Here’s A Quick Guide To Cleaning Your Cat’s Toys So They Can Stay Happy And Healthy

ID 182979769 - © Dmitry Marchenko - Dreamstime.com - illustrative purposes only, not the actual person or cat
ID 182979769 - © Dmitry Marchenko - Dreamstime.com - illustrative purposes only, not the actual person or cat

If you’re a cat owner who loves to keep your furry friend entertained with little cat toys, have you ever taken the time to clean them?

We often talk about cleaning dog toys because dogs can often be more outwardly messy and slobbery than cats. However, cleaning cat toys is just as important, and not everyone knows how to do it.

So, here’s a quick guide on cleaning your cat’s toys so they can stay happy and healthy.

For softer cat toys made out of fabric, you’ll only want to wash them on a “need to” basis, as these toys are more fragile and can get easily worn down if they’re washed too often.

You’ll also want to be sure to check if the toy you want to wash has a tag indicating whether it can be put in the washing machine and make sure there are no tears or rips to avoid hurting your machine!

If you can, put your undamaged fabric cat toys in your washing machine on a warm to hot water setting. It’s also a good idea to place them in the wash with other items like towels so they’re not rattling around by themselves.

If your fabric cat toys are damaged, don’t put them in the washing machine. Instead, soak them in a bucket or sink filled with warm water and gently hand scrub them with dish soap or detergent. 

Set the toys somewhere they can air dry away from your cat, as you don’t want them playing with these toys while they’re still wet!

Plastic or hard cat toys are easy to clean. Soaking them in warm water and dish soap is a good way to get some dirt off, or just spraying a cloth with anti-bacterial spray and wiping them down also works. Be sure to give the toys an extra rinse after using any soapy spray so that soap doesn’t linger on the toys when you’re done.

ID 182979769 – © Dmitry Marchenko – Dreamstime.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual person or cat

Catnip toys are a whole other story. If the catnip toy doesn’t allow you to refill the catnip at home, you should gently spot-treat the toy with some warm water or replace the entire toy. If you can refill the catnip, remove the catnip holder, then soak and clean the rest of the toy with some warm water.

You don’t want to clean catnip toys with any soap or detergent, as your cat would be more likely to ingest the chemicals.

Of course, if any of these toys have major damage, like rips with stuffing pouring out, it’s probably best to throw them out and replace them. It’ll save you, your cat, and your washing machine a lot of stress!

Hopefully, with these tips, you’ll feel ready to clean your cat toys and make things better for your kitty!

If you’re also a dog owner, you can read our guide for cleaning dog toys here.

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