Being an indoor cat will most likely lengthen your cats' life and keep birds and chippies in your area safe but it can also make for a very bored and over-weight cat.
Schedule time in the evening to focus only on your cat. Get down on the floor and roll the ball to your cat. A ping-pong ball is the favorite here with Audrey and Annie. I bounce it down our staircase (13 steps) and this is great exercise for them. A feather on a wand will have them jump for joy.
Before long your cat will know just when it is play-time and will come to where you are sitting and stare you down. No, it's not annoying. It is funny and very smart on their part.
Bring home a new toy every once in awhile just to shake things up a bit. You will soon find that your cat will have a favorite toy in the toy box and will carry it around the house much like a dog would.
Play-time will help you bond with your cat and keep her happy & healthy. And if you are at the other end of the ball toss then you, too, might shed a few unwanted pounds. Bonus!
Feather wands & cat-dancers can be purchased at all pet stores.
hugs, Deb
My parents always had something around to use to entertain the cats in such a way. Very similar to the cat dancer.
ReplyDeleteSuch cute pics of all the kitties, loved them!
ReplyDeleteCheers - Joolz xx
Delightful and beautiful photos, Deb. I do love cats!
ReplyDeleteOur Blue loves milk jug rings!
We have playtime every morning,and those who don't want to join in, have their own playtimes. Two 'space stations' are very popular for hiding and pouncing games!
ReplyDeleteJane x
Every morning is play time with Dakotah. I keep a ball of yarn in my dresser drawer, so she knows she gets to play catch on my waterbed and in between throws I get dressed and do my make up. She also knows when I roll it back up and put it back in the drawer that it is brekkie time. They definitely love a routine and I love to start the day watching her play.
ReplyDeleteAfter learning about the cat dancer from you, I got one for Charlie and he loves it. We try to play several times a week with it!
ReplyDeleteHow can anyone not play with a cat. It's mandatory!
ReplyDeleteRuby and I love playing together, one of her favourite games is chasing her all over the house and then hiding from her, she loves to go searching. One of Ruby's favourite toys is her avocado seed which she rolls around on the floor.
ReplyDeleteI adore Annie´s pic playing with her feather wand! And Rosie Posie & Dominique are such a beauty calendar kitties!
ReplyDeleteI do love playing with mine. Yuyú loves her little orange ball and when it´s play-time she brings it to me and if I am cooking or busy she patiently waits for me to finish and start playing with her. We also love playing hide and seek a lot especially after dinner when the house is quiet but her favourite game is chasing Luna the oldie and playing with Chiquita´s tail when the doggie is peacefully resting on the floor!
And as I was reading this, Gordon was sitting next to me amusing Naomi and Louise with a feather on a wand. They go crazy for that!
ReplyDeletePing pong balls are great unless there's a dog in the house - then they can be a choking hazard. To entertain the cats and protect the dogs, we use "practice" golf balls with all the holes in them.
ReplyDeleteCats who "fetch" like them because they can carry them around, too!
Our younger kittehs have a favorite wand toy (Louie actually jumped into the cat supply drawer one day and dragged out this new toy I had been saving for a rainy day). They can hear from any place in the house when I pick it up, and come running to play.
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