If you don’t already have a wand toy for your cat that you both love, think about getting a new one this holiday! There are lots to choose from, but these are my favorites.
1 – First on my list is the good old Cat Dancer Cat Toy! This classic toy is pure genius, made with a simple spring wire and some cardboard rolls. When you hold it just right, the cardboard pieces bounce around mimicking the movement of real bugs. Cats go nuts when you take this one out! Don’t try to make one yourself, it’s a lot harder than it looks! Plus, they are incredibly affordable at just a few bucks. Pick one up from the Hauspanther online shop or on Amazon.
2 & 3 – Next we have two more classics, the Cat Catcher and Da Bird, both from Go-Cat. The little teaser mouse attached to the Cat Catcher is irresistible to cats, as is the feather attachment on Da Bird that glides through the air like a real bird. Both of these toys are available on Amazon.
4 & 5 – Mojo Maker Wand Cat Toys from the Jackson Galaxy Collection by Petmate. These two toys have some really cool features, obviously drawing on Jackson’s years of experience working as a cat behaviorist. The Air Prey Mojo Maker has a fabulous feather attachment on a string that retracts, allowing you to vary the length of the string for playtime and easily store the toy without tangling the string. The Ground Prey Mojo Maker uses a wire to connect the segmented toy attachment to the wand. The wire gives you more control over the movement of the attachment so you can move it across the floor like a crawling bug. The best feature, in my opinion, of both Mojo Maker toys is the telescoping wand. This brilliant feature makes it easy to fold up the toy and put it away, plus you can vary the length of the wand during play. Sometimes I like to use it with the wand fully extended, or if I’m in a confided space, it’s better to use it with the wand partially or completely retracted. Both Mojo Maker Wand Toys are available from shop.hauspanther.com or on Amazon.
6 – This is a new wand toy I found recently and I really like it a lot! The Telescoping Kitty Teaser Wand Toy from Ethical Pets has an extendable wand like the Mojo Makers, but instead of a string or a wire, it uses a heavy fishing line to attach the feather toy. I like the fishing line because it has more stiffness than string but less than wire, it’s somewhere in between and I find it to be just right. Plus, the fishing line disappears, making it look like the feathers are flying all by themselves. This one also has a thick cushiony grip, something that is really nice when the cats want to play for a long time. Get one of these on Amazon for under $10.
7 & 8 – Lion Lures from Tiger Teasers are great handmade wand toys with little bits of faux fur and a jingle bell attached to the end of a wire. The wire isn’t too long, giving you lots of control over the faux fur toy, allowing for a different kind of play than the wand toys with long strings or wires. These are great for more directed play, like guiding a cat through an agility course or up onto cat shelves. The full size Lion Lure is available on Etsy for $12 and the Mini Lion Lure is available from shop.hauspanther.com or on Etsy for $7.
9 – Nekoflies cat toys are another longtime favorite, with their sleek plastic rod and a wide variety of beautiful toy attachments. Each one is a little work of art with details like dangly legs and shiny wings that will intrigue kitty for hours. All of the Nekoflies rods and attachments are available on Amazon.
10 – And finally, this is a brand new wand toy that I haven’t tried yet, but it’s from a great company, From The Field. Freddy’s Feather Wand looks like top quality, just as I would expect from this company. Made in the USA with all natural materials including a wood dowel rod, cork, hemp string and dye free feathers. Just under $15 on Amazon.
Awesome list! I have to admit, I’ve recommended most of these cat wands to my clients. Da Bird seems to be a paws-down favorite – I’ve never had one cat turn their nose up at it! Even people who say their cat doesn’t play are proven wrong when I bring out Da Bird. Give any wand toy a little spritz of catnip spray and it’s even better! 🙂
Have you seen the reviews for the Cat Catcher (#2) on Amazon? Several of the ‘most helpful’ reviews talk about serious safety concerns with the mouse. I have thought about buying it so many times, but each time I decide not to because of the horror stories.
As with any toy, I recommend keeping a close eye out for any damage or small parts that could cause a choking hazard and be sure to take the toy away if you notice damage. Also, never leave wand toys out for cats to play with by themselves!
We have a plethora of wand toys, and da Bird and Cat Dancer are our paws-down favorites, along with another one whose lure disappeared and was replaced with a hank of jeans hem that I had lying around, tied in the middle by the string portion of the toy. They can’t get enough of this one!
thank you for the overview.
what about PURRfect wands? both of my siamese boys enjoy them very much and they seem to be of great quality.