Jazz up your indoor cat’s life

It’s NOT normal for a cat to eat, sleep, and hide most of the day – and get FAT. Enriching cats’ environments helps them burn calories, alleviate boredom, prevent behaviour problems and bladder troubles, and slow down the aging process. 

Here are five tips to make your home cat friendly:

1. Cats need elevated spots to hang out in. Buy cat shelves to hang at different heights or simply clear a window ledge. They also love scratching posts and plenty of cosy hiding places like boxes and tunnels.

2. Stop ignoring your cat. One of the reasons cats have become so popular is because people think you don’t need to do anything with them. Of course, this is far from true and is one of the reasons there are so many overweight cats. Play with your cats once or twice a day for at least five minutes—during TV commercials is ideal!

3. Activate the cat’s hunting drive. See if your cat likes feeding from enrichment toys hidden around the house.  The kibble will only fall out of the toys a few pieces at a time stimulating the hunting instinct and preventing the cat from eating too quickly. You can buy these food-dispensing toys or make your own from a toilet paper roll, with both ends sealed off. Fill the tube with kibble and poke holes in it.

4. Redefine and rotate toys.  Move cat toys around the house. The feather toy in the living room is a whole new toy in the bedroom. Cut holes in an empty box and move it around the house. Exercise your cat’s hunting instinct with mouse-sized toys jerked around the floor.

5. Take your cat new places. Fenced-in outdoor pet patios or cat runs break up the indoor cat’s day and provide live entertainment.

The more time you spend enriching your cats’ environment, the smarter and healthier they will be. A cat’s mind is a terrible thing to waste!

Bored Cat Syndrome

Yes there is such a thing!!

Keeping cats indoors increases their life spans because they don’t become victims of cars, other animals, diseases or thievery. Unfortunately many cats are left alone without stimulation or a feline friend while their human companions are at work and school. Some of these cats develop behavior problems or stress illnesses while others become dangerously obese from lack of exercise. Most of these latchkey cats suffer from Bored Cat Syndrome!

It is impossible for most people to stay home and entertain their cats all day. Enrich the home environment and give cats choices to avoid Bored Cat Syndrome:

• Stabilise cat trees with lots of shelves by adding a larger base or fastening the tree to a wall or the ceiling. Position one next to a secure window and hang a bird feeder outside the window to maximize cat fun while preserving birds’ lives.
• Carpeted shelving around walls at different heights give cats lots of opportunity for exercise and contemplation of their home comforts. Many access points to the shelves give cats choices and prevent them from being cornered without an escape route.
• Wide window perches allow cats to scope out the neighborhood from the safety of their homes.

Fight obesity and stimulate your cat by making your cat work for his food:

• Treat balls or shapes packed with healthy treats or dry food provide hours of chasing and playing fun. Make a puzzle out of a cardboard box with two to three holes in each side, just big enough for a paw to reach in for biscuits, but not big enough for a head to be caught in.
• Play hide and seek with treats or dry food. Scatter them behind sofas, up cat trees or on shelves while your cat is otherwise engaged.
• Many cats enjoy exercise wheels like these kitty treadmills

Other ways remedies for bored cats:

• Videos made for cats keep them occupied and stimulated when they are left alone. Video Catnip and The Cat Sitter feature the sights and sounds of birds, fish, mice and other animals. Some cats are fascinated by these videos; others give a passing glance and continue with their own agendas.
• Televisions talk shows or home and garden shows keep some cats fascinated
• Some cats love to play in running water like the Drinkwell Pet, available from Hall Vet Surgery.
• Many cats enjoy the company of other cats. Consider both cats' personalities before bringing a newcomer into the house. Some cats do not adjust to another cat in the household. Proper introductions can take months even when two cats are well suited.