The key facts

  • Cats prefer 'caught' objects because of the hunting instinct
  • Store-bought toys are often predictable and therefore boring for a cat
  • The owner's scent makes found items safe for play

Hunting instinct instead of the store

Cats may ignore store-bought toys not because of their character or a lack of love for their owner, but because of the peculiarities of their hunting instinct. This was stated by zoopsychologist Yana Nikolaeva in an interview with kp.ru. According to her, a store-bought toy is often predictable: it squeaks, flashes, but moves along a single trajectory, so the cat gets bored. An object the animal has 'caught' itself — a rubber band, a wine cork, or a candy wrapper stolen from the table — on the contrary, triggers hunting excitement: it is unpredictable, light, and rustles.

The role of the owner's scent and tips for choosing toys

An additional factor is the owner's scent: socks, napkins, and other items of the owner found by the pet are perceived as safe objects for play. At the same time, Nikolaeva emphasized that a cat still needs toys. She recommended choosing simple items — small mice, birds, or rustling objects; it is important that the pet can catch the toy and carry it from place to place. For joint play, special wand toys work well for the owner.

Context: how cats read a person's mood

The topic of cat behavior has recently been regularly discussed by zoopsychologists in Russian publications. For example, zoopsychologist at SUPERPET Oksana Ershova previously told Gazeta.Ruthat cats do not understand the meaning of words, but they read intonation, voice timbre, and a person's emotional state well — based on these signals, the animal determines the owner's mood quite accurately. Earlier, the zoopsychologist also explained how to teach a pet not to be afraid of household appliances.