Most of us have introduced catnip toys to our cats. I’ve noticed that some cats react strongly to catnip and others…not so much. Evidently, just fifty percent of cats are turned on by catnip. If your cat doesn’t respond to catnip, and you’d like to see her chill, run around in circles, behave rather silly, try toys with honeysuckle. Yes, honeysuckle. Evidently, eighty-five percent of cats are thought to respond to honeysuckle.
I can tell you that I sure love the scent of honeysuckle. It’s one of my favorites. However, I understand that the honeysuckle scent in cat toys doesn’t come from the blossom, but the woody parts of a honeysuckle plant. And probably not the vine we see here in California.
As I researched this concept, I further discovered that there are 180 species of honeysuckle. Who knew?
Let’s not go off the deep end, though. DO NOT pick honeysuckle blossoms, berries, and 
leaves from plants growing on our neighbor’s fence. These parts of the plant could be toxic to your cats. If you want to introduce honeysuckle to your cats, buy a honeysuckle toy from a reputable company. Make sure the honeysuckle wood is inside a sturdy toy. You may not want to give this toy to a cat who’s apt to chew into it.
Some of the best all around cat toys, especially for inside cats, are those that inspire activity. And many of those require human involvement. This is a good thing. Exercise is important for cats, as it is for us. And when you play with your cat, you are bonding.
Establish a habit of playing with your cat at a certain time each day or evening. He’ll love it. He’ll look forward to playtime as eagerly as he looks forward to his treats. The more consistent you are in engaging your cat, the more responsive he will be. In other words, carve playtime out of your day each day at the same time.
While some cats will play fetch, most would rather chase something you toss again and again, relying on you as the retriever. Dangle or wriggle a wand toy and encourage your cat to bat at it and chase it. I prefer wand toys with feathers on the end. I avoid toys with strings attached. Once one of our formerly feral cats got caught in the string and it frightened her terribly. Try the Cat Dancer wand. It has a snake-like creature on the end that intrigues most cats.
Make sure your cats have climbing apparatus. If it’s carpeted, all the better, as they can claw on it as well as climb on it. The more levels and cubbies and hammocks, the better, as well.
Did you know there are robotic mice that propel around on their own? Now that’s gotta be fun for a cat who has hunting instincts—and don’t they all?
Simply watch your cat to see what kind of play she’s most interested in. Does she enjoy 
chasing something she can see or trying to catch something hidden that moves under a piece of cloth or newspaper? Does she like racing around the room and bouncing off the backs of the furniture? Is she fascinated by what’s outside—does she spend time at the window? Maybe she enjoys playing with something soft and spongy or something that makes noise as it rolls and bounces? If you notice what sort of items she steals or bats around the house, you can probably duplicate it with an actual toy designed for cats—bottle caps, a wad of paper, sheets of newspaper, for example.
In our house, Lily likes carrying stuffed toys around in her mouth and depositing them 
here and there. She also gets excited about catnip and most anything that moves erratically. Sophie gets a lot of exercise tossing a stuffed baby possum around by the tail. Her toys must have a tail or some other extension she can grab to toss.
Not every cat likes every toy. That’s why there’s such a variety at your local pet store. After observing your cat’s preferences in entertainment, visit your pet store and choose the toys you think she will appreciate. Remember, you want to encourage your cat to be more active. Spoiling her is optional.
