My friend Rosie came over to my RV and had this pink headband in her hair. After a while of being over, she took her headband off to give her head a rest from the pressure it created. She tossed it on the bed, not thinking much about it, but that’s where my cat Ninja was laying down happily and calmly.

She turned to the headband and sniffed it, then went CRAZY!

I turned out the headband was broken a bit anyway, so Rosie ended up donating it to Ninja because she loved it so very much. Maybe it was the stretchy-ness, maybe the color, the texture… but it was Ninja’s favorite and eventually it was in so many pieces that I ended up tossing it out.

Sometimes the slightest things can make the BEST toys for our beloved pets.

Remember my post on the Best Cat Toy Ever? Well, I still stand by that article, of course, when it comes to my cat Ninja. In order to spend as much time with her as I can, especially play time, I sometimes bring her into my dressing rooms in the various arenas I perform in.

My time performing is my time away from her, so seeing her in between performing my acts is a fun way to spend random quality time with her and have some fun.

Look for time in your day where you can incorporate a few extra moments to play with your cat today.

It’s great because she has never gotten the ball out, but we can if we really pull.

I sprinkle cat nip on the center part (cardboard) for their claws and she goes crazy. The catnip stays in there because of the creases so it never gets old!

You can find this toy at your local petstore or online at the Cat Connection!

The one night I sleep with earplugs in… sigh… it had been such a long time I forgot my cat had this insane obsession with them… until I dropped them on my desk and she rushed up to lick them!

Gross! I moved them away from her and told her to leave them alone. She found it hard to resist them and like a flash, I forgot again within a minute and went downstairs to get my breakfast. When I came back…

This is what they looked like:

If you look close, you will notice the left one is missing the side that sticks out. Thank goodness it doesn’t take me long to make a bowl of cereal! I made it back in time to probably salvage them once they’re thoroughly cleaned…

So in case your cat has this obsession too and you haven’t discovered it yet, keep your earplugs hidden!

Aside from the tons of toys you can provide your cat with and offer to play along with it, and providing your cat some outside time to entertain itself, you can also offer your cat “foraging” opportunities.

What does that even mean?!

To forage, or foraging means:

verb: collect or look around for (food)
noun: the act of searching for food

Foraging is what all animals do in the wild for their food and it’s VERY instinctive for animals, including cats. This is why so many of our outdoor cats hunt down lizards, large bugs, and small birds. It’s instinct.

Providing your cat with opportunities to look for its food around your house it very stimulating and gets a lazy cat up and active as well as eager to find the next hiding spot! When doing this for the first time you will want to pick easy spots like on the ground under a table, or on top of a couch the cat is allowed on. As your cat gets better at it, you can choose harder places to get to and even advance to making your cat its own foraging toy!

Get creative, you can make your own or use toys at petstores to create one. You can use its regular hard food or hard treats for these toys, but wet or soft food is not recommended for this type of thing! That can get messy and stinky around your house! It’s also harder for the cat to get the hard food at, keeping it busier longer.

This photo is my cat Ninja playing under some pieces she found on the ground, she finds her way under them and then lashes out with her paws at anything she THINKS might be in her path!

It’s seriously the most hilarious thing to watch. I am so glad I got the photo.

Even since finding out that organic capnip existed, I’ve switched right over to it and the reaction from my cat is still just the same and just as fun! Something about it having the USDA label of being organic makes it seem safer, though. Even though I’ve never had a cat react negatively to the stuff.

There’s even products out there that help you grow your own catnip! Who knew?

Capnip can help greatly when teaching your cat what he can and can’t scratch his nails on. Simply put it in the areas you want your cat to pay attention to and I bet you will see him ALL over those spots over any others you don’t really want him interested in!

It was taken in a hotel room while we were on the road, and I bought something spicy and Ninja had a ball with the box! She loves bags and boxes so after I’ve gone grocery shopping is her ULTIMATE play time!

Boxes and bags galore. She figured out how to get in the bag, or at least hook it around her neck and/or leg and she will find a way inside the box.

I happened to catch her in this picture when she was totally hyped up about life and playing enthusiastically!

My cat Ninja, is always included in the holidays since my husband and I don’t have “real” kids (by that I mean human kids, haha) and so she gets pretty spoiled with Christmas gifts for every holiday!

One year she got this Crinkle Tunnel Cat Toy ($15) and although it’s a pretty big toy once you take it out, it packs super small so it’s very nice for putting it away. Anyway, Ninja had a blast in this thing and gets so excited when it comes out because it has holes in random places she never expects and she loves being “inside” places, as you can probably tell from the picture above of her in it…

Ninja highly recommends this toy for every cat! And for multiple cats? Well, she wouldn’t know anything about sharing…

Oh, and lets not forget the fact that you can get all different kinds of these tunnels. Ninja got leopard print, but you can actually get tunnels that look like a goldfish swallowed your kitty!