If you like spending money on cat toys, this video may give you some ideas. My cats like getting clever and expensive toys that they can ignore. Really, nothing beats an empty paper bag. But check out the last toy shown in this collection. I don’t know what your cats would think of it, but I’ll bet it could freak out some of your family members.
I love the cat falling asleep while watching the toy! But you’re right: that last one freaked me out all right.
There are sure a lot of variations on the captive-ball-in-a-ring idea. Someone out there must really understand cats, because that seems to entertain everything from playful kittens to old tomcats that have seen everything.