Catnip Knot Kickers
Something to grab, bite and bunny-kick.
Length is what makes a kicker work. A cat needs to hold the toy at the front while the back feet reach it, and a short toy gets batted about but never actually grappled.
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- Catnip sewn in, not sprayed on
- Long enough to grip with the front paws and kick with the back
- Corduroy that stands up to claws
- Nothing rigid inside, so it is safe to be thrown about
- Two-pack in random colours, or all five together
Size: 2 pack (random colours)
Why you'll love it
Made for happy, healthy pets
The shape is the point
Cats disembowel prey with their back legs. A toy long enough to be hugged and kicked gets that whole sequence out, which a small ball never does.
Something to do alone
Wand toys need a person on the other end. A kicker they can start themselves is what fills the hours between.
Soft enough to sleep on afterwards
Cats routinely fall asleep hugging these. There is nothing hard inside and nothing to swallow if the fabric eventually gives.
Good fit if
- Cats that grab toys and rake them with the back legs
- Indoor cats needing something physical rather than a chase
- Cats that respond to catnip and lose interest in sprayed toys
- Anyone wanting a toy with no batteries and nothing rigid inside
Look elsewhere if
- Your cat is in the third that does not react to catnip
- Your cat shreds fabric and swallows what comes off
- You want something machine washable, as these are spot clean only
The kick is the point
Holding something with the front paws and raking it with the back legs is a distinct behaviour with a specific origin: it is how a cat deals with prey it has already pinned. Cats will run the pattern on any toy that suits it, and it is the most physically demanding thing an indoor cat is likely to do without a person involved.
A toy has to be a certain length to allow it. The front paws grip one end and the back feet need to reach the other, so anything short gets swiped around the floor and never triggers the sequence at all. That is the difference between a toy that is pounced on once and one a cat wrestles for several minutes.
Sewn in, not sprayed on
Sprayed catnip sits on the surface and is largely gone after a few sessions of handling and rolling on the floor. Catnip sewn into the filling releases gradually as the toy is squeezed and bitten, which is why a stuffed toy keeps working for months where a sprayed one is finished in a fortnight.
The response itself is genetic. Roughly two cats in three react to nepetalactone, the active compound, and the remaining third feel nothing at all regardless of how fresh the catnip is. Silvervine works on a good proportion of the non-responders, so a cat that ignores catnip entirely is worth testing with that before you conclude it is simply not a toy cat.
Corduroy, and what to watch
Corduroy is a sensible choice for a kicker because the ribbed weave gives claws something to catch without unravelling the way a loose knit does. There is nothing rigid inside, so a toy being thrown around the room cannot hurt anything, and that also makes it safe to leave out between sessions.
Watch a cat that shreds rather than kicks. If yours works fabric until it opens and then pulls at the filling, this is the wrong toy, because catnip filling and fabric fragments are not things you want swallowed. Spot clean rather than machine washing, since a wash cycle takes most of the catnip out with the water.
In the box
Everything you need
- Catnip knot kickers
How it works
Simple, from basket to doorstep
- 1
Browse
Shop by pet or category to find exactly what your cat or dog needs, no wading through thousands of listings.
- 2
Order
Check out securely with card, PayPal or one-tap Apple Pay & Google Pay. Free delivery over £45.
- 3
Delivered
Fast, tracked dispatch straight to your door, and a happier pet before you know it.
The details
Specifications
- Material
- Corduroy with catnip filling
- Colours
- Blue, sage, green, pink, yellow
- Weight
- 100 g per pack
- Care
- Spot clean only
- Best for
- Cats that kick and carry toys
Good questions
Before you buy
Whichever two the warehouse picks, as the supplier ships that pack at random. Order the five-pack if you want a particular colour, or if you have more than one cat.
It fades over a few months as the oils dry out. Rolling the toy between your hands releases more, and a spray of catnip tincture brings it back for a while.
There is no squeaker, rattle or plastic inside, just fabric and dried catnip. Take it away when the seams start to open, as with any soft toy.
It fades over months rather than weeks because it is sewn in rather than sprayed. Storing the toy in a sealed bag between rotations preserves it, and often revives one that has gone flat.
About a third of cats do not, and it is genetic rather than something you can change. Silvervine affects many of those cats, so it is worth trying before giving up on scent toys.
Not really. If your cat opens fabric and pulls at the stuffing, choose a solid rubber or hard plastic toy instead and keep fabric toys for supervised play.
Last reviewed 30 August 2026