9 Electronic Cat Toys That Beat Boredom While You're Out

Electronic cat toys can look like overkill. Your cat seems perfectly content batting a hair tie across the kitchen floor, so why spend real money on something that beeps and blinks and needs charging?

Here’s the case for it, and the one rule that separates a great high-tech toy from an expensive dust collector. Play, for a cat, is a rehearsal of the hunt: stalk, chase, pounce, and the satisfying catch at the end. A toy that keeps a cat moving but never lets them win isn’t stimulating them, it’s frustrating them. The best electronic toys all finish the sequence. They give your cat something to actually sink their claws into.

The mistake I see most often is a toy that moves forever and never gets caught. A cat needs to complete the hunt to feel satisfied by it. If a gadget can’t let them win, either pair it with something they can grab or skip it entirely.

For that reason, buy for the way your cat plays. Some are chasers, some are wrestlers who want to grab and rabbit-kick, and some are stalkers who like to lie in wait. Rotate a few toys, put them away between sessions so they stay novel, and, whenever you can, end play with a treat so your cat gets that “kill and eat” payoff.

Below are nine electronic toys worth the batteries, sorted loosely by hunting style.

Our editors picked these based on real cat testing and current availability. We may earn a commission on purchases made through these links.

For the chasers

For the wrestlers

For the stalkers

For the zoomies

One Fast Cat Exercise Wheel — $219. Not for every cat, but the ones who take to it love it. If your cat tears down the hallway and back at 2 a.m., a wheel gives that pent-up energy somewhere to go without your furniture paying the price. It takes patience to introduce, but a hooked cat will run it happily on their own.

Getting a suspicious cat on board

Cats are skeptics, and a brand-new gadget can read as a threat before it reads as fun. Set the toy out powered off and let your cat sniff and circle it on their own schedule. For anything puzzle-like, get down on the floor and show them what to bat at. And if all else fails, reach for catnip, which works on most cats, then close every session with a treat so the hunt ends the way nature intended: with a catch and a snack.