Can you recommend any (maybe electronic) cat toys that would work while I'm gone?

Cats like boxes, especially if they have to squeeze into them. My cat loved this wire doo-hickey that had a ball tied on one end of it. I would tie the other end onto something sturdy and she just went to town.

This is a huge hit with my cats, and this is a fantastic idea, but it’s cheap construction and broke quickly.

I second the Bolt Interactive Laser Toy

@papayalily , @syz : Yeah, but I’m kind of concerned about the possibility that they would get fixated on it. I mean, I’ve read articles about how cats have started jumping at nothing in particular and started acting crazy.

I have this for my two cats and they really enjoy it. It’s not electronic at all, but my cats (aged 3) both often come over to it and start playing with no influence from me. The scratching board is a plus too, especially if you put some catnip on it!

One weekend alone is not going to harm your cats. Plus, they have each other.

@troubleinharlem That’s not crazy, that’s playful. It’s how they release energy. It’s nothing harmful to them.

play?? They are gonna sleep with the peace and quiet.

There are some good DVD’s out there called “Cat Sitter” that will loop repeatedly while you are away. It’s fish swimming, mice running around, birds churping and flying and squirrels… We have 3 cats and one REALLY likes it. He’s the only one we can get to focus on it. Its kind of like “look at the shiney!”

If you have an answering machine they can hear, it used to help calling and talking to them on extended trips. I would not come home to poo or hairballs on the floor nearly as much. My baby was a worrier.