Being active helps maintain a healthy body weight, keep the muscles toned and strong, and keep the mind alert and active as well; but you can’t exactly strap a sweatband on your feline and put him on the treadmill. So, how do you work out an indoor cat? There are many ways to get your cat more involved in play, here are a few that we’ve found to be affective.
1) Try a wand toy; A flexible wand toy with a feather or mouse at the far end. You can make it more challenging by running the toy up and down stairs or different places and speeds to change the exercise intensity.
2) Have fun with lasers or flash lights. Cats want prey play, their envisioning catching a light bug. After a little while It might be a good idea to give them a toy they’ll actually catch so they are not frustrated they didn’t catch the light. Be sure not to shine the laser pointer into your cat’s eyes when playing.
3) Toys with different textures. Some felines aren’t interested in soft toy mice; but will go bonkers for a crumpled-up piece of paper; try some toys that crunch or crinkle when kitty plays with them.
4) Give your cat a box or two. “If I fits, I sits.” Cats love boxes. Even big cats in zoos love boxes. Putting out a couple of empty boxes can keep your cat occupied for hours, and you can combine several boxes to make a maze or a castle for your cat to play in.
5) Set up a cat tree. Cats love being up high where they can observe and survey their kingdoms. Making or buying your kitty a cat tree will help him get lots of exercise climbing up and jumping down.
6) Kibble chasing; This one is great for plump kitties that aren’t normally very playful. At a meal time remove any food that’s been set out, toss a few bits of kibble getting kitty to move for their food.
7) Encourage your feline to search for their food. This is a great way to get an overweight cat to exercise is to hide his food in small portions around the house. This makes him work to find the food every day, don’t hide the food in the same places all the time
8) Schedule regular playtime with your cat. Try to schedule 10 to 15 minutes of playtime with your cat on a daily basis. If it’s the same time every day, your cat will come to expect it and may come to you looking to play
With some imagination and commitment to your cat’s playtime, you will find that both you and your cat are enjoying a healthier and more joyful life.
-Kaitlin Ring (Cat Mama)
Citations
