Why does my cat ignore new toys but play with random household objects?

Most manufactured toys are static once the initial novelty wears off, while a bottle cap, hair tie or crumpled receipt moves unpredictably, rolls at odd angles and smells like you, all things that better mimic actual prey than a stationary plush mouse does. Cats are also driven far more by movement and texture than by what an object is technically designed to be. The fix is usually not buying more toys, it’s rotating the ones you have out of sight for a week or two so they read as new again, and prioritizing interactive wand toys you move yourself over anything that just sits on the floor.