Halloween is a great time of year for cats! Intelligent humans around the world have recognized the importance of providing their kitties with appropriate sorts of tribute to keep the peace, and Halloween provides the perfect opportunity to show your favorite feline friend that you care about its well-being. Read on for reviews of the 10 best Halloween cat toys and information about what to keep in mind when making a choice!
A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites in 2024
| Image | Product | Details | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Best Overall
|
|
Goody Box Halloween Cat Toys and Treats |
|
Check Price |
Best Value
|
|
Halloween Cat Tracks Toy |
|
Check Price |
Premium Choice
|
|
Halloween Teaser Wand Cat Toy with Catnip |
|
Check Price |
|
13-Day Halloween Advent Calendar with Toys |
|
Check Price | |
|
2-Story Halloween Cardboard Cat House Mansion |
|
Check Price |
The 5 Best Halloween Cat Toys
1. Goody Box Halloween Cat Toys and Treats — Best Overall
| Toy type: | Gift box |
| Material: | Polyester, synthetic fabric, treats |
Goody Box provides a fun Halloween-themed collection that’ll delight the devil in your favorite feline friend. It’s our choice for the best overall Halloween cat toy due to the variety of toys and treats included in this nicely curated box.
The collection features six products: salmon-flavored treats, spider and plush donut toys, lobster and cheese crunchy treats, lickable tuna paste, and a scrunchy foldable play tunnel. Because it comes as a bundle, you’ll spend about 30% less than you would if you decided to purchase each item individually. It’s not a subscription, so you don’t have to cancel anything after you order!
2. Halloween Cat Tracks Toy — Best Value
| Toy type: | Track toy |
| Material: | Plastic |
The Halloween Cat Tracks Toy will keep your furry friend busy for hours. The tiered circular tower features three levels of fun with balls your favorite cat can smack and bat at until their heart’s content. Best of all, it’s affordable and our choice for the best Halloween cat toy for the money. A springy plush toy featuring a feather sits at the top of the toy, giving your cat something to torment with its feline prowess. The product has a replacement attachment for the top shaped like a spooky bat!
| Toy type: | Wand toys |
| Material: | Plastic, polyester |
The Halloween Teaser Wand Cat Toy comes with a sturdy plastic wand and three fun attachments: a bat/ghost combination, a pumpkin with an enticing feather, and a spider dangling from a spiderweb. All three contain catnip to elevate your buddy’s experience to nirvana-like levels of kitty bliss. The wand features backup toys that allow you to switch teasers, extending the toy’s life. Store the toys you aren’t using somewhere cool and dark, preferably in a nice airtight container, to ensure the catnip remains fresh for longer!
4. 13-Day Halloween Advent Calendar with Toys
| Toy type: | Advent calendar |
| Material: | Cardboard, paper, catnip, plush fabric |
The 13-Day Halloween Advent Calendar is the perfect way to show your kitty how much you love it. The box contains 13 fun cat-friendly gifts, and you can provide a new one every day in the weeks before the spookiest holiday of the year to get your cat excited for the big day! It’s packed with kitty-approved products like plush toys, crinkly balls, teasers, balls with bells, and witches and devils with fluffy chase-inspiring tails. There are even a few plush toys stuffed full of catnip to take your feline’s celebration to the next level.
5. 2-Story Halloween Cardboard Cat House Mansion
| Toy type: | Cat house |
| Material: | Cardboard |
This fun cat house mansion delivers Halloween-themed fun that adds just the right decorative touch to your home while giving your cat a fun toy to enjoy. Your furry buddy can hide on the inside of the “mansion” or stretch its back as it enjoys the scratching pad on the roof.
The cat house is made of heavy-duty cardboard, and there’s probably not a cat alive that doesn’t love curling up in a cardboard box! Don’t worry if you have a hefty feline devil at home; the mansion can safely hold up to 50 pounds.
Buyer’s Guide: Picking the Best Cat Toys for Halloween
When selecting the ideal toy for your cat, there are several factors to keep in mind, including how your cat likes to play, their specific mental and physical stimulation needs, and your preferences. Below we’ll discuss a few of the essential elements to consider when picking a suitable cat toy for your furry companion.
Why Do Cats Need Toys?
Cats are natural predators that need physical and mental stimulation to remain happy and healthy. Cats that don’t get enough exercise often become overweight and are at increased risk for diseases related to obesity, arthritis, kidney disease, and diabetes. Indoor cats that have been spayed or neutered tend to gain weight easily. Toys encourage cats to get off the couch and move, which goes a long way to ensure your kitty maintains a healthy weight.
Cats also need plenty of mental stimulation. Kitties that don’t get enough playtime often begin to suffer from boredom, anxiety, and other mental health conditions. Cats that are anxious or bored often resort to harmful or aggravating behaviors like repetitive licking or continuous meowing. Intelligent cats without mental stimulation pick up on ways to irritate their owner and engage in naughty behavior to elicit attention.
Cats enjoy stimulating their minds as well as running, chasing objects, jumping, scratching, pouncing, and batting at things. A cat can indulge in its desire to chase things with a milk jug ring, but that activity won’t give them an opportunity to scratch or bat at things that fly through the air. Providing your cat with various toys allows them to meet all their instinctual needs.
What Are Some of the Different Types of Toys to Consider
Below we’ll point out the advantages and disadvantages of a few of the most popular cat toys.
Well-designed toys will keep your cat happy and engaged. For a sturdy, fun toy that will look nice in your living room, we recommend Hepper’s Catnip Stick Toy! These toys are designed to look like prey and double-bagged to stand up to your cat’s sharpest claws and teeth. Plus, they’re filled with organic catnip and handmade in the USA.
At Pet Keen, we’ve admired Hepper for many years, and decided to take a controlling ownership interest so that we could benefit from the outstanding designs of this cool cat company!
Wand toys and teasers are fantastic options that let your cat stalk, chase, pounce, stand on its hind legs, and bat at things. They are super flexible and give you many ways to interact with your cat. They tend to be relatively inexpensive, and you can often find options filled with catnip to elevate your feline’s experience to the next level of fun. You’ll need to put these teasers away when you’re not using them since they have long strings that can break.
Laser Pointers
Laser pointers offer a less physically demanding way for you to interact with your cat. Your cat can still get all the running, jumping, pounding, and batting with a teaser or wand, but you don’t have to be as physically involved to have a good time. They’re great options for older pet owners who want to give their felines a fun physical workout. You’ll still need to provide a toy that your cat can catch. Kitties enjoy going after laser pointers, but being unable to grab their “prey” and give it a good shake can be frustrating. Laser pointers should never be pointed directly at your cat’s eyes, which can cause blindness.
Balls and Tiny Rodents
Small cat-sized balls can be fun for kitties to play with: the plastic kind with bells inside and the crinkly sort that make a fun rodent-like noise when batted around. Balls are usually quite affordable and often come in multipacks with other toys. They’re particularly useful if you’re away from home for long hours. Just leave a few out, and your cat will have something to entertain themselves. Small rodent-like toys work on the same concept.
Plush Toys
Plush toys give cats a fun way to entertain themselves when you’re not around. Most resemble a small rodent, and almost all feature catnip. You can even find options that allow you to put more catnip inside as needed, which can significantly extend the life of the toys. Most cats enjoy playing with plush toys on their own. However, some like to play “fetch” with their favorite plush toy and enjoy chasing the toy after you throw it!
Food Puzzles
Food puzzles provide cats with both mental and physical stimulation. You put a treat in the toy and let your cat smack and chase the puzzle until they manage to get hold of the food. They’re one of the best options for smart cats that have a tendency to become naughty when understimulated. Since your cat will also have to work to get their food, the toys ensure your feline gets extra exercise during the day, which can help keep their weight under control.
Electronic and “Interactive” Toys
Interactive toys run the gamut from robotic mice to whack-a-mole-style contraptions. They can be expensive and aren’t designed to encourage human-cat interaction, but they give your cat a fun way to stay active and mentally engaged when you’re not around. Keep in mind that these products are not a substitute for human-kitty playtime.
Scratchers
Kitties that don’t have scratching posts often begin scratching chairs, sofas, and other upholstered items. While providing a good scratching post isn’t a surefire way to keep your pet from destroying your couch, it’ll significantly cut down on the destruction.
Tunnels and Cardboard Houses
Crinkly tunnels and houses provide cats with hours of fun, hiding places, and hidden cubby holes to wind down in. Tunnels are thin, flexible structures your cat can climb into. Some kitties enjoy using tunnels for games of hide and seek, while others find them perfect for napping. Cardboard “houses” are souped-up cardboard boxes, and most cats can barely wait to jump into any box that comes into the house. Cardboard cat houses often have a few extra special features, such as catnip-infused scratch pads.
Cost
Some cats live for more than 20 years, and they never stop needing stimulation and enjoying the challenges of plush hunting. Interactive and electronic toys are the most expensive choices, while basic, time-tested options such as crinkle balls often come in affordable multipacks. Teasers and laser pointers provide a nice middle ground, and a sturdy used cardboard box can be an affordable alternative to a cardboard cat mansion or house. For plush toys, you can save a ton of money by using brands that let you refill the catnip instead of having to purchase a new toy.
Your Cat’s Preferences
While it’s tempting to choose toys based on what you think your cat needs, it’s more important to pay attention to the types of toys they actually enjoy playing with. Some cats love to chase things but will completely ignore crinkle balls. Others won’t bother with teasers but love to grab plush toys.
Your Preferences
Interacting with your cat is central to maintaining a strong bond. Entertaining your feline is critical in creating a solid relationship with your pet, but it’s also important to be realistic about your limitations. Teasers aren’t necessarily the best options if you’re busy and don’t have time to engage with your cat, and they aren’t great if you have mobility or balance limitations. Plush toys and interactive options provide cats with opportunities for self-directed play that’s great if you’re often away from home or too tired to run around with a teaser after a long day at work.
Conclusion
The Halloween Cat Toys & Treats box takes the top spot in our review thanks to the fantastic variety of options included in the collection. The Halloween Cat Tracks Toy is an excellent budget option that’ll provide your cat with hours of entertainment. The Halloween Teaser Wand Cat Toy with Catnip, 3 Count, is a great interactive way to get your kitty moving. And the 13-Day Halloween Advent Calendar with Toys for Cats provides a sweet way for you and your feline to prepare for the best holiday of the year!
Featured Image Credit: Anton27, Shutterstock
