Play with your Cat!

It’s the New Year, a purr-fect time to recommit to the basics of improving your cat’s health and happiness. We have a series on the topic, and here’s the first. (We’ll be posting the rest as the month rolls on. Stay tuned!)

Tip #1 – Play Therapy 

Play with your cat every day! Dog owners have to walk their dogs, right? Cat guardians, you must play with your cats! This is a necessity. If you only have 10-15 minutes, that works (but of course your cat would love more time than this if you have it).

Remember, cats are motivated by their primal instincts to hunt, catch, kill, and eat. They need to release this energy, and if they don’t, that’s when some pesky behavior can start (scratching furniture or your legs, knocking things off the shelves, etc.).

When the term “play” is used, it means really play! Don’t just place an interactive toy on the floor in front of them and text chat on your phone or toss a ball with a bell down the hall. Be fully engaged. Take on the role of the bird, be the mouse, be the prey and run around with them. This is what you have to do to bring out their raw cat hunting mojo. If you want to really see that cat mojo going, playing is the way to go!

Tip #2 – Boil and Simmer 

Cats aren’t long distance runners, short sprints are more their thing.
So when you’re playing, the best game plan is a short burst of time, then let them simmer down, then bring them up to a boil again (and so-on). Now your cat should be tired-out. After play is a good time to feed your cat.

If you want to take this New Year’s resolution up-a-notch to be the ultimate cat guardian, play with your cat multiple times per day. Your cat will really love you for it and you’ll see a much more content cat.