Of course, there are many cat toys available in stores, some of which can get quite expensive. And there is nothing more disappointing than spending a small fortune on the "ultimate" cat toy, only to have the cat ignore it!

This article describes the world's best FREE cat toy and how to get it and use it. You can save a fortune and have kitty busy for hours. It is also an excuse to show off cute kitty pictures.

------------------------------------

The Secret

The great secret is that the toy is something we humans would not consider a toy at all. It is a corrugated paper box (more popularly called a cardboard box)!

Okay, now don't go away fuming that there was no secret here. Actually, there is a secret to making it last. Always remember this advice:

Wherever there is an empty box, in five minutes, there will be a cat in it.

The secret is how you "trick" the cat into thinking of it as a toy.

-----------------------------------

"Making" The Toy

Here are the five simple steps for "making" this great free toy that will give you, and your cat, something to enjoy for hours and days, and costs you basically nothing.

1. Go out and buy something for yourself that comes in a corrugated paper box. You can buy something on-line and have it shipped, order by phone, or even buy something in the store. Believe it or not, the corrugated paper box that hold 12-packs of Ramen noodles are fascinating to some cats! So this doesn't require a lot of thought.

2. When you arrive home with the item in the box, or the package is delivered, make a HUGE fuss over it. Pretend it is more valuable than gold and vocally say "Oh, isn't this SO wonderful and important! This is really special." Your cat will pick up on the vibe (even if you are pretending) and now the box is important to kitty.

Why? Because it is important to you. Kitty is very good at thinking "outside the box" because most cats don't have any real concept of "inside the box". So to kitty, the box, and your excitement over it, is what matters.

3. Be very possessive about your box and make it seem like this is something you'd NEVER share. Open the box carefully, cutting along the tape seams so it still has moveable flaps. Carefully remove the contents and packing material and dispose of it -- some of this can be harmful to kitty if ingested. Think abut it, would YOU eat those foam noodles used in packing?

4. Toss the empty box onto the floor somewhere as if it doesn't matter in the least, and go about playing with whatever it is you bought.

5. Within five minutes, you will have a cat in the box. If you have more than one cat, they will all be curious and take turns/fight over who gets to sit in the box.

THAT'S IT! You now have The World's BEST FREE cat toy!

-------------------------------------

A few "be carefuls" here:

Don't ever seal kitty up in the box! This is cruel -- not funny, and kitty will learn that boxes are dangerous, and never play this game again.

Don't ever kick or smack the box when kitty is "hiding" in it.

Don't ever turn the box over on kitty and trap him/her inside it. This is just plain nasty. Besides, kitty will eventually do it to herself, given half a chance. But when kitty does it, the box is light enough that kitty can get out from under it.

DO remove any loose tape or labels. Some cats like the glue and it is not good for them to chew on it.

-------------------------------------

Re-Initializing Your Cat Toy - Maximizing Play Value

Eventually, kitty will become used to the box, and it will no longer have any play value. In this case, you can get rid of the box and get another one (not terribly difficult if you are really into shopping), or, for some fun, you can re-initialize the toy you already have.

1. Crumple up some newspapers and stick them, and some article (an old shoe, perhaps, a broken radio, etc. NOT KITTY) inside the box as if you were going to mail it to someone.

2. Seal the box with packing tape.

3. Take the box to your neighbor and ask him/her to keep it for at least 24 hours. Your neighbor should slide the box around on his/her floor. This will be explained in a moment. Let your neighbor in on the trick, if you like.

4. Arrange for your neighbor to bring back the box a day or two later. Your neighbor should ring the bell and say "Delivery!" You should make a big fuss about this wonderful new thing that is being delivered. Now, your neighbor can join you in the next part of the adventure if you like, it can be very entertaining.

5. Take the box into another room and make a big fuss over it as before. Be sure and let kitty think this is something you don't want to share!

6. As before, carefully open the box and remove the contents, then toss the box on the floor as if you don't care about it.

7. In five minutes, you will have a cat in the box, fascinated by it once more. If your neighbor is playing along, this will be a source of great amusement.

------------------------------------

Why This Works

Cats have a tremendous sense of smell, and scent tells them many things and sparks their imagination and curiosity. When you gave the box to your neighbor, who dragged it across the floor, it imbued the box with a new scent (unless your cat spends a lot of time at your neighbor's house.)

When your neighbor returned with the box, it now had a completely new scent on it for kitty to explore. As far as kitty is concerned, it's a whole new box! But it is slightly confusing because kitty can also smell the scent of you in it, from the article you placed in the box. This is confused by the newspaper smell. All these aromas have gotten into the paper of the box (which is porous after all), and it is a puzzle for kitty to figure out using his/her nose.

Try it, you'll enjoy the experience, and it costs you nothing!

For added fun, have your camera ready for some great snapshots, which you can post on the Internet and people will say "Aw, that's so cute!"

----------------------------------

BONUS Ideas:

Other Materials

Cats sometimes enjoy styrofoam packing as well! Just watch and ensure the cat doesn't try to eat the foam, which might be dangerous.

Fun for you and kitty, and you can learn something too!

For added fun with kitty, and to learn more about her, have you considered honing your psychic abilities? Cats are notoriously psychic, and people all posses psychic ability, even though it is difficult for science to measure. (Bacteria were difficult to measure at one time, that didn't mean they don't exist!)

ClydeSight Productions has a great subliminal massage (yes, you read it right, massage) program that will help you develop your psychic abilities for communicating with your cat or dog. It's called Psychic Pet Control DSPP. It's part of the DSPP series of programs which you can purchase and download on-line. It contains special subliminal messages delivered visually on your computer screen in unique sessions that help you unleash your natural psychic abilities for communicating with your animals. It may sound crazy, but it does work!