i have a 14yo cat, who will only play with one very specific toy: a wand with a ball & feathery tail on a string. She absolutely adores this toy, and will run after it when i play with her...unless it goes off the rug. Then it doesn't exist. Also, whenever she catches it, she doesn't act like she is hunting it, she won't bite or kick it, she'll just... sit on it. Lick it a bit. Look very offended if i try and get the toy back, although she'll quickly go back to playing with it afterwards. Weird
Learning about behavior there’s a lot of “usually”s and “typically”s thrown into the writing. Cats are cats to a certain degree. Some cats develop alternative behaviors because of conditions, or lack of certain care, or lack of stimulus. Other times, cats develop these behaviors...just...’cause. And there’s a lot we can’t account for. It’s one of those situations where I’m SURE there’s a reason for it? But it’s not harmful at all and it sounds a) precious and b) like she’s very happy with her play situation that you’ve figured out.
But seriously, it sounds like you figured out what your cat likes and you’re adhering to that to make sure she gets the most out of her play, and that’s HUGE. Give yourself a huge pat on the back, because finding what works for your cat and going with it in terms of what they love to do can be seriously tough, especially when they stray from the “norm” of what is expected in feline behavior.