Actually they would prefer the bag the yarn came in. Cats are about movement, not color, so save your money and wad up some aluminum foil or a paper bag.

Yarn is not a good toy, they can swallow it and it can get twisted in their stomach or intestines. If you really want to buy a toy, the furry mice are still a favorite with my cats.

As a vet who has seen the damage caused by yarn, do NOT get this for a toy. Intestinal problems that result are painful for your cat, and for your wallet, with no guarantees of survival. I've seen cats die from ingesting yarn. Yes, it's fine when you are watching, but you can't watch him 24/7, and all string looks like a toy when you encourage him to do so.

I second the furry mice. Plastic bottle caps are a favorite and free, as are the previously mentioned aluminum foil balls and paper bags. Boxes are fun too. Laser or penlight tag offers hours of enjoyment.

Thank you both. I didn't think further on the yarn but will not get that. I've heard of the laser pens before and seen the mice. I have seen cats play with big bags, this one is not interested yet but I will keep trying.

Carla

When I read the OP, I was going to warn against yarn, but then I read the rest of the thread, where you all beat me to it. So, onto the question of color preferences, I had always thought cats are color-blind. But nevertheless, my cats LOVE those glittery soft balls, and when I have a few of them in different colors, they always go first for the red ones. Don't ask me why. They like the other colors too though.

I really recommend the glittery soft balls as toys. They're called "glitter balls" or "pom pom balls". You can find them in ANY pet store, usually displayed loose in a plastic bin where you just choose the color(s) you like. The glittery balls come in different sizes, although all are pretty small. My cats like the very smallest ones. For some reason, Petco only sells the larger ones, but you can find the smaller ones anywhere else. My link below shows what they look like, although the pic is really magnified LOL. My cats love those balls so much, they'll even play fetch with them! (BTW, my cats don't like the similar-looking mylar balls, which make a crunchy sound. My cats prefer the soft soundless ones.)

As to the names you listed, I do not like "stinker bell". Cats are very sensitive, and that name isn't very flattering for such a beautiful girl! The cat is sooo cute. I love the ear hair, like what a Lynx has. How about "Lynxie"?

Here is a link that might be useful: Cat Glitter Balls

Our cat has a selection of balls but will only play with the pink ones. She's a girly girl!

I never thought about the color choices, but I know that with the fur mice all three of my cats prefer the white ones over grey. I don't have any other colorful toys for them, so I can't say anything about bright colors, but that is interesting that they seem to go for the reds and pinks.

Below is a link to another thread about cat toys, I did buy the "Cat Dancer" and my cats love it! It is a wire with tightly rolled cardboard on the end, and when you hold one end the wire wiggles and wobbles enough to be unpredictable and the cats like that.

Here is a link that might be useful: Favorite cat toys

Absolutely skip the yarn--I had a cat who'd ingested an entire cord from a hooded sweatshirt. Had it not been for the vet doing an x-ray an immediate surgery, we'd likely have lost her.

I'd also skip the laser--your cats might not react the smae, but the few times DH used one with them, they freaked out when he shut it off and they couldn't see it anymore.

Pop-pom balls, little mice, and those brightly colored fish toys (come 2 to a pkg from some company that markets toys for different "stages of development?") are popular with my two.

Mine like the mice a lot, prefer one that has leopard spots on it, play with it so much that it disappears under some low piece of furniture for a while and is greeted with great glee once I find it and toss it back into the toy-box.
But they are not fussy, a card-board tube from an empty toilet paper roll will do just as well, as will anything they are not supposed to have - I find they keep their owner neat and tidy, stuff gets put away.

I vote for Stinker Bell.
Odessa's fave toys are her Feline Flyer (a rod-string with a replaceable feather attachment)and her fur mice. She is picky about her mice. She seems to prefer the grey ones over the white ones, BUT...they must be real fur...not fake. And...she shows no interest in the real fur ones with plastic eyes and noses...sho only likes the ones with felt facial features. It took some time and $$$ to figure this out. She definately knows the difference.

If you buy fur mice for little Stinker, I would suggest pulling the tails off before she does...same issue as ingesting the yarn.

LF

She looks like a Sophie to me. :o)
Ours love pipe cleaners! One of our kitties is a retriever, we'll throw a pipe cleaner and he will fetch it and bring it back. I guess they like them because they are snake-like, and because they contain the hard wire, they don't seem to be tempted to eat them.

Talking cheap : My cats have discovered just how delightfully unpredictably large acorns (minus the caps) will roll around on our hardwood floors. I'll probably be finding them in all kinds of places this winter!