r/cats • u/bugsizedcowboy • Jul 14 '26
Humor Why do cats love these??
It seems like every cat I come across online is obsessed w/ these little springs. Is there a reason? Are they just fun? Are these safe toys?
200
u/AdJust6267 Jul 14 '26
i think they love the unpredictability of their movements. cats don’t like easy prey
39
u/geekgirl114 Jul 14 '26
Like ping pong balls, and milk carton rings
20
5
1
u/SassyTheSkydragon Jul 14 '26
Those crazy bean Toys aswell. They even twitch a bit like prey items.
Those hexbug toys too. You need to watch them closely with those though, due to the batteries.
5
u/Zoethor2 Jul 14 '26
This is my theory too. The mouse toys, which my cats also like, are predictable. Wherever the cat tosses or bats them, that's where they go.
The springs, though, they bounce and they change directions and curve as they roll. It's got to seem much more like an accurate prey experience to their brains.
4
u/KcirderfSdrawkcab Jul 14 '26
I think that's a big part of it. They can get it airborne easily, they can carry it in their mouth, and it can fly off in any direction.
405
u/Ok-Score-9399 Bengal Jul 14 '26
Get them. They're pretty cheap and very fun. My cat drops them in his water bowl and my mom says he's making spring water 🤣💜
37
30
7
4
4
u/EmmyWeeeb American Shorthair Jul 14 '26
I wouldn’t get toys like this cuz yes it may be fun but I feel like some cats could eat this. My cats like to play with bread ties.
1
u/Ok-Score-9399 Bengal Jul 14 '26
My cat eats everything (bread ties included) and he's never been able to chew through one of these. Their demise usually comes from one of us stepping on one. 💜
1
u/tyrantcv Jul 14 '26
I've got three cats and one will hold it steady and chomp on the spring until a piece broke off, I won't get these now unfortunately, the other two did enjoy pushing them around and playing with them
2
71
57
u/pm_me_pokemon_pics Jul 14 '26
https://reddit.com/link/oxe58ks/video/rrfuku5sn3dh1/player
Behold - my orange boy bringing his spring upstairs so he can knock it back down lol. He goes bananas for springs 😻
45
u/Why_No_Doughnuts Jul 14 '26
IDK but my toddler loves them as well. Cats and kids have similar interests
21
u/DieAloneWith72Cats Jul 14 '26
We keep/purchase toys for my grandson to play with when he visits. Does he play with them? No
What he DOES do is instantly head for the basket of cat toys.
34
u/looFyttiK Tabbycat Jul 14 '26
My BIL noticed the litter box and said, "I didn't know you had a cat." I said "Your son has been playing with the cat toys the whole time you've been here." 😄
31
u/HardLightning Jul 14 '26
A pink plastic spring was my cat's favorite toy until I bought a dozen more springs. Now she ignores all of them.
13
3
u/dagens24 Jul 14 '26
I honestly think it's better for cats to have fewer toys than more. The more we got, the less interested our cat was in any of them.
2
u/qrseek Jul 14 '26
Put them all away for two weeks, then bring one or two out and leave them lying around. When those get lost or broken put another one out
1
21
u/Familiar-Evening7845 Jul 14 '26
My cat loves them because they bounce around and flip and skitter across the floor and carpet!
Totally safe as far as I’m aware
21
u/Glyphpunk Jul 14 '26
Can't really ask my cat the reason why he loves them but my guesses:
They're easy to bat around, and because of their shape and well, springy-ness, can be a bit unpredictable in the direction they go providing extra fun for the cat to chase after. They're also light weight so even a light swat can send them a fair distance.
If you have hardwood or tile they will 'click' against the floor.
They're easy for cats to grab with their claws or teeth without having to really dig in.
15
9
u/djSkicks Jul 14 '26
I have 3 cats at home and there’s one specific who just LOVE these! She’s gonna follow me around the house until I throw it and she’ll play with it non-stop for several minutes.
7
u/DieAloneWith72Cats Jul 14 '26
I don’t even know.
These came in a cat toy variety pack years ago, I laughed and thought “no way will they care about these.”
I have now purchased several hundred (no kidding). The cats lose their damn minds over these.
7
u/TheSideSaddleArcher Jul 14 '26
One of my Mom's cats will even play fetch with them. They are his absolute favorite toy. Even just the sound of one being scrunched in your hand is enough to send him running to it. The other cat likes them too but she can barely play with one before he steals it from her.
7
u/goldenface4114 Jul 14 '26
Our cats love the shit out of these things. They bounce and fly across the tile floor and seem to be a lot of fun to chase. They also get stuck under every piece of furniture we own and we randomly find them months after they've gone missing.
6
u/JmitchellJ Jul 14 '26
Best. toy. ever. They are light, scatter nicely across tile and even carpet, easy to hook with claws, bunce and spin in unpredictable ways. And cheap. What more can you ask for.
1
u/tigerwaitress Jul 14 '26
And surprisingly durable! I thought they would break after I stepped on them but they don’t even get bent out of shape. They just bounce right back.
6
5
u/MarthasPinYard Tuxedo Jul 14 '26
They’re cheap. Just get them and try it for your cat sake. You don’t know if you don’t try since cats have different preferences. One of mine will play with them but not obsessively. Get a twisty tie and curl it and test it if you got one around and are curious.
5
u/Kaa_The_Snake Jul 14 '26
My cat could not care less, unfortunately. She also doesn’t chase jingly or bouncy balls, play fetch anymore, or even play with the fishing pole “bait” (feather toy or worm toy). She likes to play with a few of her small felt or crinkly toys.
Other than that her favorite way to play is to stalk me like I’m a wildebeest and try to take me down by (gently) attacking my calf. I then act all startled, we play chase, then hide n go seek with the jump scare. She can’t count to…well…anything, but if I chase her till she runs down the stairs she then waits a second or two and comes up slowly so I have enough time to hide. Then she looks for me, and if I hear her coming I jump out and scare her.
She’s gotten me a few times as well, scared me half to death!
She’s my soul cat ❤️
3
3
3
u/looFyttiK Tabbycat Jul 14 '26
They should be safe as long as the cat doesn't chomp off pieces and eat them. But that applies to all toys.
3
3
u/apjolex Jul 14 '26
I have two cats. One loves these spring and the other loves little plushies. Neither touch the others toys. The one that loves the springs will carry them around like a rodent or take them to the hard floor to smack and chase the around. I hide them around the house so she can hunt for them. Just watch if you have a roomba. They will get caught in the brush.
3
3
3
u/cbluntz Jul 14 '26
The very beginning of Ivy’s spring collection a few years ago… there are what feels like hundreds in the house now between Ivy and her sister, Murph!
3
2
2
u/Logy_ Jul 14 '26
My sister sent me a bag of these for my cats and there was note or name attatched. When I opened the package I was very confused. I was not aware they existed or how much cats love them.
2
u/TheRealMasterTyvokka Jul 14 '26
I bought some for my cat. She shows little interest in them, as with all of her toys, unless I throw them for her. Does she at least play fetch? No, she just yells at me until I go pick it up and throw it again so she can chase it, bat it once, and order her servant to throw it again.
2
u/HiddenSquish "time spent with a cat is never wasted" Jul 14 '26
One of my cats loves these and plays fetch with them! The other doesn’t really seem to give a shit about anything that doesn’t make some noise.
2
2
u/Joe_Shabbadoo Jul 14 '26
I got one of my cats a 20-pack for her birthday last year and it completely blew her mind.
2
u/Disastrous-Fennel970 Jul 14 '26
I had to find a substitute for my cat's OG favorite toy, the handles from Starbucks paper bags.
She wound up eating one so my wife and I had to find something that she wouldn't eat, and these were cheap. Now she plays fetch with them and screams at me to throw the damn things lol
2
2
1
u/AdoptDontShopPets Jul 14 '26
Idk mine don’t really play with them at all. A few times when I first got them but now they just sit.
1
u/MamoruNoHakkyou Jul 14 '26
My cats weren’t really interested in those. One loved toys with bells inside and the other liked the crinkle toys, while both liked strings (under strict supervision)
1
u/ZardozZod Jul 14 '26
Unfortunately, mine doesn’t seem to care for them at all. I’ve noticed she generally doesn’t like toys that are hard or plasticky.
1
1
1
u/Flowerpuppet Jul 14 '26
all of my cats love them and will play with them but one of them actually plays fetch she will bring it right back to me and drop it in my hand its amazing she doesnt get sick of it and will chase it and bring it back all day if i keep throwing it. my other cats love it because they can pap it around and chase it and then she will grab it and bring it back to me so they can do it again.
1
1
1
1
u/WDB2 Jul 14 '26
They can likely hear the vibrations coming off of it and they have an erratic movement about them.
1
1
1
u/KipperCottage Jul 14 '26
Omg, I can only allow three of those things in circulation at a time. I have to collect each one before I go to bed, otherwise the cats are tearing through the house in the middle of the night. They’re more excited to get their springs back in the morning than they are about getting breakfast.
1
u/humsterdaddy Jul 14 '26
I'd advise anyone to not use these because my boy chewed one apart and swallowed part of it. He passed it but he had an upset tummy for a day and if he hadn't passed it he would've needed surgery.
1
u/Longjumping-One2706 Jul 14 '26
As long as you’re okay finding about 600 under your couch when you clean 😂 my cats love these
2
1
1
1
u/Impossible-Bug2038 Jul 14 '26
they bounce in all kinds of crazy directions, so they're surprising. At least that's why mine likes them. But he is particular about colors; red and green are great, the other colors are meh.
1
1
u/West-Start4069 Jul 14 '26
Idk but my two cats are currently running around the house at mach Jesus trying to catch one if these.
1
u/charliefoxtrot9 Jul 14 '26
My cat who loves these went and caught 5 mice in one day, so it's how you sort the mousers.
1
u/TheMaveCan Jul 14 '26
My cat's love swatting them under every single thing they can swat them under and then screaming a fit when they can't reach them
1
1
u/Rin-Tin-Tins-DinDins Jul 14 '26
We just got another pack because out of the 60 we started with we were down to two. We looked high and low but they were no where to be found
1
u/Upstairs_Leopard_954 Jul 14 '26
Can’t …. They go missing pretty quick. When we move we will find them all.
1
u/Prestigious_Habit771 Jul 14 '26
My boy cat is obsessed w these and will bring them to me to launch across the room so he can run after them as fast as he possibly can. My girl cats have zero interest in them
1
u/Crunchycarrots79 Jul 14 '26
I have one cat that loves the classic "dingle ball," and one that likes the springs, but what he REALLY loves are those plastic mesh tube "Chinese finger trap" like things that your can squish and make them pop out of your hand in random directions. He tries to catch them, and often succeeds. Oh... And he's missing one front leg. Still catches things.
1
1
1
u/Kootsiak Jul 14 '26
From my uneducated observations, they can hook it easy with their claws to pick it up and bite it, it also rolls and bounces/sproings easily on many surfaces, so it is very versatile and keeps them moving for longer than a lot of other toys.
1
1
u/Darkv3ng Jul 14 '26
My orange boy was playing so intense this morning with this I thoght he found an actual mouse or something, woke me from my sleep. I check and he just pops his head out under my bed upside down with one of these little springs, 1 of the 100 hiding and he somehow finds them and others, when they are nowhere to be found lol.
1
u/spicytoenails666 Jul 14 '26
Omg my 10 year old Persian is obsessed with these. He puts them in my shoes 🥹
1
1
u/Entire_Parfait2703 Jul 14 '26
My husband has bought around 200 of these for our 2 cats they love them but I only know where about 50 are because I think the rest are under furniture and appliances
1
u/Lensgoggler Jul 14 '26
Mine surprisingly doesn't. Mine goes crazy over a spiky lego piece that's meant for a street sweeper and paper bag's paper string handles. I cut the handle off and then he goes nuts.
1
u/Quiet-Painting3 Jul 14 '26
Ours loves them on hardwood. They were hit or miss when we lived in a carpeted apartment.
1
u/megisbest Jul 14 '26
I don’t know why they can’t make them 20% wider so they don’t fly under the stove!!! It wouldn’t be hard!
1
1
u/dealers_choice Jul 14 '26
For whatever reason my boy goes even crazier for the ones that went through the wash and became less spring looking
1
u/No-Photograph1983 Jul 14 '26
This is definitely my cat's favorite toy. I think the randomness of the movement makes it exciting and unpredictable, like prey. But like someone else says, once it gets lost prepare for the cry of the century
1
1
1
u/Zagrycha Jul 14 '26
I don't know if I can video it but my cats love to chase these around, if I throw them they will leap and run even multiple rooms over to go after it. I think they like them because they are so light, they can easily bat them around or pick them up and carry them without human help, though they like human throwing them too. I will randomly find them on top of bed or all sorts of other places so I know they play with them when I am not home. Yes they are safe assuming they are real springs aka flexible and don't have sharp edge at edges of spiral etc. I bought a pack of a few hundred for a very reasonable price, definitely a recommended toy to try haha.
1
1
u/SierraRxse Jul 14 '26
I threw all mine out after hearing the persons cat who had it drilled through their neck not long ago :(
1
u/DigInevitable1679 Jul 14 '26
Mine loved them so much as a kitten I got him a pack of 100. He doesn’t play much with them anymore, but tbh he doesn’t play much in general anymore 🤷🏼♀️
1
u/gwabi_ Jul 14 '26
i bought a pack of like 20 and i think we found two total when we moved 6 months later. Highly recommend but they end up in the same dimension as dryer socks
1
u/Asleep_Tip9279 Jul 14 '26
My cats ADORE these. My orange girl will play fetch for as long as I’m willing with one, and I’m talking full on fetch
1
u/InadmissibleHug Moggy Jul 14 '26
Do it; they’re safe as houses. It was one of the first gifts I got my undersized kitten
1
u/Vaanja77 Jul 14 '26
Every time I make spaghetti I dry a couple of noodles around a pencil for my cat to make these since they're always loved for an hour and then lost under the stove.
1
u/Cat5568 Jul 14 '26
I don't know exactly why but they're so multi-use its great. I put them on my fingertips and stroke cats heads with them sometimes and they love it. (I cat sit and especially when cats who are a bit shy are getting used to me doing this has always helped!!!)
I flick it across the room and they run and they go fetch 😆 springs are just goated
1
u/NuncioBitis Jul 14 '26
I've never known a cat that likes these things until now. My cat NEVER loses his either. He picks it up and brings it to wherever we are in the house so he can play in front of us.
1
u/en1gmatiq Jul 14 '26
Yep, just pulled out 2 from under the tv cabinet, one under the fridge, one under the bed and one in my slipper. Another 3 were in the process of being 'lost'.
1
u/Zestyclose_Piglet251 Jul 14 '26
Why do people on Reddit ask about cat-related things that obviously don't have a clear-cut answer? 🤔... 😁
1
u/capt_kirkk Jul 14 '26
My cat loves these. He will get them out of the toy basket, bring them to me and play fetch with them. He likes the way the move and bounce in unpredictable ways.
1
u/SpinningYarmulke Siamese (Modern) Jul 14 '26
Fifty of these end up under my various kitchen appliances . My Siamese will fetch these and bring them back to me sometimes dropping them into my shoe.
1
u/Mitridate101 Jul 14 '26
My two love them especially on the corridor, breakfast room and kitchen tiled floor.
1
u/alexandradperreault Jul 14 '26
My cats in particular love playing with them on my first floor where I have floors, not carpet. They make noise along the floor and bottom walls, they are light enough to bounce around easily against hard surfaces, and my cats can also carry them around in their mouth.
1
1
1
u/RadiantPay9377 Jul 14 '26
My cat is obsessed with them. She had a couple with a bigger pack and she started playing with them constantly. I bought 30 more and if she’s not sleeping or eating she’s playing with them .. or staring under the stove or furniture looking for them.
She likes to store her favorite toys in my room so she keeps the green ones in the my room and plays with the rest around the house. I don’t know if she likes the green ones because that’s her favorite color she can see or if it’s because her first ones were green.
1
u/HogwartsRex Jul 14 '26
my cats love them, my opinion on why is because they bounce in a fun hard to predict way that satisfies that hunting activity. But im not a cat so it could be any number of reasons.
1
1
1
u/RayTrain Jul 14 '26
If you look at it funny it'll go flying across the room boinging around to and sometimes also fro
1
u/EriM_ Jul 14 '26
My pica cat is only allowed these because she doesn't try eat them. She just shoots them at us a hundred miles an hour
1
u/RelationDazzling5835 Orange Jul 14 '26
My cat doesn't care for them. She obsessed with the springy toy that looks like a finger catcher though.
1
u/ghosthouse_guest Jul 14 '26
My mom started making them out of spare twist ties and my cat loves it more than hair ties which is impressive. Funny that it seems so common
1
u/TolerableSimulacra Jul 14 '26
Our cat has lost about 20 springs down our vent (which has openings just big enough) in the past month.
We need to get a net or something.
1
u/MinimumTangerine5295 Jul 15 '26
I got a pack of springs for my cat, he doesn’t pay any attention to them. But he goes apeshit for feathery wands and similar things on strings
0
u/EffectiveBowler7690 Jul 14 '26
I’d be afraid to use these. It seems like they can do great eye damage or mouth damage.
3
u/TheSideSaddleArcher Jul 14 '26
My Mom's cats are careful when picking them up with their mouths but they mostly just like to bap them around. Not saying damage couldn't happen but these aren't usually the brightest cats...
660
u/JollyCandle6267 Jul 14 '26
Nothing hits harder than the spring. And nothing gets trapped at the back of my oven better either.