If you are in a rush and want to skip ahead to our top cat chew toy look no further than the Petstages Catnip Plaque Away Pretzel
Most kittens show signs of teething by 2 weeks of age. From this time, they will start feeling an irresistible urge to bite anything they come across.
For this reason, many people buy kitten toys. They allow kitties to satisfy their natural urge while not ruining your furniture, cables, or other things in the house.
But deciding what chew toys for cats to buy can be a daunting task, especially if that’s your first kitten. There are so many products in the market that one doesn’t even know where to start.
In this guide, you will learn about the benefits of kittens teething toys, their most important attributes, precautions to take when using them, and how to choose the best for your adorable kitten.
Finally, I will review my top four favorite cat teething toys below.
- SmartyKat Catnip Chew Toys (also available on Chewy.com!)
- Yeowww! Catnip Toy, Yellow Banana (also available on Chewy.com!)
- Petstages Catnip Plaque Away Pretzel (also available on Chewy.com!)
- WoLover Natural Silvervine Sticks For Cats
I sincerely hope that this will help you make the right decision for your beautiful kitties.
Why should I buy Cat Chew Toys?
It is normal for kittens to bite anything when teething. They feel urges, much like babies feel the urge to grab and hold your finger when you place it near their hands.
It’s instinct.
While teething, kittens may feel slightly sore and they chew to find comfort. This is why it is best to provide them with chew toys for cats. These toys are specifically designed to safely reduce teething discomfort while providing an opportunity to play.
How Will Cat Chew Toys Benefit My Kittens?
There are actually many benefits that your kittens (or even an adult cat) will derive from cat chew toys. We listed the most important benefits below to give you an idea.
Chew toys for cats will:
- improve cats’ dental health and breath by helping remove tartar from their teeth and keeping healthy gums
- help to keep your kittens busy in a non-destructive way as you can see in the video below (SUPER CUTE KITTY ALERT!)
- help to curb undesirable behaviors like gnawing and biting wildly.
- provide comfort to your kittens
- good for exercising jaw muscles.
- some will contain catnip or mint which bring an array of other benefits
What to look for in Teething Cat Toys
There are many chew toys for cats in the market. To start differentiating among them, these are the attributes that you should pay attention to.
- Safety – Our kittens are our lives. For this reason, safety is surely the most important thing we want to consider. We go into more detail on this later but in general, avoid toys with anything that could represent a choking hazard. Also, be sure to avoid toys with sharp edges (I’m shocked that companies even produce some of these!)
- Texture – Many cat chew toys have a firm consistency, the sweet spot is to find toys with medium firmness, neither too tough nor too soft.
- Material – Many manufacturers use rubber or plastic to create their cat chew toys. Yet, woolen kitten toys are usually more soothing and they can be filled with mint or catnip, which could have some beneficial effects on your cat. Always make sure that the materials used are non-toxic.
- Decorations – As mentioned, it is best to avoid toys that have decorations. Those are actually parts that could break away from the toy and inadvertently get ingested, which is something we want to avoid.
- Size – For kittens, it is best to opt for toys that come in miniature sizes, so that your kittens can easily play and carry them around.
Precautions When Using Cat Chew Toys
Chew toys for kittens are generally safe, however, it is still best to follow some guidelines to ensure that your kittens do not get hurt.
- Avoid toys that your kittens can rip apart easily to prevent a choking hazard. Monitor your feline or occasionally inspect toys and withdraw ripped ones before the beautiful kittens can ingest any of the contents.
- If the material of the toy is too tough, it can damage your kitten’s delicate teeth. Ensure that the material is soft but resistant and can stand the wear and tear.
- Avoid kitten chewing toys that have decorations like feathers or buttons. You don’t want your baby cats to swallow anything unsafe.
- Ensure that the material is non-toxic. All the ones we reviewed below are not toxic, but you can never be too careful.
The Best Cat Chew Toys
Over the years, I have bought several playthings for my lovely cats. Below is a review of each of my favorites.
SmartyKat Catnip Cat Toys
This chewing toy for cats is a front-runner. The innovative design and the modest size make my cats love it. It’s crafted with durable fabric made from 100% recycled plastic. The package contains three different options of mice looking alive enough to fire up the hunting instincts of your kitties every time.
Pros ✔️
- Lightweight; easy to carry and swat around the house
- Adequate release of catnip for full excitement and energetic activity
- Durable, non-toxic fabric (made from 100% recycled plastic) allows extended use
- Comes with an extra supply of catnip
- Mice design draws your kittens’ attention.
- Very affordable
Cons ❌
- Fabric is tough, but it can tear and will need replacement when that happens. Supervise your cats and withdraw if it gets torn
- Very small, can be lost easily
Yeowww! Catnip Toy, Yellow Banana
This yellow banana-shaped catnip chew toy is another winner with my cats. It’s filled with 100% organic “cat crack.” I love watching my cats spend time playing with this amazing product from Yeowww!
Pros ✔️
- Fully stuffed with 100% organically grown catnip to attract your cats
- Soft and durable high quality texture for long-lasting use
- The soft texture makes my cats treat it like a comfy seat. I have observed them sitting or lying on it several times.
Cons ❌
- Material is tough but cats can still tear it eventually
Petstages Catnip Plaque Away Pretzel
This pretzel-like cat toy was crafted with your kitties’ dental health in mind. It features a special netting that helps to floss your kittens’ teeth and rid them of soft tartar as they chew the toy.
The toy is unique in design and lightweight, making it easy for cats to carry around.
This is my most popular recommendation.
Pros ✔️
- Great for dental health
- The powerful catnip aroma attracts and maintains kitten’s attention
- Special netting keeps the toy intact regardless of the intense chewing, making it safe for you to leave around unlike most other toys
- Compact size makes it perfect for swatting around.
Cons ❌
- Although created for dental health, this toy is not a substitute to teeth brushing.
WoLover Natural Silvervine Sticks for Cats
Although not a toy in the regular sense, these kitten teething “chew-sticks” will keep your cat entertained for a long time.
The package contains 12 sticks of 100% natural Silvervine which produces similar effects to catnip. If your kitten is not a fan of catnip, she might enjoy this one.
Pros ✔️
- The package comes with 12 pieces for an extended period of energetic activity
- You can refresh silvervine potency of the Silvervine by peeling off the outer layer after a long “chew-time.”
- Useful for keeping your kitties busy if they like it
Cons ❌
- Not all cats love Silvervine
The winner is…
If I were to pick a winner out of the cat teething toys reviewed above, my choice will be Petstages Catnip Plaque Away Pretzel.
Out of all the four, that’s the one that holds together for the longest time. Even when/if the outer part rips, the intricately net will stay together, making it unlikely for your cats to accidentally swallow parts.
I hope this can help you decide which cat chew toy to buy. In case you still have difficulty choosing one, you can try two of them and see which one your kitties love. Different cats will have different preferences.
What is most crucial is that your cats have something to comfort them during their teething process and keep their teeth clean and free of tartar.
Happy Playing!
Resources
- Gingivitis in Cats, page 1. Alex German, Feb. 05, 2010. Pet MD Website https://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/mouth/c_ct_gingivitis
- Hunting and Feeding Behaviours of Cats, subtitle 1. Dr Peter Messent, May 26, 2017. True Instinct Website https://www.trueinstinct.com/en/dogs-cats-advices/hunting-and-feeding-behaviour-cats
- Kitten Teething, subtitle 2. Green Cross Vets Website https://www.greencrossvets.com.au/services/kitten-teething/
- Kitten Teething: What to Expect and What to Do, subtitle 4. Amira, Jun 11, 2017. Cattention Website https://cattention.com/kitten-teething/#kittenteethingsymptoms
- Truth About Catnip, page 1. Fetch Website by WebMD. https://pets.webmd.com/cats/catnip-effects-on-cats#1
- Teeth and Oral Health, page 3. Cat Protection, Veterinary Guide 14 https://www.cats.org.uk/media/1043/vg14_teeth_and_oral_health.pdf
- What is Silvervine and Why Do Cats Love it? CatsWillPlay, April 30, 2018. CatsWillPlay Website https://www.catswillplay.com/silver-vine/