (so less food and waste) and she's trained to perform tasks which help me deal with my symptoms - think kind of like a service dog, but she's tiny, doesn't accompany me around out on the street, and has no rights. I have our daily care routine arranged to be very simple so that I can do it even on the days I can't spend much time out of bed. The most difficult things is the litterbox, but she's also taught to go in a dirty litterbox in case I'm unable to clean it for a while (although I try to keep up with it so I'm not carrying heavy bags around). I get a 40-lb pound bag of lightweight Sustainably Yours litter delivered to my door once every six weeks or so and I can use my legs to 'kick' it inside if I need to, but usually I'm able to have a friend or family member come over and help. Like I said in my original comment, I have a lot of 'automatic'/robot toys for her to play with in addition to ribbon dancers and the like and she eats out of a puzzle feeder so even if I can't play with her she's still getting good enrichment. I don't think that every cat is a good fit for situations like mine - you do have to be pretty picky about what to get. (For me it was that I needed a relatively low energy adult, but not senior, short haired cat with no existing health issues and who showed a lot of intuition as to my physical/mental state; other people might have different needs.) With the right cat/human combination though pets can absolutely really enhance our quality of life.
@@milpormilunmillon whenever I saw her go in and start sniffing around like she wasn't sure about it, she got a reward, and then another one after she's done her business. she got it pretty quickly, but she was also a cat who was generally not fussy about the litterbox - i don't think it would work with a cat with a history of litterbox issues. I also bed really deep so it's easier to fully bury waste and thus "seems" cleaner
My first cat was a timid older girl. She got overstimulated/ scared easily. She loved interactive toys but sometimes they scared her, so one of her favourite games was basically whack-a-mole with me crouching behind the bed and popping cuddle toys up at her. She also really liked hiding under the bed/ footstool and having us wiggle a scarf over the edge. My current cats both like wand toys, but one also really loves to play a game I call cat soccer. Basically, we run around, taking turns kicking/batting and chasing the ball or I’ll roll it towards him so that he can tackle it as it rolls past. This cat also really likes a water table toy I put out in heatwaves that is just I put ping pong balls in a baking dish of water and place it near the oscillating fan. The fan blows the ping pong balls around on the surface of the water and he loves to watch them and try to get the balls out of the container.
Also having more than one cat works for me. My 2 cats spend time playing with each other when I'm too tired after work to play with them. Watching them take turns being the "prey" is quite entertaining as well.
My cat used to love the “toy on a stick” … but then she discovered cat springs …. And game over (she still loves a good kicker toy too). When the cat brings you the toy back to you to play fetch with you know it’s a winner!
I've always said watching kittens play is more fun than any blockbuster movie. I could watch feisty 'lil Bramble for an hour with a big grin on my face.
My cat Prissy loved playing with the "worms" used for fish bait! She would pick it up, shake it and always drop it or throw it with disgust and a shudder! We'd only bring it out now and then- same reaction... so, so funny!
our cat came to us when he was 1.5 years old. he had lived with an elderly disabled lady who apparently never actively played with him; it took us a couple of weeks to " teach" him to go after the feathery fluffy thing on the string! and now he LOOVES it! he learned to jump really high ( when in the beginning he would barely take off the ground and almost always fall over backwards or sideways in a somewhat clumsy way) and then he grabs the "prey" out of the air and stuffs it in his mouth and walks away with it❤️ i am so proud of him!❤️
My cat lives for feather wands when it comes to play time. She also has a wand with a stuffed mouse at the end of the string, but she doesn't play with that one....she just carries it all around with her (mouse, string, and stick), sets it in her food dishes, or nestles it in bed with me.
My cat also likes to carry her little mice around. Get your kitty another mouse not attached to a stick and she may enjoy carrying it around even more.
@@TraceyMush Lol, there are tons of other toy mice around the house with no stick attached. She loves only the one. She drags the whole contraption with her everywhere.
The mouse even used to have a squeaky thing inside and stuffing and she's basically eviscerated it, so now it's largely just the outer shell of the toy, yet her love never fades.
I agree to all you say. It's very important to learn from a professional than other youtube user, speaking nonsense. I am so thankful and grateful for all this information. Greetings from vienna, listening to everything you say from far away.
oh yes! My boy is like that. The exception for me was one of the toys that hung on the back of the door and had an elastic string with a mouse hanging from it. Two of the three in the house would play with it....until some Demon...I mean, until my darling Damon....decided he would just pull it down and then chew through the string. We thought at first, it was an accident. We fixed up the mouse/string twice before we gave up repairing it, because we finally realized he was doing it on purpose. (He was not ingesting it, just gnawing through it and then losing interest when it broke and no longer rebounded/had any tension on the mouse side.)
@@mlast6145 one of our cats is crazy after my old hairtie 😅 it's her treasure she play with and walk around with until it's under the bed where she can't reach it and I have to find out where exactly it is. The other one loves small plush mouses. She brings them to bed almlst everx morning. Probably early morning snack.
My cat loves watching you! I’m not even joking we watch you together and he stops what he’s doing when I turn any of your videos on. It’s the cutest and funniest thing ever. We are currently laying together in bed watching this video and when you brought out the interactive toy he got so excited that he got closer to the tv. I have one that I for a few dollars that he loves and comes running when he hears the bells on it. He’s more excited for it than he is for treats.
I appreciate Jackson mentioning praise during play. I'm always trying to reinforce key command phrases for my cat, in the hope that she will learn through repetition. It seems to be going pretty successfully so far, and I think positive reinforcement is the best vehicle for this training. Good behavior earns her a verbal reward with lots of attention, instead of rewarding her with fattening treats. And she knows it's a reward, because it's only said during the positive moments that she experiences.
Jackson, you hit it out of the park on this one! My Juni and I have been using a wand toy with a feather "bird" at the end of it for almost 4 years now. She's the Savannah in my icon. Our daily ritual is to get up, get her a small piece of chicken after which she initiates the play by going over to her toy and telling me it's time to pick it up. She is an amazing predator! The hunt, the satisfaction of the kill (and she can be VERY conscious of that), that "I GOT IT AND I'M NOT GIVING IT BACK" look in her eyes and the praise which follows is a treat for both of us. We're on our second wand and probably 20th bird now. She bit the last one in half just to be sure it wasn't going anywhere soon. Perhaps the only thing better is the "catio" I just built her out on the front entry deck. Not only does she demand to go out now, she's incredibly vocal about me joining her for a half hour or more and she's not been a particularly vocal cat. She's like an excited kitten when we go out there now and very commanding of my attention. It's amazing how much she starts the process rather than waiting for me to get my rear in gear. At times, it can be a very "pointed" command...
Jackson, your videos consistently get better and better. This video had so much care and love towards cats. It's unreal how much I love cats. My cats are so loving and truly deserve the best.
My favorite cat toy, and one which, in my experience, no cat is able to resist, is a two-item combo, homemade toy. All you need is a string or a thread and some aluminum foil. Roll up the aluminum foil in a ball, with some of the string rolled up with it, and voilà, instant cat toy. Just the sound of foil being rolled into a ball gets our cats immediate attention.
Never give your cat string. Cats do love & eat string & end up in the hospital. My aunts a vet and regularly does invasive surgery to remove different strings from animals. It can kill them cuz it wraps around their insides.
@@moony6692 what about yarn? my kitty is 6 months and has a small case of play aggression. when i crochet i give her a ball of yarn to play with bc if i don’t a) she won’t go actively play with her other toys and b) she’ll jump at my hands because they’re a moving target 😂
And we, the cat guardians/owners, are the key to helping them discover and interact with their favorite toy. The more involved we are, the better. I'm looking forward to hearing Jackson say: Play 👏🏻 with 👏🏻 your 👏🏻 cat!
I have a super soft spot for cats. My neighborhood has been overflowing with orphaned/strays/ferals. Over the past years the majority of them came to me, crying and hungry, Some were pregnant femals, some already had litters. I live in Northern Idiana and winter here is brutal, so I gave them all a home with me. Currently I have 12, all of which are indoors 😅 It's not been an easy process, but I've somehow managed to keep them all happy and healthy. With the help of Meow Mission, last summer we trapped 11 ferals/strays/orphans and spayed/neutered, vaccinated, parasite treatment and unfortunately ear tipping had to be done. I grow my own catnip and my cats favorite play is when I clip a full bunch and jingle over their heads....lol. They will do some real kind of Matrix moves trying to get their catnip. I try to play with them to the point where they are exhausted. I find doing this has helped with all 12 of them getting along. Although it doesn't always keep them from arguments...it certainly does help. Love your channel ❤ Like, subscribed, comment and share Thank you 🙏
These stick toys really are the best cat toys. It is nice to have the interaction with your cat. My beloved bengal cat loved his giant stick toy so much, he would grab the stick out of his toy basket and run around the house. He also would bring it into our bed and sleep with it. We played with him with the stick every day. If was his absolute favorite toy in every way. He preferred the fluffy tail attachment.
Granny cats play too!! I've had 2 twenty years old cats (one stray after the other, they were exclusive) and they played almost until the end of their lives. People often forget it...
Just found your channel this weekend. We’re on the same wavelength when it comes to cats and I so appreciate you making these videos to educate cat caretakers, thank you!
My cat's favorite toy is a stick from the yard with some strings tied to it, now I know why! I always leave it inside a box with his other toys and when he wants to play he always guides me to the box ❤️ Thank you so much Jackson, you're the reason why my cat is so happy and polite!
I’ve solved the “lost toys under the furniture” issue. When we finished unpacking when we moved the flattened empty boxes were placed under the living room furniture so all cat toys just bounce back out at them!
I cut pool noodles in half lengthwise and then trim to fit along the bottom edges of the stove, fridge, etc... works well to keep the cat toys out from underneath
Bramble is so adorable! The feather toy Jackson was playing with the kitten is very popular in my cat-house. With five cats that love feather toys, I go through them quickly!
Just to preface this, yes I’m a big fan of the interactive category and agree that it’s vital to a cat’s well-being!! I have a stick with a ribbon tied around my cat’s all-time favorite toy: a plastic ring (like those on a milk jug or Gatorade bottle or whatever). She’s not at all interested in the mouse or feather type of ‘remote category’ toy that’s left out for them for the random boredom when I’m doing other things. The only thing she will initiate her own playtime with are those plastic rings. She loves them!! And they’re basically free. There’s probably a thousand of them under couches/furniture/whatever, but instead of buying more toys she’d just ignore, whenever I open a Gatorade I pull off the plastic ring and toss it down. They’re really light, so if she just bats it slightly with her paw, it goes way across the floor, so then she gets all excited and chases it and has a grand old time in between our interactive playtimes. I guess it’s plausible that people wouldn’t really want a ton of them around because, to a stranger, it looks like you just throw garbage on the floor. But since this is actually her apartment and I just live here, I don’t really care if people think it’s weird when they come over and there’s little plastic rings everywhere. I just don’t 🤷♀️ Again, it’s her apartment, and she lets me live here 😝
I've always played with my cats, but Jackson, this is a great idea: I'm going to try playing with the wand (indeed their favorite toy) BEFORE feeding time! This hadn't occurred to me but it makes perfect sense!!! Love ya!
Oh my god I miss my 2 cats SO much. Had to leave them at my moms house for 2 months because I was in a weird moving house situation. And barely got to visit them because the fuel price is so high. Now it‘s only a few more days away until I get to be with them again. I literally cried watching this video. When you said ‘cat gaurdian’ I lost it. I love my babies so much, I want to give them every experience they deserve. And they deserve to be healthy and safe. They couldn’t be safe with me for these past 2 months and I’m so grateful to be moving into a big home with lots of fun places to discover, hang out in, wood floors to slip and slide on, windowsills to relax on, they’ll have their scratch posts back and all their toys and tunnels.. everything will be just the way they like it. I wish it was today. But I have to wait. It sucks. But soon I’ll be with my Guppy and my Tokyo. And they’ll be in their new home.
My cat likes to play ball: she runs after it, catches it and hits it repeatedly with her paws. I think she's bored of wands now (probably because our house is small and the movement is predictable). She's very cute~
Lmaooo totally opposite with my kitty. She loves it when I wave the wand amd would play for even hours. So much that even bathrobe is a wand to her. As for balls, she would go crazy for a minute and then toss it aside like an ex lover
I might be biased since I co-founded the company with my parents in the early 1980s when I was a teenager, but in my opinion Da Bird from Go Cat Feather Toys is the perfect cat toy. It's just like the toy Bramble was playing with minus the reel and telescoping handle. Before he started marketing his own brand of cat toys, Jackson used our products on his TV show.
Try upgrading to the drawstring from an old sweatshirt or pair of shorts. My cat goes nuts over those! At times he even refuses his feather wand toys and insists I wiggle the string around instead lol! He loves to chew on it every time he catches it. Something about the texture and elasticity. I'm just concerned he's actually gonna try to eat it one of these days.
Great advice, Jackson! If I could only get my husband to play with our cat. I play with him with a long ribbon or rope string. He loves it! I tug on it and he just digs his claws in and we play for a bit. If he releases it, I just wave it around like crazy and he catches it again and repeat! I told my husband to look you up from his UA-cam account and watch your videos!
My current cat that has been with me since July, doesn't like the same kind of toys my previous cat loved. I say that because one important thing to remember is that each cat is different. One part of getting to know them is understanding what kind of toys they do just go nuts over.
True! My most recent cat has trouble coordinating his paws and many games were frustrating for him. It took us time to figue out what he likes. Turns out he can play soccer with soft balls that are big enough for him to not miss and now he dribbles the ball around the house. Never seen him this enthusiatic about a toy before.
I taught our youngest cat to play fetch. Now if she funds one of her random toys she will bring it to you and tell you it’s time to play. She will keep playing fetch until she’s ready to drop. She’s so much fun! When she’s done she will hide the toy and throw herself at you like your her bed. I adore her personality so much!
used to hang out with a household that would toss gatoraide/poweraide caps and their cat would chase it, bat it around for a bit, then bring it back to whoever was closest or whoever tossed it. it was a riot and quite fun. =^w^=
I found the best toy to be an old horse whip. It's basically a long springy "stick" with a long cord attached. The only drawback is that it can only safely be used in the garden due to its size but kitty chases and jumps after it for hours.
Sometimes I like to swing an air toy in big circles near the ceiling, to imitate a bat stuck in a house and having a meltdown. Another favorite: Put a blanket over the stick part of, then keep pushing it around under the blanket, occasionally poking it out. It’s basically Whack-a-mole, and cats love it!
Moths also fly in circles around ceiling light fixtures and birds can fly in circles when they have a broken wing, so I think the circle routine triggers their natural instincts on multiple fronts. I'll swing it around in circles and make it spiral down towards the ground, as if it's an injured bird or dazed moth. The primal part of them can't resist the seemingly easy kill.
Thank you so much for this video, Jackson! I truly enjoy watching your videos because it's so obvious that you truly love and "get" cats. I love the no-nonsense approach. I will be trying to line up playtime with dinnertime each night - it's such a common-sense idea, yet it never once occurred to me. I can see how they would get a deep sense of satisfaction out of that. Thank you!!
If you have kittens, then you know the whole house is basically their toy 😂 My 4 cats have a ton of toys but usually love to play with stolen hair ties, plastic bottle caps, old receipts, loose change. And of course, never underestimate the good old laser pointer.
Yeah my cat did the same thing I adopted her and she came with toys and a carrier and stuff. She sometimes carrys one around with her but this one pen cap is by far her favorite. Same with the cat tree I got her, she never uses it, but uses my office chair as a scratching post, but for some reason any fabric stuff she claws almost never shows damage, and shes got sharp claws. I'm very lucky
My Bengal kitten is extremely playful and energetic, but just watches a laser pointer. He'll occasionally take a lazy swipe if it gets close enough to him.
One of my cats knew the laser pointer was all an illusion. He just gave me this look as if i insulted his intelligence then walked away! Meanwhile, his brother was going nuts trying to catch the red dot 😆.
Oh wow. I never thought about the Eat part after Hunt Catch Kill. I play with my cats with a wand similar to what Jackson uses but have never followed thru with eating afterwards especially something meaty. Thank you so much for opening my eyes on this!
My cat's favourite toy is totally a stick with a string and some feathers at the end, but she most likely would play with it like a dog - like 'toss me this stick and i bring it back, that's fun!' That's fun, Basia, but not a 3 AM when you bring this stuff to my pillow!
Anyone who has guitars as guests in the living room and cat pitures all over is considered my best friend without any introduction. Love your chanel jason👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍😹😹😹😹😹😹😹💯💯💯💯💯💯💪💪💪💪💪💪💪💪
The best thing I ever bought my cat was his "exercise wheel". He loves it, and uses it a lot. Sometimes we play together, with me dangling a target, other times he just runs. He is a 2.5yr old Arabian Mau, late and muscular. In spite of him living inside, he is not putting on extra weight, and I bieve that's because he runs, and runs. He does love his feather dangle sticks, but I'm limited with the amount of time I can play with that, due to my physical limitations.
When my cat was a kitten I bought a variety of toys including feather wand toys. She just wasn't interested in the feather wand toys but loved chasing string. So I tied string on to a bamboo pole and that was her favourite toy! When she wants to play with her toy mice & balls, she will get my attention & go on to the stairs. I have to throw the toy up the stairs, she will catch it & bat it back down to me & the game continues until she tires! However, as a cat sitter I have found the feather wand toy very popular with my kitty clients. It has even helped Covid kitties (those who haven't had much social interaction),who can be wary, to come out of their shells.
9pm no matter how many vids I watch from cat lovers, yours are still the best! Also always glad to see your face. I do enjoy your humor. Thanks for being here fur all of us!
When you were talking about the wicker cube chest I felt called out lol. My cats don't like ball toys, the only thing one of my cats likes are little rubber balls with nubs(?) which make them jump around randomly. They loved spirals and kitty boinks for a long time, but they're boring now. Right now a wand toy with "mouse" (made from real fur) or "bird" (DaBird) attachments are the most popular. Their new adventure carpet is also really in demand for playtime right now, they love it when I use a stick under a blanket or the carpet.
I’m so thankful I ran across this channel. I didn’t think I was much of a cat person until I came across my first cat. She was abandoned and I didn’t know much about how to help her until I seen this channel. Sadly, she’s no longer here R.I.P Millie💔 but I have a new kitten🥰. Her name is Nova and she’s precious. Jackson, thank you so much for all the advice that are giving to us. It has really helped me give them the life they deserve. I now know that it wasn’t that I didn’t like cats but I didn’t understand them. I try to stay up to date with these videos now for any tips and tricks. But again thank you because my transition as a cat parent couldn’t have gone smoother.
We keep my cat's toys in storage box with a velcro clasp. Whenever he hears that velcro he comes RUNNING because he knows it's play time. Sometimes haven't even gotten the wand out of the box before he's trying to play with it XD
I have bought 3 of your wands in the last year, unfortunately my giant ragdoll combined with me being a little wild they didn't last more than a few months each, but I will keep buying them because my cat loves them & gets super excited when he hears the sound of the rope being pulled out. No dearer than a packet of cigarettes & worth every penny. I'm a big fan Jackson and so is Marley ❤😻
My guy put an end, abrupt and quick to any dreams I had of delightful hours playing with the cat. He does not do toys, I like to think it demonstrates comfortble entertaining himself. We have both been very lucky Live in places with endless entertainment opportunities.
One of our cats loved his pretzel toy while the other cats didn’t pay it much attention. After Reggie passes away unexpectedly this July, we placed the pretzel with his ashes along with some of his fluffy fur that he left on our bed. I still tear up thinking of my dear boy and how much joy he brought us, and I’d like to think that his spirit enjoys playing with the pretzel.
@@MsWinterlife Sorry for your loss. Yes, one of my cats loves it beyond anything. My other cat doesn’t pay it any attention. ☺️ Thank you for sharing about Reggie.
This was so incredibly helpful! Our rescue cat and I were playing with a ribbon on a stick and she yanked it right out my hand and ran THROUGH the house and jumped over the baby gate and screeched around the corner to her favorite safe space with it. It was hilarious and this explains why! Thank you!! :-)
I do play with my cats, and try and mix it up with different toys. I find they get board very easily. My other half is the kitty feeder, I'm the one who plays with them, tests toys with them, tries different treats, new beds, playing in boxes, and scratching boards... The list goes on. My children moved out, so I gained fluffy children instead. Also I take them to the vets when they are sick. I usually wake up to cats all piled on me. And got told when I stayed a night away, a few were crying for me...Cats and their awesome ways 😸
I actually bought the ground prey toy a while back! The thing is, one cat tried to leap through a box to get it, sliding the giant box across the floor. That made the other cat jump 2 feet in the air, which made me jump back, and the wand snapped in all chaos. I still have the little worm attachment, though. I just attach it a couple other wands I have.
I recently lost my 10 year old cat Lolly to heart failure and pleurisy. My 8 year old cat Alfie was lonely, missing his big bro, so my daughter bought me a kitten. I tend to let them find their own name. My little mischievous has acquired the name Loki.🙄 My home has little trays of toys (which I swap about to keep them interested, although Alfie likes to tip them all out and sit in the tray while he decides which toy he wants) in most rooms which they seem to enjoy. Being disabled this means I’ve always got toys on hand to play with them. Their favourites tend to be catnip orientated, tassels on sticks and the good old foil type scrunchie balls. Loki is obsessed with anything that has that scrunching sound. I also seem to have lost all my laundry pegs which he loves to run off with. Cat trees are also a MUST HAVE.❤️
One of my cats really loves hair bands. She'll carry them everywhere. Another of my cats loves playing with straws, she steals them from our drinks. Lol! I also have a cat that adores playing with pipe cleaners. He enjoys the different colors. I wrap it around my finger to make a spring shape and he'll carry that thing with him everywhere and not share. 😂 However, all of my cats love, love, love playing with a tiny metal drone that I bought for my daughter. It's remote controlled and she flys it high and low and they go crazy! Of course a little snack afterwards. Cats are awesome! Our fosters enjoy their life here as well! Thanks, Cat Daddy!
My boys favourite for a long time were my ear buds I use to drown out my husband's snoring! They're bright orange and bouncy lol but then we got him a little sister and that's just the best...they have so much fun playing together and he's such a good, caring big brother!
@@lisetteservin3181 thank you, I was so proud of him (still am) when we got Olive, Ziggy didn't hiss at her even once and even though he's only a year old he immediately became a surrogate parent to her. He cleans her and she rolls over like a baby and lets him. It must have been so reassuring for her after leaving her mum. If she meows in another area of the house, he immediately runs to her to make sure she's okay. If we're playing with her he also checks constantly that we're just playing and not hurting her. She is so naughty though lol but he is an absolute angel! The only naughty thing he does is chew on plastic! Apparently his brothers are exactly the same 🤣
Ever since my family got a dog, I felt I lost a lot of time and affection I once shared with my cat. It was really upsetting to say the least, however playing with my cat really helped me interact with her and she was even especially affectionate after some treats following play time. This video was a big reminder to play with my cat again, looking forward to watching more cat videos :)
I completely agree the interactive toy is the best. Before I bought the kicker toy the toy on a string was the only one my cat would even play with at all, because she loves playing with me 😺 I hold the kicker toy. It has a long tail and I play with it with her as well. Once she gets into it I let go of it and she goes to town on it. Also the tip to not leave the toys out once we’re finished with it has really helped. It’s like a new toy every time we play 😻
My boy loved every toy we got him - until he didn't. Being a super smart Siamese he bored easily and lost interest in any given toy sometimes after only once playing with it. However there was one toy he loved far longer and when he finally got bored with it I could reintroduce it months later and he'd enjoy it all over again. It was the "Cat's Meow Motion Toy" that had a tail like piece moving to and from from under a plastic mat. I even filmed a UA-cam video of him playing with it. He actually played so hard with it that I had to buy him another. Eventually he stopped enjoying this toy altogether but for awhile it was a pleasure to see him so happily occupied. He passed away last May and I sorely miss all the time spent trying to entertain him. Miss him really hard...
Great video. My cats love the interactive toys, but also go NUTS when they hear my click the button on the laser pointer 😅 they know I keep it in my purse (since it is a flash light too) and when I reach into that special pocket, IT IS TIME!
Jackson: Excellent video. My wife and I have had many cats. Both retired we became the holiday home for 4 cats in the neighbourhood when their owners went on holday. My favourite cat was a Tuxedo called Felix. Highly intelligent and very loving. Thank You from Bristol England.
I discovered recently that my kitties favorite new toys are the moths that fly into my house when I leave the sliding glass door open to go out to the balcony. It's open so she can come back in when she wants without me worrying about her getting eaten or anything. I think she waits for them to fly in and then goes hunting. I gotta tell you, it really beats any toy I've found so far.
My cat once came back with another cat's cat toy (a little rooster) and he was so happy and proud of himself! It was so funny! Yes, you're a real apex predator, Holly, hunting and catching a little cat toy!
Of all the toys ive bought, my boy enjoys nothing more than the single stick with string on it. I am a very good pretend mouse.
Me too hahaha
Same here for one of my cats. The other cat prefers batting things around and bunny kicking a small stuffed. I bought that toy "Da Bird" Waste of money. My cats won't even look at it. I should take the feathers off it and attach them to the toy they do like.
And the boxes the shipment comes in. 😁
Same, the string always works the best. It's like a little snake to them. Since stores don't sell a stick with a string on it, you either have to make one yourself or buy one with feathers or something on it, and then cut it off.
hahaha thats my cats!
We got our first cat in 1968. My mother cut the open end of a bread wrapper off about 6 inches long and tied a stray fabric belt from a dress to the middle so it flared out both sides like a floofy ball. Our cat adored it. Turned her into a kitten even when she was old. When we cleaned out the house in 2012 I found the toy hanging in the closet, where my mom had put it when Fluffy died in 1980.
💓 rip fluffy
Do you still have that toy like a relic?:)
We love you fluffy ❤
❤
Bittersweet 💖
The one your particular cat will actually play with.
Best answer.
One that isn't a cat toy but something you were just about to throw out.
true. I bought my cat a kickertoy and she hates it. She loves the pigeon feather from the balcony instead.
yup. my cat only plays with junk. No store bought toys.
One of my cats likes to kick at things, but shows no interest in the kickertoy (he loves feather boa toys instead).
I modified all wand toys to make a loop the the end, it then holds the “prey” object using friction and the “prey” could be pull off when my cat catches it. He loved it immensely because he can take the caught prey to his “lair” when he finally catches it
Wonderful idea!
Great thinking
I love this!
You're a genius, I'm definitely gonna try that. Thank you!
My cat plays fetch with me so if it came off hed just walk to me and give it back 😂 very creative idea though!
I know you hate the electric spinning toys but my 4 cats loved it so much they learned how to turn it on by themselves they even play with it when I'm out.
Yeah which?
Two of my cats absolutely LOVE their electronic toy. If I put it away, Thomas George will sit in front of the closet and meow his precious head off until I either get it back out or distract him with a treat. They like wand toys for about 10 minutes. My old guy, Salem isn't much into toys. I don't think his original human played with him. He prefers lap time😺
@@angiecolwell9596 If Salem was an indoor-outdoor cat with his original owner, he will most likely have lost interest in playing, as he became an adult and expanded his outdoor life. Indoor will have become for relaxation, outdoor for spending energy. Nothing you can do to activate him indoors will ever compete with the attraction of outdoor life. Adult cats that enjoy playing with humans are mostly the ones who have never experienced real, natural cat activities, aka the outdoors.
Of course, he may just be lazy. Cats have been known to be lazy, on occasion. By "on occasion", I mean 90% of the time.
Me too hahaha
It's the one with the mat that covers the feather arm that spins underneath. Jackson shows one in the video his is yellow and that's my cats favorite toy
FISHING FOR KITTIES. The best toy I have ever found was by accident. I needed to teach my children to cast a fishing pole. I had old Rapala lures. First I removed all hooks and loops. Anything that could snag a cat was gone. My kids and I went into the front yard and they cast the lure. While reeling it in the cats would pounce on it. The kids got to feel the fight and the cats absolutely loved it. Not once were the cats ever hurt and the kids became very accurate at casting. We called it "Fighing for Kitties." Very happy memories and the kids loved the cats more for it and vice-versa.
I know I'm replying to an old comment but this is such a charming story. 😊
Best toy my cat has ever gotten: a paper grocery bag. We keep a stockpile. Once she puts holes in one and beats it up too much we bring out another. She loves nothing more than sitting in it
My cats love this too. They’ll hide in it until the other cat walks past so they can pounce. I always joke that I can’t fully clean the living room because the cats like boxes and bags too much 😝
@@Vessenkestrel yes she prefers a paper bag to a fancy bed any day!
My Indie won't go near it?
@@nancygranjo1121 Nancy my cat is named indie also! Every cat has a preference! Maybe the noise scares your indie.
@@laurenmiller4984 I got Indie @ the local shelter,I think I have to teach her brown paper bags are fun!😄I put her toy mice in there🐈🐈🐈🙋
Cats don’t eat their prey when they have a place where they get all the food they want.
All of my cats stalk and catch their prey, then they play with it till they die, then they leave it on my porch as a present.
Love your show. I have learned many things on best ways to care for my cat.
Great job!
I had a cat we only fed her dry food but she always had access to some..she was only outdoor but stuck around the property but every couple days she would bring a bird, squirrel or anything else small and leave it and after we came home that evening or noticed it she would then eat every bit
I guess she was showing you that she was earning her keep! @@Jesse5111
Bramble steals the show again, without ever having acting lessons. 😽❤️
I think Jackson needs to keep him.
That kitten growl 🥰
He is a cute little guy!
Grrrrrrrrrowwllllll😹😹😹😹😹
Thank you for highlighting the importance of playing with my cats. I had gotten so busy and I had seen him looking dissatisfied listless and not even wanting to interact with me. I knew this meant they were depressed. Now I really understand that I cannot neglect them in this way - even one day it’s too long. THANK YOU.
All my cats have liked playing 'bed monster' - my hand under the duvet as prey. It's good because they can bite and I can 'fight back' in a safe way. I love the physical contact playing with them like that.
Yes. Yes, yes!
It’s my dog and my cats favorite game but my cat gets pissed when the dog jumps in during his game.
Have to be careful with that one because sometimes it escalates to attacking your feet while you sleep.
@@fuzzypumpkin7743 yes, when we go to bed if I haven't played with her she gets me. I adopt seniors, so they tend to not be playful during the night.
I know it’s generally discouraged but I play rough with my kitty with a sweatshirt sleeve pulled over my arm. Its the only way I’ve managed to get out her play aggression without getting hurt. She loves it and it really feels like bonding. She distinguishes between a bare arm and a thick sweatshirt covered hand easily, even will stop attacking and lick my fingers if they come out
I’ve had cats all my life (71). I’ve read about them, I’ve watched as many tv programmes as I can. I still learn from Jason.
No matter how much money I spend on a toy, my cat prefers hair bands, bottle caps, socks, and a ribbon on a stick. I gave up on buying her toys lol
Dear Jackson, I have such deep gratitude for you and what you do❤After watching your videos, and you telling me to play with my cat! Not only has my cat’s life improved tenfold, but so has my own. I laugh more and I am less stressed. Playing with your cat is the best therapy, for whatever ails you.❤️🇨🇦
Yes, interactive toys are the best!! Our house mates say we’re lucky our kitten is such a good girl, but I think one of the reasons why she is (besides temperament) is because she gets lots of attention, interactive playtime, and raw food straight after. Thank goodness for Jackson Galaxy videos for helping more of us be better cat parents! Couldn’t have done it without you Jackson! 💜
Same here, I'm glad you brought this up.
I have the toys with feathers on them and my cat likes them but she perfers a long tennis shoestring. She carries it all over the house to find me to play. I am so happy to play with her. She gives me such joy.
Same here, our cat has lots of toys that he likes but his favorite by far is a simple shoe string. Succes guaranteed! 😆
Our cat has a real feather from an owl that perches in our very large trees outback. I crocheted a Long string that we pull for him to play with around corners within our Home. Such fun! 🐾🐾
Great DIY idea, thnx ( running off to find her yarn)
Be careful to put it away when he's done playing. Mine got a hold of my crocheting and ate the long tail I'd left to sew in. Thank God he threw it up a day later.
@@drfreud65 He has absolutely no teeth in his mouth he can’t chew on anything, however he only eats hard kibble his gums are like rock. But good advice for choking purposes.
@@martharoberts1264 I worried about it wrapping around his intestines, like tinsel does.
Oh yes, every time I go out I bring my kitten back a feather. She loves it!
Love this! We do pull out the wand every evening and then give an extra mini supper and the kittens let us sleep! Two things…First, another reason to put it away when you’re done is that they can get it wrapped around their neck! This happened with our Minou and I’m so glad I noticed it as soon as it happened! Also, laser toys are cruel because they never get to catch it! At our house the perfect remote toy is a little foil ball. They’ll chase it for an hour! Minou even carries it around and hides it! Love you!!!
By foil you mean the silvery shiney foil, don't you?
We adopted a stray. It’s like living with two cats. One is lovey dovey. The other is wild. When the wild one appears, out come the teaser toys. That cat can hunt! I love these toys. I have breathing problems. I can sit in the middle of my bed and throw that line in all direction. She runs and jumps and has a ball!
Hello Sally how’s the weather over there
I just knew you were going to say that the best toy is the one that you and your cat play with together!!! And I foster kittens, Bramble is your perfect straight man for this video. It’s such a joy for me to help my little babies feel their mojo, and I learned it all from you, Jackson. Thank you for helping us to make great kitties in this world.
I am disabled. I have a lot of activated toys because there are days when playing with our wands and ribbon dancers and so on simply isn't physically possible - which I think is important to talk about. Some pet owners really can't do interactive play all the time - that doesn't mean they don't still love their pets and want to play with them. But there's a lot of different ways to make activated toys more interesting - I move them around the house a lot, or do things like put them on top of stools or hang them off the wall to get a new perspective. I've found that even something as simple as a different location can make toys seem brand new again.
How well do you cope with looking after your cat(s) what with you being disabled?
@@jaysmith2858 She's a petite cat (so less food and waste) and she's trained to perform tasks which help me deal with my symptoms - think kind of like a service dog, but she's tiny, doesn't accompany me around out on the street, and has no rights. I have our daily care routine arranged to be very simple so that I can do it even on the days I can't spend much time out of bed. The most difficult things is the litterbox, but she's also taught to go in a dirty litterbox in case I'm unable to clean it for a while (although I try to keep up with it so I'm not carrying heavy bags around). I get a 40-lb pound bag of lightweight Sustainably Yours litter delivered to my door once every six weeks or so and I can use my legs to 'kick' it inside if I need to, but usually I'm able to have a friend or family member come over and help. Like I said in my original comment, I have a lot of 'automatic'/robot toys for her to play with in addition to ribbon dancers and the like and she eats out of a puzzle feeder so even if I can't play with her she's still getting good enrichment.
I don't think that every cat is a good fit for situations like mine - you do have to be pretty picky about what to get. (For me it was that I needed a relatively low energy adult, but not senior, short haired cat with no existing health issues and who showed a lot of intuition as to my physical/mental state; other people might have different needs.) With the right cat/human combination though pets can absolutely really enhance our quality of life.
How do you train a cat to use a dirty litter box?
@@milpormilunmillon whenever I saw her go in and start sniffing around like she wasn't sure about it, she got a reward, and then another one after she's done her business. she got it pretty quickly, but she was also a cat who was generally not fussy about the litterbox - i don't think it would work with a cat with a history of litterbox issues. I also bed really deep so it's easier to fully bury waste and thus "seems" cleaner
Automatic littler box might help :D
My first cat was a timid older girl. She got overstimulated/ scared easily. She loved interactive toys but sometimes they scared her, so one of her favourite games was basically whack-a-mole with me crouching behind the bed and popping cuddle toys up at her. She also really liked hiding under the bed/ footstool and having us wiggle a scarf over the edge.
My current cats both like wand toys, but one also really loves to play a game I call cat soccer. Basically, we run around, taking turns kicking/batting and chasing the ball or I’ll roll it towards him so that he can tackle it as it rolls past. This cat also really likes a water table toy I put out in heatwaves that is just I put ping pong balls in a baking dish of water and place it near the oscillating fan. The fan blows the ping pong balls around on the surface of the water and he loves to watch them and try to get the balls out of the container.
Also having more than one cat works for me. My 2 cats spend time playing with each other when I'm too tired after work to play with them. Watching them take turns being the "prey" is quite entertaining as well.
My cat used to love the “toy on a stick” … but then she discovered cat springs …. And game over (she still loves a good kicker toy too). When the cat brings you the toy back to you to play fetch with you know it’s a winner!
I've always said watching kittens play is more fun than any blockbuster movie. I could watch feisty 'lil Bramble for an hour with a big grin on my face.
My cat Prissy loved playing with the "worms" used for fish bait! She would pick it up, shake it and always drop it or throw it with disgust and a shudder! We'd only bring it out now and then- same reaction... so, so funny!
Apparently Bramble's agent secured him some more screen time ;) Thanks for the cuteness, Jackson!
our cat came to us when he was 1.5 years old. he had lived with an elderly disabled lady who apparently never actively played with him; it took us a couple of weeks to " teach" him to go after the feathery fluffy thing on the string! and now he LOOVES it! he learned to jump really high ( when in the beginning he would barely take off the ground and almost always fall over backwards or sideways in a somewhat clumsy way)
and then he grabs the "prey" out of the air and stuffs it in his mouth and walks away with it❤️ i am so proud of him!❤️
My cat lives for feather wands when it comes to play time. She also has a wand with a stuffed mouse at the end of the string, but she doesn't play with that one....she just carries it all around with her (mouse, string, and stick), sets it in her food dishes, or nestles it in bed with me.
My cat also likes to carry her little mice around. Get your kitty another mouse not attached to a stick and she may enjoy carrying it around even more.
@@TraceyMush Lol, there are tons of other toy mice around the house with no stick attached. She loves only the one. She drags the whole contraption with her everywhere.
The mouse even used to have a squeaky thing inside and stuffing and she's basically eviscerated it, so now it's largely just the outer shell of the toy, yet her love never fades.
Awww! ❤🐈
That is sooo cute
I agree to all you say. It's very important to learn from a professional than other youtube user, speaking nonsense. I am so thankful and grateful for all this information. Greetings from vienna, listening to everything you say from far away.
Please, Jackson, more Bramble videos! Would love to see a "Day in the Life." What an adorable kitty!
Hello Laurie how’s the weather over there
I adopted a 5 month old cat 4 days ago and I want to thank you since your videos have made it so easy to learn how to make Mr. Kitty a happy cat
my cat won’t play with anything by herself. nothing remote, nothing self activated. nothing BUT stuff that I operate 😂 she’s very easily bored.
oh yes! My boy is like that. The exception for me was one of the toys that hung on the back of the door and had an elastic string with a mouse hanging from it. Two of the three in the house would play with it....until some Demon...I mean, until my darling Damon....decided he would just pull it down and then chew through the string. We thought at first, it was an accident. We fixed up the mouse/string twice before we gave up repairing it, because we finally realized he was doing it on purpose. (He was not ingesting it, just gnawing through it and then losing interest when it broke and no longer rebounded/had any tension on the mouse side.)
@@mlast6145 one of our cats is crazy after my old hairtie 😅 it's her treasure she play with and walk around with until it's under the bed where she can't reach it and I have to find out where exactly it is. The other one loves small plush mouses. She brings them to bed almlst everx morning. Probably early morning snack.
Same here and I have bought all of them.
My cat loves watching you! I’m not even joking we watch you together and he stops what he’s doing when I turn any of your videos on. It’s the cutest and funniest thing ever. We are currently laying together in bed watching this video and when you brought out the interactive toy he got so excited that he got closer to the tv. I have one that I for a few dollars that he loves and comes running when he hears the bells on it. He’s more excited for it than he is for treats.
I appreciate Jackson mentioning praise during play. I'm always trying to reinforce key command phrases for my cat, in the hope that she will learn through repetition. It seems to be going pretty successfully so far, and I think positive reinforcement is the best vehicle for this training. Good behavior earns her a verbal reward with lots of attention, instead of rewarding her with fattening treats. And she knows it's a reward, because it's only said during the positive moments that she experiences.
Jackson, you hit it out of the park on this one! My Juni and I have been using a wand toy with a feather "bird" at the end of it for almost 4 years now. She's the Savannah in my icon. Our daily ritual is to get up, get her a small piece of chicken after which she initiates the play by going over to her toy and telling me it's time to pick it up. She is an amazing predator! The hunt, the satisfaction of the kill (and she can be VERY conscious of that), that "I GOT IT AND I'M NOT GIVING IT BACK" look in her eyes and the praise which follows is a treat for both of us. We're on our second wand and probably 20th bird now. She bit the last one in half just to be sure it wasn't going anywhere soon.
Perhaps the only thing better is the "catio" I just built her out on the front entry deck. Not only does she demand to go out now, she's incredibly vocal about me joining her for a half hour or more and she's not been a particularly vocal cat. She's like an excited kitten when we go out there now and very commanding of my attention. It's amazing how much she starts the process rather than waiting for me to get my rear in gear. At times, it can be a very "pointed" command...
Jackson, your videos consistently get better and better. This video had so much care and love towards cats. It's unreal how much I love cats. My cats are so loving and truly deserve the best.
I’m go glad you mentioned that when I’m playing with my cat with the interactive toys I have I should be talking to her and encouraging her. Yes!!!
My cats favourite toy is the Jackson galaxy feather wand, she goes crazy for it
In particular it is the favourite of one of ours, he’s like Bramble, no, you can’t have this!
These ads are getting smarter by each day
My favorite cat toy, and one which, in my experience, no cat is able to resist, is a two-item combo, homemade toy. All you need is a string or a thread and some aluminum foil. Roll up the aluminum foil in a ball, with some of the string rolled up with it, and voilà, instant cat toy. Just the sound of foil being rolled into a ball gets our cats immediate attention.
Never give your cat string. Cats do love & eat string & end up in the hospital. My aunts a vet and regularly does invasive surgery to remove different strings from animals. It can kill them cuz it wraps around their insides.
@@moony6692 what about yarn? my kitty is 6 months and has a small case of play aggression. when i crochet i give her a ball of yarn to play with bc if i don’t a) she won’t go actively play with her other toys and b) she’ll jump at my hands because they’re a moving target 😂
Yeah, they like the skittering sound the foil makes going across the floor.
My guess is the best toy is one that consistently excites and satisfies a cat's hunting instinct, accessible at minimum, on a daily basis.
And we, the cat guardians/owners, are the key to helping them discover and interact with their favorite toy. The more involved we are, the better.
I'm looking forward to hearing Jackson say: Play 👏🏻 with 👏🏻 your 👏🏻 cat!
I have a super soft spot for cats. My neighborhood has been overflowing with orphaned/strays/ferals. Over the past years the majority of them came to me, crying and hungry, Some were pregnant femals, some already had litters. I live in Northern Idiana and winter here is brutal, so I gave them all a home with me. Currently I have 12, all of which are indoors 😅
It's not been an easy process, but I've somehow managed to keep them all happy and healthy.
With the help of Meow Mission, last summer we trapped 11 ferals/strays/orphans and spayed/neutered, vaccinated, parasite treatment and unfortunately ear tipping had to be done.
I grow my own catnip and my cats favorite play is when I clip a full bunch and jingle over their heads....lol. They will do some real kind of Matrix moves trying to get their catnip. I try to play with them to the point where they are exhausted. I find doing this has helped with all 12 of them getting along. Although it doesn't always keep them from arguments...it certainly does help. Love your channel ❤
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Thank you 🙏
These stick toys really are the best cat toys. It is nice to have the interaction with your cat. My beloved bengal cat loved his giant stick toy so much, he would grab the stick out of his toy basket and run around the house. He also would bring it into our bed and sleep with it. We played with him with the stick every day. If was his absolute favorite toy in every way. He preferred the fluffy tail attachment.
Thanks!
Granny cats play too!!
I've had 2 twenty years old cats (one stray after the other, they were exclusive) and they played almost until the end of their lives. People often forget it...
Just found your channel this weekend. We’re on the same wavelength when it comes to cats and I so appreciate you making these videos to educate cat caretakers, thank you!
My cat's favorite toy is a stick from the yard with some strings tied to it, now I know why! I always leave it inside a box with his other toys and when he wants to play he always guides me to the box ❤️ Thank you so much Jackson, you're the reason why my cat is so happy and polite!
I’ve solved the “lost toys under the furniture” issue. When we finished unpacking when we moved the flattened empty boxes were placed under the living room furniture so all cat toys just bounce back out at them!
I cut pool noodles in half lengthwise and then trim to fit along the bottom edges of the stove, fridge, etc... works well to keep the cat toys out from underneath
Bramble is so adorable! The feather toy Jackson was playing with the kitten is very popular in my cat-house. With five cats that love feather toys, I go through them quickly!
Just to preface this, yes I’m a big fan of the interactive category and agree that it’s vital to a cat’s well-being!! I have a stick with a ribbon tied around my cat’s all-time favorite toy: a plastic ring (like those on a milk jug or Gatorade bottle or whatever).
She’s not at all interested in the mouse or feather type of ‘remote category’ toy that’s left out for them for the random boredom when I’m doing other things. The only thing she will initiate her own playtime with are those plastic rings. She loves them!! And they’re basically free. There’s probably a thousand of them under couches/furniture/whatever, but instead of buying more toys she’d just ignore, whenever I open a Gatorade I pull off the plastic ring and toss it down. They’re really light, so if she just bats it slightly with her paw, it goes way across the floor, so then she gets all excited and chases it and has a grand old time in between our interactive playtimes.
I guess it’s plausible that people wouldn’t really want a ton of them around because, to a stranger, it looks like you just throw garbage on the floor. But since this is actually her apartment and I just live here, I don’t really care if people think it’s weird when they come over and there’s little plastic rings everywhere. I just don’t 🤷♀️ Again, it’s her apartment, and she lets me live here 😝
My cat also loves trash. He loves twisty ties and hair ties. They’re his favorite toys.
I've always played with my cats, but Jackson, this is a great idea: I'm going to try playing with the wand (indeed their favorite toy) BEFORE feeding time! This hadn't occurred to me but it makes perfect sense!!! Love ya!
Oh my god I miss my 2 cats SO much. Had to leave them at my moms house for 2 months because I was in a weird moving house situation. And barely got to visit them because the fuel price is so high. Now it‘s only a few more days away until I get to be with them again. I literally cried watching this video. When you said ‘cat gaurdian’ I lost it. I love my babies so much, I want to give them every experience they deserve. And they deserve to be healthy and safe. They couldn’t be safe with me for these past 2 months and I’m so grateful to be moving into a big home with lots of fun places to discover, hang out in, wood floors to slip and slide on, windowsills to relax on, they’ll have their scratch posts back and all their toys and tunnels.. everything will be just the way they like it. I wish it was today. But I have to wait. It sucks. But soon I’ll be with my Guppy and my Tokyo. And they’ll be in their new home.
My cat likes to play ball: she runs after it, catches it and hits it repeatedly with her paws. I think she's bored of wands now (probably because our house is small and the movement is predictable). She's very cute~
I just recently adopted a cat and I shows no interest in wands at all. He does like the laser and my feet though lol
Lmaooo totally opposite with my kitty. She loves it when I wave the wand amd would play for even hours. So much that even bathrobe is a wand to her. As for balls, she would go crazy for a minute and then toss it aside like an ex lover
My Bombay loves his "fedder" wand so much he drags it around the house all day and even sleeps on it. LOL
I might be biased since I co-founded the company with my parents in the early 1980s when I was a teenager, but in my opinion Da Bird from Go Cat Feather Toys is the perfect cat toy. It's just like the toy Bramble was playing with minus the reel and telescoping handle. Before he started marketing his own brand of cat toys, Jackson used our products on his TV show.
All 5 of my furbabies go crazy for their Da Bird! Thanks 😻
Jackson I only buy cat toys that I can step on so soft glitter balls . My cats don’t seem interested in wand toys.
OMG Bramble at 6 weeks-a star is born! Adorable 😊
Hands down Da Bird is my cat's favorite toy. He'll find it and drag it up to me so I'll play with him.
Da Bird is my favorite cat toy! My cat likes it too, but the stall speed is too high for my cat to catch it while it's "flying".
Bramble is so adorable as he growls and tries to be intimidating xD I love when kittens go kill mode
My cat would answer with shoelaces!
Lucky! Doesn't cost much to keep him/her, happy! Ha!
Try upgrading to the drawstring from an old sweatshirt or pair of shorts. My cat goes nuts over those! At times he even refuses his feather wand toys and insists I wiggle the string around instead lol! He loves to chew on it every time he catches it. Something about the texture and elasticity. I'm just concerned he's actually gonna try to eat it one of these days.
Great advice, Jackson! If I could only get my husband to play with our cat. I play with him with a long ribbon or rope string. He loves it! I tug on it and he just digs his claws in and we play for a bit. If he releases it, I just wave it around like crazy and he catches it again and repeat! I told my husband to look you up from his UA-cam account and watch your videos!
My current cat that has been with me since July, doesn't like the same kind of toys my previous cat loved. I say that because one important thing to remember is that each cat is different. One part of getting to know them is understanding what kind of toys they do just go nuts over.
True! My most recent cat has trouble coordinating his paws and many games were frustrating for him. It took us time to figue out what he likes. Turns out he can play soccer with soft balls that are big enough for him to not miss and now he dribbles the ball around the house. Never seen him this enthusiatic about a toy before.
I taught our youngest cat to play fetch. Now if she funds one of her random toys she will bring it to you and tell you it’s time to play. She will keep playing fetch until she’s ready to drop. She’s so much fun! When she’s done she will hide the toy and throw herself at you like your her bed. I adore her personality so much!
My Bombay, Ichabod, loves to play fetch too, but the only toys he'll do it with are the little $1 "SmartyCat" mice 🐾💖
used to hang out with a household that would toss gatoraide/poweraide caps and their cat would chase it, bat it around for a bit, then bring it back to whoever was closest or whoever tossed it. it was a riot and quite fun. =^w^=
I found the best toy to be an old horse whip. It's basically a long springy "stick" with a long cord attached. The only drawback is that it can only safely be used in the garden due to its size but kitty chases and jumps after it for hours.
Sometimes I like to swing an air toy in big circles near the ceiling, to imitate a bat stuck in a house and having a meltdown.
Another favorite: Put a blanket over the stick part of, then keep pushing it around under the blanket, occasionally poking it out. It’s basically Whack-a-mole, and cats love it!
Moths also fly in circles around ceiling light fixtures and birds can fly in circles when they have a broken wing, so I think the circle routine triggers their natural instincts on multiple fronts. I'll swing it around in circles and make it spiral down towards the ground, as if it's an injured bird or dazed moth. The primal part of them can't resist the seemingly easy kill.
Thank you so much for this video, Jackson! I truly enjoy watching your videos because it's so obvious that you truly love and "get" cats. I love the no-nonsense approach. I will be trying to line up playtime with dinnertime each night - it's such a common-sense idea, yet it never once occurred to me. I can see how they would get a deep sense of satisfaction out of that. Thank you!!
If you have kittens, then you know the whole house is basically their toy 😂 My 4 cats have a ton of toys but usually love to play with stolen hair ties, plastic bottle caps, old receipts, loose change. And of course, never underestimate the good old laser pointer.
Yeah my cat did the same thing I adopted her and she came with toys and a carrier and stuff. She sometimes carrys one around with her but this one pen cap is by far her favorite. Same with the cat tree I got her, she never uses it, but uses my office chair as a scratching post, but for some reason any fabric stuff she claws almost never shows damage, and shes got sharp claws. I'm very lucky
One of my cats will act like he’s in Ocean’s Eleven to try to steal a treasure like a hair scrunchie or a dirty sock
My Bengal kitten is extremely playful and energetic, but just watches a laser pointer. He'll occasionally take a lazy swipe if it gets close enough to him.
One of my cats knew the laser pointer was all an illusion. He just gave me this look as if i insulted his intelligence then walked away! Meanwhile, his brother was going nuts trying to catch the red dot 😆.
And my socks, sweater strings, clothes belts, loves stealing toothbrushes, my apron is the best alternative thought. Of course when I’m wearing it.
Oh wow. I never thought about the Eat part after Hunt Catch Kill. I play with my cats with a wand similar to what Jackson uses but have never followed thru with eating afterwards especially something meaty.
Thank you so much for opening my eyes on this!
My cat's favourite toy is totally a stick with a string and some feathers at the end, but she most likely would play with it like a dog - like 'toss me this stick and i bring it back, that's fun!'
That's fun, Basia, but not a 3 AM when you bring this stuff to my pillow!
Anyone who has guitars as guests in the living room and cat pitures all over is considered my best friend without any introduction. Love your chanel jason👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍😹😹😹😹😹😹😹💯💯💯💯💯💯💪💪💪💪💪💪💪💪
The best thing I ever bought my cat was his "exercise wheel". He loves it, and uses it a lot. Sometimes we play together, with me dangling a target, other times he just runs. He is a 2.5yr old Arabian Mau, late and muscular. In spite of him living inside, he is not putting on extra weight, and I bieve that's because he runs, and runs. He does love his feather dangle sticks, but I'm limited with the amount of time I can play with that, due to my physical limitations.
When my cat was a kitten I bought a variety of toys including feather wand toys. She just wasn't interested in the feather wand toys but loved chasing string. So I tied string on to a bamboo pole and that was her favourite toy! When she wants to play with her toy mice & balls, she will get my attention & go on to the stairs. I have to throw the toy up the stairs, she will catch it & bat it back down to me & the game continues until she tires! However, as a cat sitter I have found the feather wand toy very popular with my kitty clients. It has even helped Covid kitties (those who haven't had much social interaction),who can be wary, to come out of their shells.
I will be shocked if he doesn't wind up adopting Bramble. He's SO cute. :)
6:39 every time I hear that excitement, I will be smiling ear to ear. I love playing with my cat!
My cat has one of those floppy fish & he gently holds it down until it stops vibrating & cuddles with it. He is a lover, not a fighter.
9pm no matter how many vids I watch from cat lovers, yours are still the best! Also always glad to see your face. I do enjoy your humor. Thanks for being here fur all of us!
When you were talking about the wicker cube chest I felt called out lol. My cats don't like ball toys, the only thing one of my cats likes are little rubber balls with nubs(?) which make them jump around randomly. They loved spirals and kitty boinks for a long time, but they're boring now. Right now a wand toy with "mouse" (made from real fur) or "bird" (DaBird) attachments are the most popular. Their new adventure carpet is also really in demand for playtime right now, they love it when I use a stick under a blanket or the carpet.
I’m so thankful I ran across this channel. I didn’t think I was much of a cat person until I came across my first cat. She was abandoned and I didn’t know much about how to help her until I seen this channel. Sadly, she’s no longer here R.I.P Millie💔 but I have a new kitten🥰. Her name is Nova and she’s precious. Jackson, thank you so much for all the advice that are giving to us. It has really helped me give them the life they deserve. I now know that it wasn’t that I didn’t like cats but I didn’t understand them. I try to stay up to date with these videos now for any tips and tricks. But again thank you because my transition as a cat parent couldn’t have gone smoother.
We keep my cat's toys in storage box with a velcro clasp. Whenever he hears that velcro he comes RUNNING because he knows it's play time. Sometimes haven't even gotten the wand out of the box before he's trying to play with it XD
That's brilliant about the velcro! Cats have excellent hearing (I wish mine was half as good) 😸
2:17 It’s as if you were there.🤣
My 15 yr old cat loves it when I tie my shoelaces. ❤
I have bought 3 of your wands in the last year, unfortunately my giant ragdoll combined with me being a little wild they didn't last more than a few months each, but I will keep buying them because my cat loves them & gets super excited when he hears the sound of the rope being pulled out. No dearer than a packet of cigarettes & worth every penny. I'm a big fan Jackson and so is Marley ❤😻
The cat dancer toy is a great one it's like a dollar on Amazon even my 12-year-old cat liked it before she passed.
My guy put an end, abrupt and quick to any dreams I had of delightful hours playing with the cat. He does not do toys, I like to think it demonstrates comfortble entertaining himself. We have both been very lucky Live in places with endless entertainment opportunities.
There’s a small pretzel toy that one of my cats absolutely loves. She’ll throw it around the room and fetch it. It’s great!
I have once of those though my cat doesn’t like it
@@Ohyesverygood same.
One of our cats loved his pretzel toy while the other cats didn’t pay it much attention. After Reggie passes away unexpectedly this July, we placed the pretzel with his ashes along with some of his fluffy fur that he left on our bed. I still tear up thinking of my dear boy and how much joy he brought us, and I’d like to think that his spirit enjoys playing with the pretzel.
@@MsWinterlife Sorry for your loss. Yes, one of my cats loves it beyond anything. My other cat doesn’t pay it any attention. ☺️
Thank you for sharing about Reggie.
This was so incredibly helpful! Our rescue cat and I were playing with a ribbon on a stick and she yanked it right out my hand and ran THROUGH the house and jumped over the baby gate and screeched around the corner to her favorite safe space with it. It was hilarious and this explains why! Thank you!! :-)
I do play with my cats, and try and mix it up with different toys. I find they get board very easily. My other half is the kitty feeder, I'm the one who plays with them, tests toys with them, tries different treats, new beds, playing in boxes, and scratching boards... The list goes on. My children moved out, so I gained fluffy children instead. Also I take them to the vets when they are sick. I usually wake up to cats all piled on me. And got told when I stayed a night away, a few were crying for me...Cats and their awesome ways 😸
Same here!. Live my kitties!
@@lisetteservin3181 aww they are cool fluffy babies
My small dog loves cat toys and acts like a cat. So watching this for her 😅
I actually bought the ground prey toy a while back! The thing is, one cat tried to leap through a box to get it, sliding the giant box across the floor. That made the other cat jump 2 feet in the air, which made me jump back, and the wand snapped in all chaos. I still have the little worm attachment, though. I just attach it a couple other wands I have.
I laughed so much, thanks!
I adopted a cat recently and you’ve been a huge help ! Thanks for those videos ❤❤❤
I recently lost my 10 year old cat Lolly to heart failure and pleurisy. My 8 year old cat Alfie was lonely, missing his big bro, so my daughter bought me a kitten. I tend to let them find their own name. My little mischievous has acquired the name Loki.🙄 My home has little trays of toys (which I swap about to keep them interested, although Alfie likes to tip them all out and sit in the tray while he decides which toy he wants) in most rooms which they seem to enjoy. Being disabled this means I’ve always got toys on hand to play with them. Their favourites tend to be catnip orientated, tassels on sticks and the good old foil type scrunchie balls. Loki is obsessed with anything that has that scrunching sound. I also seem to have lost all my laundry pegs which he loves to run off with. Cat trees are also a MUST HAVE.❤️
Thank you Jackson, I've been using your tips for a week. My little boy is happier now. I'm your new follower. So glade ı have you.
I absolutely love Jackson Galaxy's channel! thank you, Jackson, for your work!
One of my cats really loves hair bands. She'll carry them everywhere. Another of my cats loves playing with straws, she steals them from our drinks. Lol! I also have a cat that adores playing with pipe cleaners. He enjoys the different colors. I wrap it around my finger to make a spring shape and he'll carry that thing with him everywhere and not share. 😂 However, all of my cats love, love, love playing with a tiny metal drone that I bought for my daughter. It's remote controlled and she flys it high and low and they go crazy! Of course a little snack afterwards. Cats are awesome! Our fosters enjoy their life here as well! Thanks, Cat Daddy!
My cats steal my hair bands too!
@@thesoundofonefupaslappin-zc5bj Thanks for the info. I've always been careful, but she sneaks them. I'll definitely be more careful. 😊
My boys favourite for a long time were my ear buds I use to drown out my husband's snoring! They're bright orange and bouncy lol but then we got him a little sister and that's just the best...they have so much fun playing together and he's such a good, caring big brother!
@@PatchouliPenny Awww! Congrats on the new baby and the awesome brother!
@@lisetteservin3181 thank you, I was so proud of him (still am) when we got Olive, Ziggy didn't hiss at her even once and even though he's only a year old he immediately became a surrogate parent to her. He cleans her and she rolls over like a baby and lets him. It must have been so reassuring for her after leaving her mum. If she meows in another area of the house, he immediately runs to her to make sure she's okay. If we're playing with her he also checks constantly that we're just playing and not hurting her. She is so naughty though lol but he is an absolute angel! The only naughty thing he does is chew on plastic! Apparently his brothers are exactly the same 🤣
Ever since my family got a dog, I felt I lost a lot of time and affection I once shared with my cat. It was really upsetting to say the least, however playing with my cat really helped me interact with her and she was even especially affectionate after some treats following play time.
This video was a big reminder to play with my cat again, looking forward to watching more cat videos :)
I completely agree the interactive toy is the best. Before I bought the kicker toy the toy on a string was the only one my cat would even play with at all, because she loves playing with me 😺 I hold the kicker toy. It has a long tail and I play with it with her as well. Once she gets into it I let go of it and she goes to town on it. Also the tip to not leave the toys out once we’re finished with it has really helped. It’s like a new toy every time we play 😻
My boy loved every toy we got him - until he didn't. Being a super smart Siamese he bored easily and lost interest in any given toy sometimes after only once playing with it. However there was one toy he loved far longer and when he finally got bored with it I could reintroduce it months later and he'd enjoy it all over again. It was the "Cat's Meow Motion Toy" that had a tail like piece moving to and from from under a plastic mat. I even filmed a UA-cam video of him playing with it. He actually played so hard with it that I had to buy him another. Eventually he stopped enjoying this toy altogether but for awhile it was a pleasure to see him so happily occupied. He passed away last May and I sorely miss all the time spent trying to entertain him. Miss him really hard...
Great video. My cats love the interactive toys, but also go NUTS when they hear my click the button on the laser pointer 😅 they know I keep it in my purse (since it is a flash light too) and when I reach into that special pocket, IT IS TIME!
Jackson: Excellent video. My wife and I have had many cats. Both retired we became the holiday home for 4 cats in the neighbourhood when their owners went on holday. My favourite cat was a Tuxedo called Felix. Highly intelligent and very loving. Thank You from Bristol England.
I discovered recently that my kitties favorite new toys are the moths that fly into my house when I leave the sliding glass door open to go out to the balcony. It's open so she can come back in when she wants without me worrying about her getting eaten or anything. I think she waits for them to fly in and then goes hunting. I gotta tell you, it really beats any toy I've found so far.
My cat once came back with another cat's cat toy (a little rooster) and he was so happy and proud of himself! It was so funny! Yes, you're a real apex predator, Holly, hunting and catching a little cat toy!
THIS IS MY CATS FAVORITE TOY! I own like 6 of them. So grateful for ur knowledge and toys. Lol