Letâs be honest – not all of us have the time and energy to play with our pets every day. We do put in the effort and give them the attention they deserve, but when it comes to playtime, it can get a bit exhausting for pet parents. While we have reasons as to why weâre busy, our pets won’t understand that you have a deadline to go or a meeting you cannot skip at all! Theyâll keep looking at you with puppy eyes, but even youâre helpless and canât leave work to spend time with your furballs.
Now while this situation sounds common, we need to understand that ignoring pets’ playtime can lead to the development of behavioral issues among your pets. As they are natural hunters, pets require a lot of stimulation and enrichment, which they wonât get, if they donât have their share of play every day. This may lead to aggressive or destructive behaviors among pets.
So, what is the way out? Well, to substitute your absence for those days when youâre caught up with work or arenât keeping well, you can consider bringing home some interactive toys! These toys are fun to play with and will keep your dogs and cats engaged for a long while!
Not only this, but the toys would also help enrich your pets mentally and physically. Playing with the interactive toys will tire them out and put them to sleep – all in your absence. As a responsible pet parent, you need to look out for the comprehensive health of your dogs and cats – not just physical, but mental too!
Investing in interactive toys would be the best decision you’ll make – not just for your pets, but yourself too! Weâre sure weâve given you enough reasons to convince you to buy interactive toys for your pets – so letâs run you through a list of interactive toys you can purchase for the well-being of your pets:
Best Interactive Toys for Cats
If you have a pet cat, weâre sure youâd know how many hours a day they sleep. But when theyâre awake, all they want is attention and activity – which you can offer them with the help of interactive toys. Hereâs a bunch of must-have interactive toys for your cats – do check it out:
Strategy Game
Smart cats will never settle for your simple prey or light chasing games – they need something thatâs more challenging. As a pet parent, it wonât take you much time to figure out your cat’s preferences and intelligence – so you need to pick toys accordingly. A strategy game is a great start – it is a type of interactive toy that makes your cat work for treats!
The boxes usually are in the form of a maze or a puzzle, in which you can hide your cat’s favorite treats. Your cat must work its way out through the puzzles to get to the treats. This is a great mental exercise for your cats, and it also helps domestic cats make use of their sniffing and hunting instincts. These games come in three levels – beginner, intermediate, and top level. Judge the smartness of your little furball and get it one of these super cool and fun games right away! A personally tried and tested strategy game is the Cat Amazing Interactive Treat Maze & Puzzle Cat – a fun and affordable toy for your smart cats. Click HERE to purchase.
Chirping Bird Toy
If youâre looking for a basic interactive toy for your cat, the chirping bird toy is great for starters. The toy is activated by touch, so every time your cat swats it on purpose or comes across it accidentally, the toy will burst into a loud, chirping sound! The chirping sounds are super realistic – something that your cat would experience every single day if it would live in the wildlife outdoors.
The toy satisfies the kittenâs natural hunting instincts. It is filled with potent catnip that can make this toy more attractive to your cat! It is a completely safe toy for your cat, and youâd find different versions of the same toy on various online shopping platforms. Our recommendation is the SmartyKat Chickadee Chirp Electronic Bird Sound Cat Toy – itâs fun and is popular for its realistic replication of sounds and movements of natural cat prey. Click HERE to purchase.
ORSDA 2-in-1 Interactive Toy
This interactive toy is crafted keeping the requirements of senior cats in mind. It comes with a variety of attachments and five different modes that your cat is free to choose from and play with. It features two playing styles and attachments that are easily replaceable. The toy also offers several speed modes, which not only grab your cat’s attention but also keep them physically and mentally active. The only drawback of this toy is that it is battery-powered and cannot be charged – else itâs a fun light and sound toy to keep your pet occupied for hours! Click HERE to purchase.
Interactive Toys for Dogs
Dogs are energy balls – they can play all day long, unlike cats, which are popularly known as snooze balls. Stimulating and channeling the energy of a dog is important, and thereâs nothing better than interactive toys to get this done! Dogs love their humans, but they also love their toys – so letâs have a look at some of the best interactive toys you can get for your dogs:
Tug and Chase Toy
This toy is for one of those days when it’s raining outside and you still want to ensure your dog has had its share of exercise. The tug and chase toys feature a nylon cord and a flexible pull, both of which feature faux-fur tails. When these are pulled by your dog, both the tails make squawking and rattling sounds, which would entice your dog – needless to say, your dog can play with this toy for hours together!
One of our favorite tug and chase toys is from Outward Hound – the Tail Teaser Toy from this brand is amazing! The product is made of durable quality nylon – so no matter how tough the grip of your pooch is, itâs not going to cave in that easily! Itâs just what you need to get your dogs to chase and tug – a fun game that can give them an enriching experience and tire them out after a long play! Click HERE to purchase
Interactive Puzzle Toys
Like cats, certain dogs are super smart, too! You need to look for different, slightly higher levels of difficulty toys so that they have something stimulating to play with now and then. Take for example this Tornado Plastic Puzzle toy – our dog loves this toy and has a fantastic time while playing with it!
The whole aim of this game is to ensure that the hunting and sniffing instincts of the dog remain enacted, even when they arenât exposed to the outdoors. All you must do is hide your dog’s favorite treats in different compartments in the toy and ask your dog to look for them. The dog needs to sniff out the treats and access the treats with the help of its nose or paws. Dogs are usually smart and get accustomed to these interactive games quickly – but with this fame, you have nothing to worry about! All you must do is set the puzzle to a higher difficulty level and let your dog find its treats! Click HERE to purchase. The Interactive Treat Puzzle Toy by Outward Hound is another great puzzle toy. Check it out by clicking HERE.
The Good Old Bone
When nothing else is accessible, hand over a bone to your dog! Dogs love chewing on bones and can do it for hours without getting bored. You can invest in bones made from artificial materials – these last longer and you know your dog has something to chew on whenever he gets bored. The Extreme Goodie Bone Dog toy from the brand KONG is my dogâs favorite toy – it has just the right texture, feel, and structure of a real bone.
Made from ultra-durable rubber, it’s not only durable but soft as well, which ensures it is not hard on your dogâs teeth and gums. You can also stuff treats into the bone, which your dog can then retrieve and consume. This dog bone from KONG is a popular interactive dog toy and is recommended by vets and pet parents across the world for the mental stimulation of active dogs. Click HERE to purchase.
Summing Up
Weâve listed the must-have interactive toys for your dogs and cats in Fort Worth. When it comes to interactive toys, you need to keep introducing your pets to different types of toys, so that they donât get bored playing with the same toy over again. These toys may help to maintain the comprehensive mental and physical health of your dogs and cats – so do ensure you get a bunch of them for your pets right away!