What inanimate objects bring your cat joy?

[violetbunny]

Our two cats seem to get joy from the oddest things (besides the usual tin of cat food being opened of course!)

BoyCat loves nothing better than to shred a roll of toilet paper. We've stopped hanging it on the actual holder in the bathroom now, otherwise he'll happily pull it from the roll, shredding it into a million tiny pieces as he goes. (He knows he's not allowed to as you can see by the guilty look on his face in the picture...)

GirlCat has a weird obsession with cotton buds. If she sees one, she'll meow at it until she can get hold of it and chew it. I've had to move where I keep them as she worked out how to open the drawer with her claws and get into the box.

What random things or objects do your cats get weirdly excited about?

I’ve just ordered a job lot of Velcro collars for Havelock as his original one is on its last legs.
He’ll probably turn his nose up in disgust at them.

Inter-dental brushes!! It started when he stole one of mine from by the bedroom sink... he now has a large collection of his own under sofas / fridges etc.
He just loves chasing them, flipping them, having them kicked across wooden floors to chase. He will even repeatedly bring them up to you on the sofa or the bed in order to play fetch!

Ice cubes. specifically the 'bought' ice cubes with a hollow middle.
Every time we go in the freezer, they make a mad dash to sit inside the open door, totally getting in the way, in hopeful anticipation of a stray ice cube being dropped to the floor.

One ice cube batted around the kitchen floor gives at least half hour of frantic exercise.
It's totally adorable but not quite as adorable as their faces when the beloved ice cube melts.

^We definitely need photos!

I went out and bought pipe cleaners on the basis that MN Recommendations are never wrong.

Well that may have been true for things like scarves and heated airers and thousands of other items but cats clearly don't know this.

She looked at me like I was stupid (she always does to be fair) and didn't play!

Cable ties, not too big or small, the plastic ring pulls from DS's soya milk. He will carry them all over the house

I love that this thread is still going!

This was GirlCat yesterday, having pilfered yet another cotton bud. She does extra happy little grunty purrs when she gets hold of one

@Gonewiththemadness I had to fish several wrappers out of the late Fatty's mouth. 🤢 I think she actually managed to swallow one once. (I think she regretted trying that one) I was watching the litter tray like a hawk for days. I never saw it again!!

Oh dear @Toddlerteaplease, I bet she did 😹. I wonder whatever happened to it!
Luckily ours doesn’t try to eat them just guards them with her life growling at her siblings and mum if they come near her 😹.
She’s actually the mischief maker of them all and also the most babied still by mum which is very sweet.
Our wallpaper bandit is now over the wallpaper as cardboard box fort is made and she loves it!
Wrapping presents and especially adding ribbon and bows was quite the adventure with them all excited about the ribbon!

This is our little wrapper thief enjoying Christmas! 😹🎄

My one goes nuts for hair grips. I have to keep them all hidden away most of the time.

Glittery pipe cleaners (actually called 'sparkle stems'!!!)

They're amazing. Hours of fun.

Paper bags! The best things ever for hiding in and shredding.

Cats have more or less stopped eating our plastic Christmas tree, and have taken a shine to trashing the spider plants in our bathroom- I keep finding leaves around the house.

Girl kitten appeared to be going into heat earlier this week (thank goodness boy was 'done' and she is booked in after Xmas) and decided that rolling around on and shredding a used kitchen J cloth (those blue and white things) was the best thing going.

@Madcats I love plants but the only ones that have survived sadly in our house are cacti, a sansevieria plant (only because it’s on a fire place surround being guarded by a cacti either side!) and strangely an umbrella tree plant. They don’t touch that one!
I had to get rid of a leopard lily and a dragon tree as they were toxic to cats but they annihilated my spider plants, my fan palm and another couple I had.
I have a plan for a hanging plant arrangement next year which they can’t reach

My colleagues have been playing with the patients weekend craft box, so I've stolen a couple of pipe cleaners for the girls!

The late Moog's favourite toy was a walnut (in its shell). He used to take it to bed with him every night. A friend accidentally stepped on it but Moog would never take to another walnut in the same way. This thread also reminded me of the time the dog got hold of a marshmallow one Christmas and played with it for 2 days before she realised she could eat it.

My dd’s shopkins toy! It’s a little laptop one (I think) she goes ridiculously excited and I keep finding it in corners of the house where she’s been playing with it 😁

Pipe cleaners. He loves them.