https://i.redd.it/2xq1jtt9cri61.jpg
plastic rings from bottles are nice, they can go quite far on the floor
boxes / bags are obvious
For the wands - use rugs, towels, doors to slide the prey underneath / behind, etc. That gets them really fired up. You’ll get to know what gets your cat going over time. Took me long enough. I do believe, that most times when he wasn’t interested in chasing I just didn’t do it in a “fun” enough way. Still happens.
String I just use a string, like an ordinary cable, sometimes with a small toy attached to its end, and I make them chase it around the apartment. The strings vary in length, but they're usually about 1-2 meters. I prefer strings that won't catch their claws so that I can safely pull it from them after they've gnawed it for a bit. Cables are the smoothest, while nylon ropes (for hanging clothes) and threads vary.
Use a string even if the cat is young. It might seem harmless fun to play with a small kitten with your fingers, because it can't scratch you. But if they learn that fingers=toy, they'll continue to scratch you when they grow up, which will hurt.
Putting away the string. If there's a chance that the cats could get injured with the string, I put it away after playing. Some lighter strings might wrap around the cat and suffocate it if left without supervision. Cables are file though, because (thankfully) they ignore them, unless I'm holding them. Some strings, like nylon ones, could get eaten, which is a health hazzard. Also, by putting away the string, the cats don't get so used to it and they're more interested in it when they see it.
Some things I've noticed from my cats:
Each cat has a preferred style of playing, athough all of them engage in each style from time to time. One prefers to hide behind something and try to surprise-attack it. Two others like to lazily sit in a chair or on a bed and catch it while it's near them. Another one likes to chase it around like crazy, because she's the most energetic and young. I try to engage each of them - if I see a cat that sits on a chair and doesn't join the others, I'll spend a few minutes playing with it while it's on the chair. Sometimes they get more engaged that way and will start chasing it around the room.
They prefer to chase the string while it's on something soft - a bed or a blanket on the floor. I've found that the lazier ones become much more active that way. I don't have carpets, but I put old blankets on the ground for them.
They also like chasing it when they have to jump over obstacles. So I've arranged some furniture next to each other near the walls and I move the string above it.
Some also like to try to catch the string when it is swinging along a wall or door.
They're smarter than they look and like change. That's why I spice things up by tying something at the end of the string, getting a different string or even changing the length - when they're tired, I might make the string just 20-40 cm and move it around them.
The toy I tie to the end of the string can be anything - (fake) feathers, a paper napkin, a small rubber toy or even another, smaller string (it will move differently than the big one).
Sometimes a cat will stand aside, because it bumped with another cat, or because other cats are more energetic and they can't really compete. I come back to that cat a few minutes later. If a cat doesn't feel like playing, there's no need to annoy it.
Inevitably, you'll get scratched sometimes. That's normal, because the cats are excited and can't always control their movements precisely. I never shout at them or get angry, because they did it by mistake. Don't pet your cat straigh right after a play session if it's prone to scratching.
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This has worked with the two 2 cats that I have taken care of in the past, and now my own 4 months old kitten.
You can hide around the couch and put up obstacles with pillows and such, or hide in another room where the cat will have to run up to you.
It's like playing with a wand toy except you're the prey that gets chased. With the 3 cats that I've played this with they understand on their own that they can't use claws on you. My kitten gently taps with his paw once he runs up to me, but never clawing like with his other toys.
They really all figured out the "rules" on their own without any particular training. They know to wait until I hide and then I kinda peek and hide again until I see that they're ready to attack. Then repeat.
I think it's a great bonding activity and the cats seem to really like it
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