If you’re a cat parent, you must have heard about catnip. Catnip toys are arguably the most popular toys among cats and cat lovers. Cats from all age groups love catnip. They start chewing, licking, and rolling instantly under the influence of catnip. To help you choose the best catnip toys for your kitty, we are going to share the top 5 catnip toys for kittens.
Before we share top catnip toys with you, let’s know what catnip actually is and what are some of its benefits for kittens.
Catnip is a herb that belongs to the mint family. It was common in Europe and Asia in the beginning but with time, it has spread to almost all parts of the world. There’s a good chance that you have seen catnip growing on its own in the neighborhood. It has been used since ancient times due to its intriguing effects.
The active ingredient in catnip is nepetalactone which produces a joyful response in your kitten. Your cat may start licking, jumping, drooling, and stretching after smelling or chewing on catnip. The reaction to a catnip stimulant varies in cats and some cats may not even show a response. A study has shown that only 70% of the cats respond to catnip. If your kitten doesn’t respond to catnip, you can try any other stimulant like silver vine.
Benefits of Catnip Toys for Kittens
Toys have a wide range of benefits on cats’ mental and physical health. Among cat toys, catnip toys have a special place due to their effects on cat mood, activity levels, and promotion of playful behavior. Let’s take a deeper look at some of these benefits
Increased Physical Activity
As mentioned above, catnip stimulates cats to jump, run and roll around. Apart from this, catnip boosts the playful mood of your cat and increases physical activity. This helps fulfill the daily exercise requirements and keeps your cat in shape.
Interactive toys having catnip are exceptionally good when it comes to providing physical exercise to cats. A lesser-known benefit of the physical activity provided by catnip toys is that it tires your cat and results in good-quality sleep. This has a positive impact on the overall health of your cat.
Mental Stimulation
Mental stimulation is as necessary as physical activity for a cat. If you provide exercise to your cat but there’s nothing to stimulate it to use its mind, your cat may not feel satisfied. Over time, this may pile up and result in mental health problems.
Stress and anxiety are the two most common mental problems in cats. Providing catnip toys can help prevent these problems. These toys keep cats busy for hours and prevent separation anxiety. This also helps prevent negative behaviors like scratching furniture and chewing on wires, and shoes.
Quality Playtime
Catnip toys guarantee quality playtime because they are highly effective in improving your cat’s interest in playtime. These can get a lazy cat to jump and run around like crazy, adding fun to playtime. This helps you strengthen your bond with your cat.
The top 5 catnip toys for kittens
To help you choose the best toys, below are the top 5 catnip toys for kittens.
ETEKYER Catnip Toys, Cat Toys, Cat Toys for Indoor Cats, Catnip Toys for Cats, Cat Toys with Catnip, Interactive Cat Toy, Cat Chew Toy, Cat Pillow Toys, Cat Toys for Kittens Kitty
ETEKYER catnip toys are a perfect gift for your kitty. These are small in size and lightweight; easy for your cat to bat, roll and chase. The catnip filled inside the toys attracts your cat and keeps it engaged for a long time.
These catnip toys come in a pack of 5 and have different shapes and sizes. These can have cucumber, eggplant, carrot, etc. shapes. It is made of plush material that is soft and non-toxic. These fulfill the chewing and hunting instincts of your cat.
All toys are hand stitched and safe for your cat.
Potaroma Chirping Cat Toys Balls with SilverVine Catnip, 2022 Upgraded, 3 Pack Fluffy Interactive Cat Kicker, 3 Lifelike Animal Sounds, Kitty Kitten Catnip Exercise Toys
Potaroma interactive chirping toys are surely going to be your cat’s favorite because they have a catnip pouch inside and produce realistic chirping sounds. They come in a pack of 3. A pack contains toys in the shape of a cricket, frog, and bird. These toys are realistic and produce chirping sounds.
The material of toys is soft and non-toxic and built-in batteries are strong enough to power the toy for around 10000 chirps. When left alone, the toy gets quiet automatically to save power. If you feel the effect of catnip has diminished, you can replace the catnip pouch by simply removing the lid.
Potaroma Catnip Toys, 3Pcs Cat Toys Natural Silvervine Stick Cage Balls & Bell Ball for Indoor Cats, Kitten Cleaning Teeth Molar Tools Matatabi Cat Chew Toy
Potaroma natural ball is made up of all-natural catnip and silvervine. It contains no additives and not even adhesives to bind it because it is hand-woven for the safety of your cat.
The catnip in these natural balls is enticing for cats and they spend a lot of time licking and biting these sticks. Biting these sticks has a healthful effect on your cat’s dental health and prevents periodontal diseases. It also prevents negative behaviors by giving the opportunity to express natural behaviors like biting and chewing.
Dorakitten Cat Catnip Toys for Indoor Kitten: 3 Pcs Soft and Durable Pillows Toy – Interactive Cat Kicker Toy with Catmint and Crinkle Plush Cat Chew Teething Clean Toy for Small Cats (Green)
Dorakitten catnip toy is one of the top 5 catnip toys for kittens we have picked for you. It has plush material filled with catnip and cotton. It serves as a lovely pillow and a kicker ball for your cat.
Kicking and battering the catnip toy during playtime keeps your cat physically healthy and the catnip inside plush has a refreshing effect on your cat’s mental health.
The size of catnip toys is suitable for kittens. Just make sure you keep this toy away from aggressive cats away that can tear it apart.
MIAOXSEN Cat Toys 3PCS – Catnip Filled – Included Jingly Bell – Premium Cat Interactive Chew Toy for Indoor Cats
MIAOXSEN cat toy contains dry catnip filled inside it. It is durable enough to withstand the bites of a curious/playful cat. It allows your cat to fulfill its biting instincts and promotes good dental health.
You can get 3 different colored interactive toys that are small enough to be carried around by a kitten. The amount of catnip filled inside is just right for your cat to be attracted to it. It’s a complete package for mental stimulation and physical activity because cats love fish-shaped toys and show great interest.
Conclusion
Catnip toys are among the favorite toys of cats and cat owners. They are enticing for cats because of the active compound nepetalactone which is a powerful psychoactive agent. With a lot of toys available for cats, sometimes it gets tricky to choose the right ones for your pet. To help you with that, we have compiled the top 5 catnip toys for kittens. We are sure you and your kitty are going to love these toys!
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