From the most playful kitten who skitters around the house like a ball of lightning to the old cat that occasionally wants to swat at a mouse toy, all cats love to play. Of course, the pain of stepping on a cat toy in the middle of the night can rival your child’s most sinister Lego block!
This drives many cat owners to seek out innovative ways to keep cat toys properly stored, or at least give their beloved kitty a way to stay entertained without restoring to clawing up the furniture. If this sounds like the place you are in, you might want to consider one of the following ideas to keep your cat’s toys organized, yet available.
A Cat Tree Or Tower With Storage
Cats love to climb, perch and sun themselves on upholstered cat trees, cat towers, and kitty villages. Not only is it a fun way for them to live out their instincts, and make use of their claws, but a lot of them come with storage built-in or a cubby where you can put cat toys at the end of a day.
Scratching Posts With Storage
If your cat still has their claws, then they need to have a scratching post to sharpen their claws and give them a place to exercise their anxieties without restoring to the corner of your couch. A lot of sturdy scratching posts have a hollow core that can be used to store toys when they aren’t in use.
Drawers With Dividers For Different Toys
Different cats love different toys at different times. Giving your feline pal a dedicated drawer for their toys and other care items helps keep everything organized. Installing dividers helps keep everything from intermingling into a frustrating “Junk Drawer” of cat toys.
Wire Baskets Under A Cabinet
The vertical space under a kitchen or entertainment center cabinet tends to be wasted space. A simple wire basket under the cabinet can help hold loose, light cat toys without constantly having them underfoot. Sliding rails give you the ability to pull them out just like a drawer.
A Flip Top Box Near Your Favorite Chair Or Couch
Cat owners know that cats adore chasing the red dot of a laser pointer, but you don’t always want to clutter up your favorite sitting place in the living room with cat toys. A small, tasteful flip-top box on an end table can hold onto laser pointers and other small cat toys when you aren’t using them. While still letting you pull one out at a moment’s notice.
An Enclosed Cat Ring & Ball
Cats love to bat at things inside of holes and boxes as if pretending they are after a cowering mouse. To answer this innate need, a lot of cat toy manufacturers offer toys that enclose a ball inside a ring that the cat can whap at, the ball then spins away and comes back again. All without ever putting it at risk of you stepping on it in the dark of night.
Rotating Cat Toys Through Tote Bins
Just like kids, a cat can grow tired of playing with even the most interesting of toys. Keeping a few small fabric tote bins up and out of sight, lets you quickly rotate toys every few days to keep things fresh, without leaving your floors a mess.
Hanging Mesh Baskets
Mesh baskets and mesh compartments can easily be hung from a closet bar or coat hanger. You can then toss toys into it when picking up at the end of the day, while still being able to find your kitty’s favorites when you need to.
A Repurposed Shoe Box
Shoe boxes and cats go together like peanut butter and jelly. You can easily repurpose an old shoebox to hold cat toys that your cat can pull out when they want it. You can also make a small hold similar to a classic cartoon mouse. Then put the top on the box to give your cat something to reach in and play with for an enriching challenge.
An Under Shelf Wire Basket
Sliding drawer rails can be easily installed under a shelf in a storage room or closet. A wire basket can then be slid into place to store lightweight cat toys out of sight. This is a great way for you to find the toys you want to give your cat, while also being able to rotate through some of their favorites to keep their toy selection fresh.
Sealable Catnip Containers
As a member of the mint family of herbs catnip can easily go stale when left exposed to air. Keeping high-quality catnip in a sealed container like Tupperware lets the herb stay fresh for your feline pal to enjoy when you want them to.
Hang Feather & String Toys
Cats love to chase feather toys and tangle with string. Hanging them up off the floor not only makes the toy more engaging for the cat, while also keeping it out from under your feet.
A Cat Toy Tunnel
Cat toy tunnels are all the rage. They give your cat a place to crawl through and explore with glee. They are also a great place to toss your cat’s toys when not in use. This keeps them where your cat can find them, while also keeping them from being painfully crushed under the arch of your foot.
Velcro Tabs
Some lightweight cat toys are very Velcro friendly. You can easily attach a tab to the toy and one to an unused, out-of-the-way section of the wall. When your cat is interested, they can go to the toy and take it themselves.
Attaching A Toy Bin To A Robo Vacuum
Some cats obsess over the presence of a robotic vacuum. Attaching a small fabric toy bin to the top with a Velcro tab or suction cups lets you keep your cat’s toys mobile while giving your cat a challenge to play with.
Small Stackable Tote Bins
Tote bins with reinforced corners can be easily stacked to hold different types of toys. If your feline pal looks to be getting bored with an old toy, you can stash it away and pull out another one. This keeps their toy selection fresh and your cat entertained.
Peg Hook Bins
Peg hooks have evolved from being a convenient way for grandpa to store his hand tools and nails to become modern-day organizational solutions. There are even small bins that attach to pegboard sections. This gives you a convenient place to store your cat’s toys off the floor, yet keep them close at hand when you need them.
Repurposing A Small Laundry Basket
An old laundry basket is a great place to store old cat blankets and towels. This gives your kitty a quiet place to take a nap. It also gives you somewhere to toss their toys where your cat can find them without letting them live sprawled out over your floors.
A Rotating Scratching Drum
Scratching drums are “The New Black” of cat scratching posts. They offer cats a more natural position to scratch. They also tend to be hollow in the middle, which makes them a great place to store cat toys and even small knit bags of catnip.
