Hi all over the years I have noticed no matter what I buy my pets they always prefer "free" stuff more.
For example I have had a suitcase delivered today and with it came a massive box currently my 14yr old cat and 9 month kitten is playing like crazy cats with it . Also my kitten prefer to hunt a ball of socks rather than a ball most of the time!
There are loads more things like this but I was wondering have any other pet owners bought toys only for the pet to love the packaging more?

mine likes the plastic covers on plugs that come with new electrical items.

The best free toys our cats enjoy are the plastic "ball" inserts you get in Kinder eggs

My dog loves plastic drink bottles.

we used to make a treat box up for our old dobermann - fill a cardboard box up with her toys, some treats and bits like that, tape it up and wait....she'd spend hours working out how to get into it (we used those really thick boxes, otherwise she'd of ripped them instantly!).

once she knew what she was doing she'd get silly as soon as she saw a box - so we ended up making magnificent designs for her - to keep her challenged! (boxes in boxes, different shaped ones, some with bubble wrap in...)

bought her a kong, thinking she might like it as its a similiar principle. filled it with treats/peanut butter - she didn't look at it once!

Same! and cardboard boxes.

The rabbits we have love our old plant pots we don't use as well.

Carrier bags are a favourite, always have been.

Amber currently has our old double mattress propped up that she likes to play with (climb up, hide under, sleep on top of)

We'll obviously be throwing that out soon.

Yeah, big bottles he can't get his teeth round that slide every where!

My other dog used to go mad for the cork out of wine bottles too, throw it around for a bit and then kill it by chewing it into little pieces and leave it lying all over

My kitten likes them too but too fight he likes to knock them over

I bought my 3 cats a huge scratch post, tower thing last weekend with various boxes and ladders etc attatched to it. to keep them amused. It cost a fortune, and took my Husband half the afternoon to put together.
The ungrateful little brats then spent the next few hours playing with the box it came in.
My dog plays with socks. He steals them out the washing machine and runs around the house throwing them around and pouncing on them.

You only have to say 'Bottle' around him and he goes nutty
He went through this stage of trying to open your bags in the hope there would be one in there.

Same!! It's a nightmare! I don't think I have a pair of the same socks anymore. They are all mix and match

For my 2 year old cats, one is obsessed with tightly rolled up balls of tin foil (spends hours playing football with them) and the other loves crisp packets folded into triangles.

My cats love that plastic strapping that you have to cut off large cardboard boxes. They love chasing it, and crunching on it.

If it's long enough I go halfway up the stairs, dangle it over the side & let them chase it along the downstairs passageway.

One of mine loves playing with pens, generally when I'm writing!

Our youngest GSD loves throwing around the cardboard insides of kitchen/toilet rolls. He takes them straight back out of the recycling box as I drop them in. He also likes me to use a mirror when the sun is out so he can chase the reflection around the yard. He'll do that until he's out of puff and is wagging his tail like mad.
Our older dog just watches him with a 'here he goes again' look on her face.

Hubby was at ikea yesterday and had stuff packed in a paper bag. Once emptied I put all my dogs toys and bones in it and left it on the floor. He gave me a very disappointed look and took them all out one by one lol

Ours is the same.

We've stopped buying toys cos she buries them in the garden. But a plastic bottle gives her hours of fun. In fact, we can't leave any on work surfaces because she cries and barks for them.

Toilet roll tubes are my dog's choice. Sometimes we'll give them to her, sometimes she'll get them out of the bin.

I used to have a rabbit that did that! He used to snatch the pen and throw it onto the floor. If I was reading a newspaper he would try to snatch that away as well.

Little Giz loves milk bottle tops - kicks them around the kitchen floor as if he`s playing footie.

He was trying to get at the bottle of milk once - I thought he wanted a drink but it was the top he was after

Also enjoys playing with spiders .....

And mine, if you don't keep an eye on her though she will rip the tube into tiny bits.

My budgie likes to play with a cardboard inner of kitchen roll. I think she imagines she's burrowing into Ayers' Rock, or something! Willow branches are another winner with both of them.

Same! My dog split a full bottle of juice the other week that he nicked from the work top.

For cats it has to be cardboard boxes and the ribbon you get in clothes sometimes. For my rabbit and hamster, boxes, toilet rolls, newspaper, anything plastic. I gave them old baby toys like the keys on a ring and they love tossing them around. I had a cat who just loved dragging an old jumper around. He twisted it and scratched it, kicked it, slept on it and even humped it sometimes.