We Found What Is Literally The Most Creative Cat Toy In The World

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The one time you can’t play with your cat — because you’re working, cooking or cleaning — is always when he wants to play the most.

Trying to find something your cat can use to entertain himself from time to time can be a bit of a challenge, since cats are super picky about pretty much everything.

And if your cat gets bored, that’s when your couch or your curtains could pay the price.

So The Dodo had some of our cats try out the Snuggly Cat Ripple Rug to see if it can somehow solve all of those problems at once.

You’re probably wondering: Did it work? Well, here’s why it earned our cats’ Paw of Approval.

The Snuggly Cat Ripple Rug is a multifunctional play surface for your cat. It’s supposed to be a great place for your BFF to play with his favorite toys, but it’s also designed to be good for napping, hiding and scratching.

It’s got 14 holes in a bunch of different sizes for your cat to poke his head and paws in and out of. The ripples in the rug can act as headrests during naptime, or your cat can even crawl under them when he wants some alone time to decompress.

The Ripple Rug features a special needle-punch design that’s good for when your cat wants to get his claws out. Its texture is also supposed to catch your cat’s stray hair so you don’t find furballs all over the place.

The Ripple Rug is 35 inches by 47 inches, and folds up so you can stash it when you have company. It’s fully made in the U.S. from recycled plastic bottles, and the company says it’s easy to wash with just soap and water.

We picked five Dodo cats with totally different play styles to give it a go, and see if the Ripple Rug could actually keep them all entertained.

Even though our judges are normally interested in different types of toys, they were all immediately drawn to the Ripple Rug. 

“Laszlo and Marceline were playing with this rug literally as I was pulling it out of the packaging. They had their claws in it upon first sight. They're pretty much constantly playing in it or laying on it or using it to claw at.” — Julia C.

“When we set it up, the cats immediately played with it for about 30 minutes. They love investigating new things. After the first try, they kept going back to it regularly.” — Joanna D.

“Sadie liked it pretty instantly. She spent lots of playtime with all the pockets.” — Bonnie M.

So basically, they were obsessed — even when the rug was put away. 

“I just fold it up and put it next to the cat tree so Laszlo and Marceline can still sit on it folded up if they like. Marceline likes to wait for me to reset the Velcro on it in the morning.” — Julia C.

When it comes to solo playtime, our testers loved that the ripples create cave-like areas where they can hide — which comes in super handy when they don’t feel like sharing their toys.

“Guava brings her toys in there and hides, and watches what's going on from inside. Guava has a new go-to play area!” — Joanna D.

They also loved how the Ripple Rug is perfect for playing with other cats.

“Marceline likes to hide inside the ripple rug, and Laszlo likes to jump on top of her from the outside. They like to play a tag-like game where one of them is inside and the other is outside and they try to bop each other with their paws.” — Julia C.

“It's a nice self-starting toy for cats who like to play themselves. Goji really only uses it if he sees Guava playing and wants in on the action, or if we sprinkle some catnip or silvervine on it.” — Joanna D.

If your cat has a ton of pent-up energy, he might end up taking it out on your couch or scaling your curtains.

Our pet parents loved that the Ripple Rug gave their cats a healthy outlet for all that energy (and those sharp claws, too).

“Laszlo and Marceline are taking out their energy on this product rather than tearing up the apartment. They immediately knew it was OK for them to claw at it.” — Julia C.

“Sadie was entertained on her own most of the day, and also seemed to get energy out. Sadie also used the Ripple Rug to scratch, rather than our couch/rugs, so that was a huge bonus too!” — Bonnie M.

“Guava is challenging to keep up with — she would play all day long and has boundless energy. When she runs in the living room, she often runs over to the rug in a happy and playful mood.” — Joanna D.

They were also thrilled that the holes weren’t too tight for their cats to get in and out — especially since hide-and-seek was a favorite among our judges.

“You don't have to worry about a cat getting stuck in the holes (they have slits that expand).” — Joanna D.

The Ripple Rug even helped our pet parents manage their BFFs’ pesky cat hair, as promised.

“I like that it attracts the cat hair and you can just clean it every week — all consolidated.” — Bonnie M.

“It comes in different colors to match best with your decor (or disguise pet hair).” — Joanna D.

The Ripple Rug goes for $43.50 on Amazon, and all three of our pet parents thought it was well worth the price.

“Laszlo and Marceline play with it so much it's worth the money over cheaper toys that don't last as long.” — Julia C.

Our pet parents did notice that the Ripple Rug takes up quite a bit of space.

“While nice for cats, I think it's unreasonably big for someone's home. It takes up the whole floor in my living room. I love my cats, but I also like my living space to feel like it's for me and not just them.” — Julia C.

“Size-wise, it might be a little on the large side for smaller apartments.” — Bonnie M.

The adjustable Velcro — which you can use to customize your pet’s Ripple Rug layout — also gave our pet parents some small issues.

“It's not the easiest to figure out the best setup with the Velcro. You essentially have to create peaks and valleys, and when cats pounce on it, you may need to redo it.” — Joanna D.

“I wish the Velcro was a little stronger so I don't have to keep resetting the layout for Laszlo and Marceline.” — Julia C.

But in spite of these things, all three of our testers said they’d definitely continue using the Ripple Rug, and recommend it to other pet parents.

The Ripple Rug is a one-of-a-kind toy that’s a great way for your cat to entertain himself while you’re busy working or making dinner. It’s also the perfect toy to tempt picky cats, considering all of our testers loved it. 

Plus, anything that shifts your cat’s attention away from clawing up your couch is the best kind of win.

And it’s extra great if you have more than one cat, since the holes are perfect for tag or hide-and-seek.

The Dodo may receive complimentary samples to test in our Paw of Approval program, but all our opinions are 100 percent our own. We only publish endorsements of products we (and our dogs and cats) absolutely love! You can find out more about our testing process here.

If you have a product you love that you want to share with other pet parents, send a tip to dodopaw@thedodo.com.