Cat toys, as reminders of our fondness for our house lions, are also an American collectible. Once again, preserving them in their unused state is important, as cats quickly remove any feathers or easily removed bits, and they also do eventually get the toy soggy, either by saliva or by dropping it in their water bowl. So save your cat toy collection in its original packaging and enclosed in cat-proof containers, especially if catnip is involved.

Why collect cat toys? They are cute, and unless they are specifically collected for preservation, they will all disappear into the refuse heaps of time. Cat toys usually have a very short life span if any cats are actually involved. And, for those of us who must remain cat-less but love them, is it some small way to ease the pain of our situation.

A colorful mouse.

So, what can be expected to be included in a cat toy collection? Well, first citizen is the mouse. It comes in many colors, fabrics and finishes, and with various eyes, noses, ears and tails. It may be stuffed with almost anything, and may have some catnip included, although this toy is appealing without the addition of catnip. It is usually sized so cats can play hockey with it, especially on uncarpeted floors, and if it has a string attached to allow the human to impart movement to the mouse, all the better.

Balls are frequently used as cat toys, either specifically designed as a cat toy or just a regular ball.

Many kinds of balls are also created for cat toys. Some are simple plastic cages with a bell inside. Others are formed from rubber or material. Again, with a bare floor and one or more cats, a ball means cat hockey. But we are preserving out cat toys for posterity, so if you have cats, buy several and save one for your collection.

This is why you need to save your cat toys unused. Look at her go.

Sticks with strings and an end-bob of feathers are great cat toys, and they keep your fingers out of the way of teeth and claws. Preserving such toys will not take much space. Like most cat toys, many will fit into a single storage box or cabinet.

One of the most recent additions to the cat toy genre is a plastic hollow donut, cut away at the sides and enclosing a ball. The ball moves freely withing the donut, and provides a more complicated and interesting cat toy collectible.

If you want to go all out with your collection of cat toys, get examples of the towers built of plywood and carpeting that span from floor to ceiling. The many perches, poles and boxes give these assemblies something of a modern art look, and a room-full could be considered an abstract installation. Any artists out there looking for a new material to explore?

Look for cat toys are dollar stores and discount stores. The toys will be cheap. I recently added a catnip moose to my collection that I found at a discount store. Once you have the cheap toys, you will need to haunt pet stores. Try to find toys on sale. Then, eventually, if you are a true collector, you will have to start buying toys at full price. The sales people at the pet store will ask about your kitty, so have a good story ready.

* * * There is another cat collectible that there is probably no other person collecting: Litter Box
Furniture. Get in early and start a unique collection. * * *

* * * Read about collecting dog toys. * * *

* * * Read about collecting bird toys. * * *

The images on this post are from Stock Xchnge.

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