Mary Allen
Do you have a cat and want to keep it purely as a house cat? Then it is usually not only advisable to keep them with a conspecific, but also to ensure that the animals are physically and mentally busy.
While cats, which can also go out into nature, hunt mice, go climbing and pursue other activities, unfortunately, house cats do not have this opportunity. You as the owner now have the task of providing a replacement.
In this article, you will find exciting play ideas for you and your cat as well as tips for building different toys yourself.
Playing games with people
Cats shouldn’t just have to keep themselves busy. Playing together is also particularly important for the bond between you and your animals and should not be neglected under any circumstances. In addition, you will get to know the character and preferences of your cat. Therefore, take time 2 – 3 times a day for joint play adventures. There are special toys or game ideas for this so that nothing stands in the way of fun and exciting hours together. You can find out what these are below:
Game fishing for playing together
Toy rods are one of the most popular cat toys par excellence. This is a stick made of plastic or wood. A toy was attached to this stick with an elastic and stable rubber ball. Mice, feathers or small cuddly toys with an integrated rattle and other noises are often used here.
Valerian is also often used to encourage animals to play. Here you can simulate the movements in such a way that the cat has to either strike at lightning speed or sneak up on you. Here you have the opportunity to simulate different scenarios.
Throw toy
Even if you haven’t heard, many cats even fetch objects. Throwing toys are therefore particularly popular and are well accepted by most animals. Here, for example, there are special cat toys that have feathers, beads or other accessories. You can simply throw this and teach your cat to bring it back to you to continue the fun. However, make sure that it does not contain any small parts, because cats can also choke on them. Throwable toys that crackle, rattle or squeak are particularly popular.
Hide-and-seek games
Many cats also love to play hide and seek, not only with their fellow cats but also with their owners. Here you should hide and lure your cat with noises and then, when your darling has found you, reward him with a small snack. Even if it sounds very strange at first, cats quickly figure it out and enjoy this new way of playing together.
Working with flashlights or lasers
Of course, you can also play with flashlights and lasers, but you have to be careful not to get them into the hands of children or shine them directly in your cat’s eyes. Projected on the floor or the wall, however, the joint fun with these products knows no bounds. However, it is important that you do not let your cat reach into the void. Reaching the point should always be associated with a sense of accomplishment. So don’t aim the laser pointer or flashlight at the wall at random, but rather at a toy or a small snack.
What should be considered when playing together?
It is important when playing together that you allow your cat moments of success. Have the toy taken away from you every now and then so that your cat could defeat you? It is also important that the cat wins in the end and that playing together ends positively.
Since blankets and newspapers are also often used as toys and small rustling movements are guaranteed to trigger the cat to “attack”, you should make sure that your hand never becomes the animal’s toy.
Otherwise, your cat could attack you so suddenly and injure you, because your animal doesn’t know the difference at the moment and simply wants to ask you to play. This can quickly cause problems, especially with children or visitors.
Food games – let cats work out the food
Why not use the food to give the cat some exercise? There are many ways to feed your cat in a playful way or to let the food work itself out. For example, hide some dry food or let your cat do certain tricks to collect the reward afterwards. In addition, cats like to catch floating food and have to show some skill to get to the treats. For example, you can pack small treats in a sink filled with water.
You can also place objects such as crates or pillows that the cat has to climb over to get the food. In addition, it’s never a bad idea to put the treats in small boxes so the cat has to work its way through to get the food. Make sure to vary this so that this game can be reinvented over and over again.
Intelligence toys for cats – also provide mental balance
Cats not only want to be challenged physically, but also mentally. Animals that do not have to do any mental work quickly become ill. In addition, they often get bored, so they let off steam on the furniture or start marking inside the apartment. Because of this, it’s important to mentally challenge your cat as well. The best way to do this is with the so-called intelligence toy, which you can now buy in numerous specialist shops or order on the Internet. There are also some DIY ideas.
For example, you can punch holes in boxes of different sizes. This is how you arouse the curiosity of your animals, because cats love to fish things out of something. For example, you can make holes of a certain diameter on both the sides and the top and put a small ball in the box for the animals to fish for. There is also the option of building toys by accumulating many toilet paper rolls, where the animals can fish out small treats, although of course only a few rolls are filled at a time.
In addition, of course, special intelligence toys for cats can also be bought. For example, there are models that work with ball covers, where the cat has to get the balls down from openings to get to the food. In this area there are additional products with different levels of difficulty in order to keep the individual products interesting for the animals.
Toys for when the animals are alone
Most cat owners will have to leave their pets alone at times. Be it for work, to visit the doctor or simply when you meet up with friends. Even then, the animals should have a variety of play options so that they can keep themselves occupied on their own. Be sure to change up the toys to keep them interesting for your cats.
For example, without the use of toys, you could hide small treats that your cat can look for during the day. Your darling sets off and explores the entire apartment in the hope of being able to grab more snacks. Of course, you can always think of new hiding places to keep your animals interesting.
Provide cat toys
Furthermore, you should always provide cat toys for these situations, which the animals can play with on their own. Balls and bouncy balls, for example, or small plush mice filled with valerian or catnip are particularly good. Noise toys are also well received and are often played with by the animals.
Since a scratching post is an absolute must for every cat owner, you should take the opportunity to redesign it again and again. For example, you can always hang new small toys on them, use hammocks or hide rewards in small houses.
Conclusion
Pure indoor cats need much more attention than free ones. For this reason, it is particularly important that you spend more time with your darling to ensure that the cat is fully utilized, because animals don’t like to be bored either. In addition, keeping them with a cat of their own species is desirable, because we humans cannot replace playing with a cat. It is advisable to go straight to siblings or to choose cats that are about the same age. Even playing hours with you and several animals is nothing in the way. When choosing your cat toy, however, make sure that you only use high-quality products that have been specially made for playing with cats and are therefore particularly robust and durable. In addition, you should never just leave the cat toy lying around, but put it away again and again so that it never gets boring. If you ensure that your animals are physically and mentally challenged, you will be able to enjoy your cats for many years and enjoy a healthy companion.