Most people lavish their cats with toys and then are disappointed that many of those toys end up being ignored. A natural reaction is to be a bit disgruntled and assume the cat is ungrateful. But your cat isn’t being ungrateful. Your cat has preferences—just like you—and it’s up to you to experiment to discover what they are.
Cats are all about hunting so their toys have to certain qualities to meet their individual specifications for predation. Some cats are attracted to birds, some to mice, some to bugs, some to the sound of a jingle bell in a ball which acts like prey, or some to a little of all of the above.
To see if your cat prefers birds, find toys which resemble birds, have feathers, can “fly” suspended in the air, and perhaps make a chirping sound. Some cats love just having a feather they can chase or leap at. Since this is an experiment, you’ll want to take note of what factors seem to stimulate your cat the most.
After you put away the bird-related toys, try toys that are mouse-like. They can have fur or not, be stuffed or not, move on their own, be tossed, or dragged by you around by a string. Catnip is a separate issue and should not be part of your toy-type comparison. How does your cat respond to the mouse prey? What does it prefer?
After you put away the mouse toys, try balls. Balls, balls with bells, balls with treats inside, or balled aluminum foil can be considered mouse- or bug-like Does your cat expect you to start the ball rolling so it can chase after it, but then wait for your to start it again? Or does your cat bat it around on its own or require you to start the action but continue it without your help? What qualities should the ball have?
You may find that your cat likes several types of toys that may not depend upon shape, fur, or feathers. It may also like a knotted string or string with an object attached that you pull around the house so your cat can chase it. It might like that same string suspended so it can swat at it and try to catch it.
I have some cats that adore a laser light shone on the floor and walls they can chase and jump at. Sunlight reflecting on your watch dial can create the same effect. Also, as I’m sure you know, boxes of all sizes and paper bags add to their fun whether they are bird-, mouse-, or bug-oriented.
What you need to determine is the specific type of prey of interest and how your cat wants to play with it. Having a variety of preferred items, bought and created by you, can keep your cat stimulated, exercised, and content. Everyone, even cats, likes to have their preferences met.