How to Play With Your Cat
Cats, especially younger ones, love to play. Play can include chasing, stalking, jumping and even biting. Play is important for cats. It can provide exercise, mental stimulation, and when playing with other animals, it provides social contact.
Cats will play by themselves if they have toys that interest them. Small balls, like ping pong balls, small fur covered artificial mice, or food-stuffed puzzle toys can be very entertaining for cats. Some cats like things that swing in the air, so a feather on a string that you an dangle can be quite interesting. More sophisticated electronic toys that move when wound up, or back up when they run up against something may be of interest to your cat as well. Boxes with holes cut in them, paper bags or commercial variants of these are interesting to most cats.
You may need to experiment with different toys to find out what your cat prefers. Once your cat has settled on a few toys, rotate them, so that they aren't all available all the time. That way they will continue to be of interest to your cat.
Playing with your cat can be a bonding experience as well as fun for you both. You cat will likely appreciate you tossing small toys for him to chase – and he may even bring it back to you! Pull a string across the floor, or wave a feather attached to the end of a stick to get your cat moving.
If your cat becomes too rough during play, just get up and walk away from her, taking the toy with you if possible. You could squirt her with a bit of water, but in most cases it's just not practical to have a squirt bottle right at hand. You can consider putting your cat in a "time out" – confining her in a small room with nothing to amuse herself – for a few minutes. BUT if your cat is a bit worked up from playing, if you try to pick her up, she may bite or scratch you.
Wrestling with your cat or using your hands (or other body parts) as toys are not good ways to play with your cat. This can cause injury to one or both of you and encourages your cat to play roughly with you and other people. For some cats, another pet – most likely another cat or dog – can be a good playmate. But proper introductions among pets are CRUCIAL for a good relationship. We have detailed instructions in our Helping Kitties Co-Exist DVD.
Individual cats vary regarding how much they want to play, but even the most sedate of cats can usually be coaxed into a play bout with the right toy. Sedentary, "couch potato" cats often gain weight which can lead to a variety of health problems. So help your cat get off the couch and become more active with the suggestions we've given you here.
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2 Responses to “How to Play With Your Cat”
Suz and Dan
Except for the meowing and pestering for attention and/or food, cats often aren’t “in your face” as much as dogs are for what they want. We know for a fact that cat owners under-utilize veterinary care – despite cat ownership being up cat veterinary visits are down, so it’s quite likely we often aren’t meeting the behavioral needs of cats as well.
I think part of the problem is the push to keep cats inside only. Not that I’m recommending cats be allowed to roam freely, but there are a number of options to give cats safe and supervised outside time which IMO greatly increases their quality of life. Training them to leashes and harnesses (my favorite is the cat walking jacket), constructing outdoor cat enclosures, installing “cat fences” that prevent them from climbinng out of a yard, or even taking them for walks in a kitty stroller add a great deal to a cat’s life, especially when the indoor environment is not as enriched as it should be.
just my two cents
Suzanne
Gillian Shippen
Great article. I am always trying to educate my clients about the behavioural needs of their cats. I like to advocate food dispensing toys for cats for a few reasons. I try to discourage owners to allow "free access" to dry food, as they really do not know just how much their cat is eating for a start and more often than not the cat is being over fed. the food dispensing toys are a great way to regulate the amount of dry food, entertaining kitty at the same time.
My clients will often complain to me their cat "always after food" and usually they will add the cat is "fussy" – I find it difficult to explain the cat is not necessarily asking for food, and not necessarily fussy either. I try to explain the cat is more likely wanting interaction with the owner and probably the reason why it doesn't eat what they subsequently offer, is because it genuinally is not hungry, it wants interaction. My clients really do look at me doubtfully – even my own stepson was a "doubting thomas" when he insisted my cat demanded to be fed. I told him all the cat wanted was for him to play with him and pointed to the uneaten food – he still would not accept what I was suggesting.
I really believe people underestimate the behavioral needs of cats more so than any other animal.