Mary Allen
There are many things that can go wrong when playing with cats. Be sure to avoid these dangerous mistakes when playing with your cat!
Playing with cats is a particularly nice way to spend time with them, keep them busy, and also bond with them.
When playing with cats, tomcats, or kittens, however, mistakes can always occur. In itself, making mistakes while playing with the cat doesn’t sound so wild. However, with the right tips, you can make the time and activity together particularly entertaining and, above all, animal-friendly for both parties.
In our guide, you will find exactly these tips that will help you to keep your cat or kitten occupied in a way that is species-appropriate and particularly entertaining for both parties.
You play half-assed
If you have the feeling that you have to play with your little bundle of energy, the cat will quickly notice and lose interest in playing. Cats are very sensitive animals that can perceive even slight emotions.
If you are impatient or tense, your loved one will quickly feel pressured or insecure. It’s better to take a break and only play again when you really feel like it.
You don’t have a gaming ritual
Don’t just play games on the side. As easy and fun as playing together is, it works even better with a certain structure. This gives you and your cat the security that you really do take time out to do something together once or several times a day. Your little fur ball will quickly know when it’s time again and so he has something to look forward to every day.
You leave toys lying around
When you’re done playing, be sure to put the toys away. Your cat doesn’t need all the little fur mice and fishing rods if you don’t play with it. Some toys even pose a risk of injury to an unattended cat.
If the prey substitute lies around motionless all day, it also loses its appeal, so that your house cat loses interest in playing together. Cats are very curious animals that always want to be surprised and challenged. They always want to learn and try new things. After all, it is not without reason that there are countless intelligence games for cats.
You buy toys indiscriminately
There are also a few tips to keep in mind when choosing a toy. There’s a good chance you’ll find a big stuffed animal or a glowing and blinking ball cute. Your velvet paw is more likely to run away.
When it comes to toys, be sure to use the natural prey of your little predator as a guide. So choose something the size of a bird or a mouse. Otherwise, it can happen that your darling becomes more anxious than getting interested in hunting. Noises such as squeaking or rustling are also good for stimulating the cat’s hunting instinct and keeping the cat busy for a long time.
You move the toy wrong
What sounds strange at first is actually quite logical: when playing, your little tomboy is pretending to be in a hunting situation with prey. A mouse or bird would never approach a predator, so make sure to keep the toy away from your cat when playing.
If you throw a mouse or a ball at the cat, your cat can quickly become irritated or feel underwhelmed. Your cat will only deal with too easy “victims” for a short time. What great hunter would want his prey to voluntarily fly into his mouth?
You play too long
- How long should you play with the cat?
You don’t have to keep entertaining your cat until one of you runs out of breath. In fact, this is a common mistake in gaming. Even if your furball seems tireless – in nature the need to hunt only lasts about ten attempts. Then the cat gives up.
That means for you: Better play more often, but for a short time. Ten to 15 minutes are usually ideal so that your darling stays with fun and has fun. You should definitely stop when the cat is panting or showing in some other way that it can no longer do it.
- How long should you play with kittens?
Especially with kittens, you should keep the duration of the game short and spend more time with the cat or the little tomcat. Young cats are not yet experienced in hunting and invest a lot of energy in the many – e.g. T. infinitely cute—hunting attempts. Give your kitten enough opportunities to rest.
You should also build in a tension curve: Start slowly, then really step on the gas and let the game fade away slowly. This leaves both with a positive feeling and your cat does not have to switch from 0 to 100 and back again.
You lose patience
While young cats tend to act impetuously, adults and especially old cats are experienced and concentrated hunters. Your velvet paw will not always rush towards the toy enthusiastically but will eye it and lie in wait to develop a suitable hunting strategy. Don’t take that as disinterest. Better be happy that you have awakened the hunter in your cat and just watch what happens.
You play with your hands
In the heat of the moment, it can quickly happen that your hand ends up between the paws of your little bully instead of the cuddly cotton mouse. Many advisors rightly point out that caution is required here.
Of course, it can happen when playing together that you get a scratch or two. However, you should not deliberately play with your cat with your hands and fingers. After all, your velvet paw associates the toy with a prey animal and could therefore bite harder or – unlike a love bite – not let you go. So keep your distance when your darling is in full swing.
You don’t care about quality
When choosing a toy, it is not only important that it is the right size and exciting. Security is also an important issue. Pay attention to the quality when buying and check whether small parts can be easily detached. As with small children, there is a risk of choking, since your velvet paw will certainly not touch the toy with velvet gloves.
Therefore, only give the little bully toys that are suitable for cats and pay attention to the material and shape. Toxic materials, sharp edges, and ribbons in which the cat can get entangled are taboo. The balls of wool often shown (also in the pictures of this article) should only be used as toys under supervision.
You should also avoid laser pointers, as in the worst case you can burn your cat’s retina while romping around wildly.
You have too many toys
Less is more. Even if you walk past a cute toy every day that your wide-eyed tomboy might like and keep him busy for a long time, it’s better to leave it on the shelf or lying around. Otherwise, you will succumb to another error while playing. When playing together, you should only fixate on one object anyway, so that your cat can really get involved with it. Otherwise, the sensory overload will quickly occur and your darling will lose interest or get completely confused.
Pay attention to which toys your cat enjoys the most and provide a bit of variety. A maximum of ten toys should be enough to keep even the most demanding cat happy.