Playing with a cat | Hills

Play is an important part of your relationship with your cat and is essential to keeping her healthy. Luckily, cats love to play!

The ability to play on their own without your participation is especially important for indoor cats, especially if they spend most of the day alone.

Kittens and adult cats like the same games, with the difference that kittens do not have to be persuaded to take part in the game for a long time. The vast majority of games that cats enjoy are related to hunting.

Cats have a strong natural instinct to chase and kill, so games in which you can reproduce the actions of a potential victim will be most successful.

The right toys

The first thing you need to play with your cat are the right toys. You are unlikely to want your hands to become the object of persecution and hunting. Even if your cat is wary, it can bite you when overexcited. Your hands should be associated with your pet with petting and feeding, and not with hunting and killing prey.

Good cat toys are easy to find and in most cases you don’t even have to buy them. Usually, for cats, a simple piece of paper or a ping-pong ball is just as interesting as a store-bought toy.

Foil balls, plastic bottle caps, paper bags, or anything else that moves easily and makes some noise are prime candidates for toys for your cat.

Dangers

Be careful not to use short ropes in games that your cat might swallow. Pieces of thin rope can even become sharp when pulled. They can be great as toys, but don’t let your cat play with them without your supervision.

Sound stimuli

Toys with bells or “squeakers” will be of particular interest to your cat if she is often left alone, because. sound is an additional stimulus.

An important thing to remember about any toys is that they need to be changed so your cat doesn’t get bored. Don’t just lay all the toys on the floor. Cats are very smart and get bored with toys quickly.

Instead, lay out one or two toys and change them regularly. It will be much more interesting for your cat.

Games

Excellent toys for you and your cat will be a ball, a mouse or a piece of fur tied to a string. Sometimes it is attached to a stick. With the help of such toys it is very easy to reproduce the movements of prey.

Try imagining a small animal prowling along your furniture. Or imitate the flight of a bird in the air, which sometimes sits on the ground and bounces. Be patient and give your cat the opportunity to track down and chase his “prey”. After 5-10 minutes, let her grab the mouse or bird in the air. It is very important that your cat feels that the hunt was successful.

Your cat may start chewing on the toy or try to carry it away. If you both enjoy the game, the toy may come to life again, or you may bring in a new one. Any toy on a rope should not be left at the complete disposal of the animal – the cat can chew it and swallow it. And remember: it is important that the toys are always new and interesting.

Favorites

A cat can become very attached to a soft toy and will always carry it with him. Some animals even meow or howl at their favorite soft animal. There is no single explanation for this behavior, but it is fun and part of your pet’s game.

How often

It will be great for you and your cat if you play twice a day. You may find that playing right before bed helps your pet calm down and can be helpful if he doesn’t sleep well at night.

If your cat doesn’t like playing very much at first, don’t despair. Keep trying and gradually you will understand how and when your cat prefers to play.