High Tail Toys

07/23/2026

Finn's happy place... on someone's lap, gazing out over the ocean.Photo by Amy.

06/30/2026

Cat Friends! Please help the Maine Cat Lab with their research, and take this brief test on cat "fluency." It only takes a few minutes, and it's very intriguing. Your answers could help them!

The link is in the comments on the original post Thanks!

The Maine Cat Lab has developed a test of Feline Fluency: how accur...

06/29/2026

Beetrix LeStrange has always loved a good cat cave!

woolcatcaves

06/29/2026

This is why cats also adore our handcrafted wool cat caves! They provide a safe sanctuary from which to view the world, where a cat can also launch a stealth attack on desirable prey walking past. (Okay, in our house that means a fellow feline inhabitant. 😹)

In addition, wool is cozy! It acts as a natural thermostat, retaining a cat's body heat during the winter while its breathable fibers wick away moisture and allow air to circulate when it's hot. The scent of lanolin is calming to cats as well; it helps lower stress and increases their desire to nest.

Cats are absolute suckers for boxes. Why? https://theatln.tc/VQJw7iGl

In 2021, Katherine J. Wu investigated the apparently species-specific need for cats to jump into box-shaped objects, a compulsion their owners have turned into dependably viral internet content. But there’s no obvious reason (to humans, at least) why, “and because cats are generally uncooperative study subjects, humans have had a hell of a time trying to suss it all out.” Still, there are theories. One is that the world is threatening to a cat, and a box provides a feeling of protection or solace, “a sort of crude cardboard hug.” Another is that they find boxes a prime spot from which to spring on unsuspecting opponents.

“The last variable in the cat-box equation is, well, us,” Wu continued. “We’re the agents of chaos who built our environments to be amenable to cats. Cats sit in boxes because we provide them. Their videos go viral because we film them and share them. Some cats, left to their own devices, might not go gaga for boxes at all, if not for the fact that the humans they love lavish attention on them when they oblige. Perhaps we so desperately and doggedly document cats because we’re finally trying to tame them for good. But in the end, it’s almost always we humans who end up boxed in.”

Read more: https://theatln.tc/VQJw7iGl

06/28/2026

Looney Balls! They're bright, they're soft, and cats LOVE chasing and carrying them. Our signature toy is available in bags of 10 for $6.00, or bags of 30 for $12.00. They are heartily endorsed by the Empress herself, Luna Hufflepuff.

06/28/2026

Cats LOVE fetching our signature toy, Looney Balls! After fostering more than 300 kittens we have found these 2cm wool balls are just the right size for a feline's mouth.

Felines who fetch are an evolutionary mystery, Katherine J. Wu wrote in 2023. https://theatln.tc/8zSVUsBF

When her cat Calvin retrieved a yarn puff that Wu’s husband had offhandedly tossed across the apartment, Wu was “gobsmacked.” But Calvin, it turns out, isn’t that much of an exception. Cats that fetch are a minority, but not an extreme minority. Though data on the topic are limited, one 1986 study found that nearly 16 percent of cats reportedly fetch. Newer data suggest that the percentage might be higher.

Repeatedly retrieving a single object isn’t a regular occurrence in the wild; domestic dogs fetch because we bred them to do so, Wu writes. But if fetching seems to come naturally to a subset of felines, that would make sense from an evolutionary perspective. “Fetching is just a sequence of four behaviors: looking, chasing, grab-biting, and returning,” an evolutionary biologist explained to Wu. “Versions of the first three are already built into predators’ classic hunting repertoire.” The returning part of fetching could be drawn from feline mothers’ habit of bringing live prey back to their kittens to teach them how to hunt, or moving food to a safer area to eat, a behavior seen in both feline sexes.

Most fetching seen in felines seems to be initiated by the felines themselves, not, as with dogs, by humans. Both cats and dogs love a good chase, “but the average canine probably gets much more of a thrill out of obeying and pleasing us,” Wu continues. “The weirdness of cat-fetching can make it all the more special to the people lucky enough to experience it for themselves … Calvin needs me for a lot of things—food, water, tooth-brushings, veterinary care. But when he explicitly invites me to play with him, I’m transported to a part of his universe that feels especially intimate. He is choosing to have fun but also expressing that he’d prefer to do it with me.“

📸: Getty

06/22/2026

Meet Cousteau! ❤️

While packing up at the end of the Third Annual Falmouth Community Fest yesterday, we made a new friend.

Christopher was walking past our booth with a handsome liver chestnut hound when I asked him what breed the dog is.

He replied that "Cousteau" is a solid colored German Shorthair, something I had never seen. Christopher then added, "He's 14 years old."

Amy and I thought that was cause for celebration, so we decided to gift Cousteau one of our durable felted wool bones. He was in 7th heaven, and tore around the field playing fetch with Amy for the next few minutes.

"He'll do that all day!" laughed Christopher. We had never seen such a joyful pup.

Christopher later informed us he obtained Cousteau in 2012, after leaving the Marine Corps.

"I had neighbors who would walk one of Cousteau's cousins by my house in Orrinton. He was such a striking dog. I did more research, and knew that was the breed that could match my lifestyle."

These days, Christother N. and Cousteau reside in Falmouth.

"We've been through so much together, and he was always an inspiration for me to keep moving and enjoy life.

Cousteau's full name is Can't Stop Cousteau, and it's been a fitting name from the very beginning. He loves adventure, the water, and has never shyed away from anything. He's often found 'fishing' at the edge of the water looking to spot a glimpse of a fish swimming by."

We are truly impressed by this vibrant canine, and wish Cousteau many more adventures!

06/22/2026

We had fun yesterday at the Third Annual Falmouth Community Fest. Community Park was the perfect setting for a day of local entertainment, and many families turned out to out enjoy the live music, delicious food trucks, retail and health vendors, and children's activities.

We enjoyed meeting everyone who stopped by the High Tail Toys booth to check out our handcrafted felted wool pet toys and nature-inspired home decor! Thank you to the Town of Falmouth, Maine for making this event possible.

06/20/2026

We love our handfelted wool critter finger puppets here at High Tail Toys. To be honest, Paula is slightly obsessed with them. 🤣

There was a new arrival today. Joining the ranks of our Aussie friends -- Kangaroo, Koala, Wombat, and Sugar Glider, we welcome the Platypus!

06/20/2026

Come visit Paula and Amy at High Tail Toys during the Third Annual Falmouth Community Fest from 10 AM - 4 PM on Saturday! We're in Booth #52, right by the Co****le Tournament and Stage.

🎉 ADMISSION IS FREE 🎉

We will have:

• 100+ Finger Puppets (featuring animals, sea creatures, birds, reptiles, bugs, and fantastical creatures)
• Slingshot Kits with Looney Balls (our signature toy)
• Cat Toys
• Dog Toys
• Cat Caves
• Catnip from The Pussums Cat Company
• Silvervine from Shady Cat Social Club
• Birdhouses
• Potted Plants
• Floral Garlands
• Nature-Themed Ornaments

We design many of our items on the coast of Maine, and all are handcrafted by skilled artists in Nepal, using the finest 100% New Zealand wool and AZO-free dyes.

High Tail Toys proudly donates 10% of our net profits to Midcoast Humane in Brunswick, ME. As long-time kitten fosters, their mission is near and dear to our hearts.

TOMORROW, Saturday, June 19, it's the Third Annual Falmouth Community Fest! Join us at Falmouth Community Park off Winn Road from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

🎪50+ artists, artisans, makers, gourmet food purveyors, wellness practitioners, and non-profit organizations
🎪4 great bands
🎪8 delicious food trucks
🎪Co****le Tournament with Port City Corn Hole
🎪Balloon twisting
🎪Face painting
🎪Bee Train
🎪Make & take craft
🎪& more!

Find more event info at: https://www.falmouthme.org/1049/Falmouth-Community-Fest