These Fish Toys Are Addictive And Our Cats Are Obsessed

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Finding toys for picky cats can feel impossible sometimes.

You’re dying to spoil your cat, but how do you know if he’ll even play with the new toy you bring home for him?

The Dodo decided to try out the Yeowww! Stinkies Catnip Sardines to see if they could get some of our pickiest cats excited about playtime.

Want to know how it went? Here’s why they earned our Paw of Approval.

The Yeowww! Stinkies Catnip Sardines are small, colorful, fish-shaped cat toys filled with catnip to draw in your BFF, and made with durable cotton fabric to hold up against his teeth and claws. They’re sold in packs of three, and even come in an adorable sardine tin.

Yeowww! has high standards when it comes to the catnip it uses in its toys. The company works with private farmers in the U.S. to grow 100 percent organic catnip, and samples each harvest for criteria like smell, color and freshness before deciding which batch makes it into their toys.

Yeowww! dried catnip is made using only the leaves and the flower tops, and the plant is cured before use to make the finished product extra potent. 

When it comes to the fabric, Yeowww! catnip toys are made with non-bleed, vegetable-based dyes to safely get those vibrant colors.

We picked three cats who are super picky about toys to make the testing process extra tough.

Our judges were instantly addicted to the Yeowww! Stinkies Catnip Sardines.

“Rumi loved the sardine toy! I knew it was a match made in heaven the moment she ran over and started to aggressively nuzzle at it.” — Zainab A.

“I spilled out a bunch of the Yeowww! toys onto the floor, and the sardine ones were the first toy Calliope went up to. She’s generally a little nervous and skittish around new items or loud things she’s not familiar with, so the fact that she immediately came over to check out the sardine toys impressed me a lot!” — Natalia T.

It was clear to our judges that the catnip in the Yeowww! Stinkies Catnip Sardines was super high-quality, which was a big selling point for them.

“Of course, Rumi was super into the fact that it smelled strongly of catnip and was small enough for her to bat around the floor of the apartment.” — Zainab A.

“My cat goes crazy for mostly catnip toys, so the smell was probably a large factor in why she was interested so quickly.” — Natalia T.

They also loved how tiny these toys are.

“My cat loved everything about the sardines. She takes them around the house in her mouth, lays on her side and holds them as she kicks them furiously, paws them and chases them around the house, and stores them at the top of her cat tree.” — Natalia T.

Finding a toy your pet likes is tough, and our pet parents loved that their cats were obsessed with the Yeowww! Stinkies Catnip Sardines from the moment they took them out.

“Rumi is a senior cat and doesn't like to play often, so it's a big deal when a toy manages to get her attention!” — Zainab A.

“These toys got Calliope playing almost immediately, which, with my ‘chubby’ and usually lazy cat, is amazing to see these days.” — Natalia T.

They also liked that the tiny toys are easy for their BFFs to carry.

“It's pretty small in size, so it's something that doesn't take up a lot of space. But it's still small enough that Rumi has no trouble picking it up and carrying it around with her when she wants.” — Zainab A.

Plus, they’re super durable.

“The fabric felt solid and the toy itself was very firm. It was clearly built to stand up to the toughness of a cat's teeth and claws. Rumi likes to roughhouse with the sardine when swatting at it, and she's had it for a few weeks now — it still looks good as new!” — Zainab A.

“I thought the toys were very durable, especially for a cat toy which will be kicked around and scratched a lot.” — Natalia T.

And at just $9.79 per set, our pet parents said the Yeowww! Stinkies Catnip Sardines are perfectly priced.

While their small size is a major pro for these cat toys, it also means they’re easy to misplace.

“The only downside to the sardine toy is the fact that it's small in size, so it can get lost very easily, especially in a big home. I've had a few moments when I went for days wondering where it was until I found it in a random nook or cranny.” — Zainab A.

And one of our three judges just wasn’t that interested in the Yeowww! Stinkies Catnip Sardines.

“I tried encouraging Nike to play with it and throw it for her to run after, but as soon as she'd get to it, she'd automatically lose interest.” — Olivia M.

For that reason, Nike’s person won’t continue to use the Yeowww! Stinkies Catnip Sardines. But our other two human testers absolutely will, and would recommend these toys to other pet parents.

If your cat is super into catnip, he’ll be instantly addicted to the Yeowww! Stinkies Catnip Sardines.

The catnip in these toys is 100 percent organic and potent enough that you’ll be able to smell it — so it’ll definitely capture your cat’s attention.

These catnip toys are also small enough that your BFF will have no problem picking them up and taking them everywhere (though that means you might find a few hiding under your couch or in strange places).

The best part? They’re super affordable and immediately grabbed the attention of two of our three very picky judges. Can you say “win-win?”

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.