Purrfect Pet Toys
We’ve been finding all kinds of plastic-free toys for the kitties to play with, both store-bought and homemade, and have also discovered a really wonderful online small business selling natural pet supplies. So here goes…
I discovered Purrfectplay.com at the San Francisco Green Festival in November. Purrfectplay.com is owned and run by Pam Wheelock, who describes herself as having “always been outside the main stream and a *greenie* long before it was a movement.” The company makes natural fiber toys for dogs and cats, such as catnip mice and wool balls, as well as other small pet accessories. All the products are made by homeworkers in Indiana and Detroit.
As the Purrfectplay web site says:
Purrfectplay is run simply. We are dedicated to producing wonderful pet products crafted exclusively from organic, chemical free, and fair-trade materials. We are members of Green America and the Organic Trade Association….
We are a young company, following our hearts and joyfully engaged. That makes all the difference.
And no, I haven’t been paid to write this review. In fact, I bought a couple of catnip mice from the Purrfectplay booth as well as a couple of hemp cat collars just recently through the web site. While the collars are made from natural fibers, they do contain plastic break-away buckles, which I’ve been told is the safest kind of collar for cats to prevent choking.
On of the reasons I’m so excited about this company is because included with my package was Purrfectplay’s newsletter with an article entitled, Plastics And Your Pets, which is all about the dangers of toys made of certain types of plastics and goes into detail about what plastics are and why they are a problem. The newsletter is also posted on the company’s web site, and I’d encourage you to take a look even if you don’t have pets.
The cats have also been having fun with a few of Michael’s creations:
While walking down the street minding his own business, Michael found some strips of leather on the sidewalk and brought them home for the kittens. A stick, some staples, and a few knots later, Soots and Arya had some new interests and Michael could entertain them without even having to look up from his New York Times.
And we did end up splurging on one play item for the kitties. This palm tree might look tacky, but it’s made from natural bamboo and sisal (distributed by Petropics) and it’s helping to keep our furniture scratch-free.
I was committed to finding scratching and climbing toys for the cats that were not made from synthetic (plastic) carpet. Bamboo is a fast-growing, sustainable wood. Yes, this scratching post was imported from Vietnam, so there are fuel miles involved, but we found it at Jeffrey’s Natural Pet Foods in San Francisco and couldn’t resist bringing it home. Some things are just cute.
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Liked the dark chocolate lolcat!
Hi! Good post. I love pets and I have two puppies. I was looking forward to get toys for my puppy and I have got them cute Purrrfect pet toys, my pets really enjoy a lot and have fun. Thanks for sharing article.
hey beth! thanks again for a great post! just wanted to know that if you happen to knit – or know a knitter – you can knit some mice out of wool yarn and stuff them with catnip for extra fun kitty toys:
By the way, Klean Kanteens are great and all, but this morning, as I climbed the stair machine at the gym, and went to drink from my stainless-steel bottle, I slipped and pitched forward and hit my mouth on the bottle, chipping a tooth.
So all you klutzes out there, be warned.
I wonder what the cats would think of my Indiana Jones whip! (For the whole story, click here.)
Speaking of which, the laser pointer/ light saber/ ray gun is pretty cool, too!
I love Purrfect Play and so does Miss Lola. They sell these wonderful wool balls (start the jokes now!) that Lola and any other dog seem to adore. Lola is about 55 pounds and she has yet to destroy any of hers – which she’s had for about 18 months. I have also purchased a collar charm which is lovely. I have given the items as gifts and the recipients – both human and animal – love the stuff. I also love how everything arrives in recycled packaging and no plastic.
har mar – I have read the same things about microchips. I wish Lola didn’t have one. My vet (www.thepetwhisperer.com) feels for it to make sure it hasn’t migrated and to keep an eye on it.
hi.
i want a playdate.
and i’ve heard differing things about the break away collars…some say it’s good for the choking part. and some say it’s not good because if they escape it’s really easy for the collar to come off and then they dont have identification tags anymore.
and i’ve heard differing things about the pet micro chips too. some say it’s a lifesaver…but i’ve also read new studies and reports showing tumors that grow around the chips and how they may be harmful for your pets health. ehhhhhhh.
OH and we should talk about pet insurance sometime. really. email me about my story and why im PRO pet insurance.
Beth, this is completely unrelated to your kitties (sorry! they are SO cute) but could you, at some point compile a list of no-plastic products you like for the rest of us? I know that they are listed here and there throughout your blog but maybe your top 10 or 20 no plastic products? Thank you!