Choosing the Purr-fect Kitten Toys

About 2 weeks ago, I went to the local animal shelter "just to look." It was a lovely Saturday morning, and I planned to play with the kittens, pet the puppies, and (ahem) start considering a pet adoption.

One of my elderly cats had died several months prior, and the other, Miss Manners, is about 15 years old. It was time to think about adding to my pet household. Maybe in a month or so...

But then a tiny, black and white kitten reached out a paw from her cage, touched my hand, and my heart, and, well, she had me at "Meow." Now, the little 8-week-old kitten has taken over my household. Puppy-Kitty (named for her exuberant excitement when she sees me enter the house and "fetch" skills!) follows me everywhere, faithfully tagging at my heels, attempting to leap in the shower with me, and demanding 24/7 petting, playing, and love. Her constant purr is so loud that I can hear her when I'm upstairs and she's downstairs hunting for me.

So what do you get the purr-fect kitten? I put a batch of toys through the official Puppy-Kitty test, and here are her reviews:

Zanies Fish'n Fun Pants Cat Toy: This cleverly constructed toy features toy mice attached to some delightfully crinkly, crackly yellow "pants." Puppy-Kitty spends about an hour each and every day pouncing on the mice, running in and out of the pant "legs" and jumping on her pant toy to get that satisfying crunch. Available from Wayfair (http://www.wayfair.com/), this toy gets Five Purrs!

Assorted catnip-stuffed mice: Puppy-Kitty adores playing "fetch the mouse!" She tosses them in the air, rolls with them, cuddles them, and carries them up to bed. I've collected a nice assortment of
catnip-stuffed mice. When I'm trying to work at my laptop and she wants to pounce on the keyboard, I toss mice in her direction. She catches them, throws them up in the air, rolls on them, "kills them,"
and then brings them back, dropping them at my feet for another game of fetch. I've found the best assortment of Five-Purr quality catnip-stuffed toy mice (even holiday-themed ones!) at Petco
(http://www.petco.com).

Da Bird Super Pack: With a toy wand that I think of as a "magic wand," this delightful toy offers kitty the opportunity to leap, pounce, and dance as she tries to capture the feathers and sparkly puffs featured with the kitty "fishing pole." Great exercise for Puppy-Kitty AND me, this one gets Five Purrs. Available from Amazon.com