How to find eco-friendly, non-toxic and safe CAT TOYS
Today we have a very fun topic to talk about: Cat Toys. And not just any cat toys, but 🎉tadah!🎉 eco friendly, non-toxic and safe toys for your cat! Why is it important, you may ask? Stay with me, and you’ll find out! I’ll also be sharing a list of safe and affordable cat toys that are easy to find and that cats absolutely LOVE!
If you prefer listening vs reading, check out my YouTube video on this topic.
First, let’s talk about why on Earth is it important? Why should you be mindful about materials and quality of cat toys? Answer is very simple: it’s because kitties chew their toys, lick their toys (especially if there’s catnip or other herbs inside), they sometimes ingest small parts of the toys… You get the idea! In my personal opinion, finding safe non-toxic cat toys is almost as important as feeding your cat a good species-appropriate diet (we’ll talk about it in the future!). And if right now you’re thinking “OMG Vani, finding an eco-friendly non-toxic toy must be like finding a polka-dot daisy that only blooms on full moon!”, or “Oh boy, those toys must cost a fortune!”, I’ve got to tell you that it’s not complicated at all! Once you know what to look out for, it’s pretty easy, and I’ll be happy to guide you! On top of that, I’ll share with you some of the eco-friendly toys that our kitties love.
Let’s talk about the quality and materials of a “standart” cat toy that you can buy in a pet store and online.
What do we see?
Glue (often toxic!)
Polyester and plastic
Seams that are easy to open
Strings
Colored feathers (Why on Earth would you do that?🙀)
Paint, glitter or bells
Would you like to put something like that in your mouth? Ummm thanks but no thanks! In the wild, cats only have access to what Mother Nature provides: wooden sticks, grasses, prey, feathers, leaves, etc. These things are safe and a cat’s stomach should be able to handle it. Our indoor cats don’t have access to all these things, and they also can’t go shopping on their own, do they? Well, not yet at least! So we, as their loving parents, should offer them the best we can!
So, how do we find eco-friendly and safe toys for our furbaby?
Next time you go shopping for a new cat toy, you can ask yourself these questions:
1 - Is it sturdy? Is it high quality?
Meaning: are seams tight? Are there any threads sticking out? Does it look like it can withstand a feisty predator? Try to pick something that feels strong in your hands and looks well-made.
2 - What are the materials?
Try to stay away from any man-made materials, especially plastic, polyester, synthetics, etc. If you see a toy made with cotton, cork, hemp, paper, cardboard – that’s a much healthier and safer choice.
3 – Are there strings?
I recommend staying away from long strings because some cats are obsessed about them and can even ingest it. That is a life-threatening situation, because the string can tangle in their intestines. Please please please stay away from strings, or cut them off from a toy to stay on a safe side! If you buy wand toys, please make sure to put them away after play time, so that your kitty doesn’t have access to it when you’re not around.
4 – Is it natural color?
Try not to pick something with very bright colors, instead pick something natural and earthy-looking. Dyes that are used to make fabric pop with color might not be safe for chewing. I know it’s a hard one, and I still do pick some colored cat toys, but it’s just something to be mindful of. I’d stay away from red and orange colors, because these dyes often contain cadmium.
When buying a toy with feather, please chose the one with real brown/ beige feathers, not the crazy colored ones.
Talking about color, did you know that cats see colors differently than us humans? They see the world in green/ blue shades, so if you want your kitty to see the toy better and clearer, pick those colors!
5 – Is there glue? Paint? Glitter?
If you see glue sticking out or something painted over the fabric, that’s a definite no-no!
6 – Are there any parts that can fall off easily? Or be chewed off easily?
Look out for plastic eyes, long tails, bells.
7 – Where was it made?
It’s almost impossible to stay away from something that was made in China, but let’s do our best. Try to pick something that was made in a country with higher quality standards, or better yet, see if you can find a local handmade artist who makes cat toys. This way you’ll also support small business and a real person! Win-win!
8 – Does it look like something that a cat can find in the wild?
If it looks natural, it’s likely that your cat will like it because on a DNA level it feels familiar. I always try to “bring a little bit of jungle" to my cats to enrich their environment. It’s really fun!
I know we all fall for cute faces and designs! Believe me, I used to buy cat toys that were far from being eco-friendly just because it was Pusheen, or Totoro, or pizza, or ice cream, or something else that I liked. I know it’s tempting, but the hard truth is that cats don’t care! They just don’t! They don’t know Pusheen or Luke Skywalker, and they never ate ice cream, so they really don’t care what design or color it is (unless it’s green or blue, as I explained before). Cats would likely find that a plain matatabi stick is much more attractive than a cute fluffy Lamb Chop. These marketing gurus know what us humans like and fall for, so they make toys that are appealing to us first and foremost, forgetting that these toys will actually be used by an animal, not a human. After I realized this, it was easier to pick better toys for our kitties, because if I wanted something with Totoro for example, I could just get myself a pin, and be done with it.
Do you want to know what eco-friendly toys our babies have? Here we go!
Quick disclosure here: I’m not an affiliate with any of these brands. All the products I recommend here are just that – my recommendations based on my own research and preferance.
From the Field
It’s my absolute favorite company! From the Field offers cat and dog parents an opportunity to please their fur babies without hurting their environment - how cool is that?
They make high quality and earth friendly cat and dog toys using materials such as hemp, wood, cork and potent fresh organically grown catnip
Their catnip and all products are grown and produced in Washington state in USA
They use hemp, a highly renewable resource that grows without pesticides and is fully biodegradable
They offer different formats of catnip: leaf and flower, whole buds, fine ground, catnip pellets, and catnip essential oil liquid spray called Rejuvenator
They also created blends with valerian root and silver vine
Price range $3.20 - $16.99 for sets
Americat
Made in the USA from non-toxic and safe materials: U.S. corrugated cardboard and non-toxic, vegan glue FDA approved for food contact
Their balls are fully recyclable
Price: $11.99 for a pack of 3 and free shipping on all orders!
Yeowww
Their toys are 100% and fully stuffed with premium, organically grown catnip. No cotton fillers, no plastic pieces, and certainly none of that cheaper ‘toy grade’ stuff
All of their toys are handmade in the USA. Each toy is individually stuffed and hand-sewn
The fabric is high quality cotton twill using only non-bleed vegetable-based dyes. This fabric is strong enough to withstand scratching, biting and bunny-kicking
They work with private farmers in the USA and sample each catnip harvest to pick the highest quality based on freshness, color and aroma. No chemicals or pesticides are used in cultivation
They only use the leaves and flower tops of catnip
Price range $2.99 - $15 for sets
Ethical Pet Love The Earth Wood Feather Cat Toy
Made from upcycled materials - natural wood, chicken feathers and raffia
Price $5.99
KONG Naturals Straw Balls
Made with eco-friendly materials
KONG Naturals are ecologically responsible cat toys. The materials and dyes used come from natural, renewable resources
For these balls, they offer refillable catnip pouches so you can re-use the toy over and over again
Price $4.99 for a pack of 2
Teaser Cat Toy
Made of just metal and cardoard!
Price $2.99
Please watch my YouTube video to see all these toys in action!
This is all my friends, I hope this information was helpful to you! Feel free to share this article with your friends, and let’s keep our furbabies happy and healthy!
~ Vani 🐚