Tips To Play With Cats

Having a fluffy furball around guarantees that you have no dull moment to spend at home. These feline little furry munchkins are extremely affectionate and playful, and can keep you entertained all day with their silly antics and adorable games.

In addition to being amusing, playing every day is important for kittens and cats of all ages, as they provide sufficient mental stimulation for adequate brain development throughout their lives. Furthermore, playing involves being physically active, allowing cats to meaningfully spend their day's energy. Knowing how to play with cats also allows owners identify cats’ unique personality, allowing the bonds of friendship and trust to deepen with their human parents.

Why Play With Kittens?

Kittens are incredibly curious, interactive, and playful and playing with them contributes to their physical development and cognitive coordination abilities. Playing is also an important social interaction within the feline community that allows kittens to adapt to various social situations, and improve their communication skills. So how do you play with a cat?

The kind of play with cats should change as the kitten grows older. Kittens and cats are natural predators and their instinctive hunting abilities, such as stalking, pouncing, biting, and grasping can be influenced and developed while playing with cats. In fact, these skills start developing while kittens are 14 weeks of age.

In addition to playing being an essential part of a cat's life, serving as an outlet for their predatory instincts, cats playing sessions also help cats to coordinate with their favourite humans, and easily pick up training and learning tricks. Other than being an essential part of an indoor cat's daily activities, playing with cats also helps them avoid boredom, and receive sufficient physical exercise.

Types of Play Cat Enjoys

• Interactive Play - Some cats and kittens are extremely affectionate, and would love nothing more than playing with their favourite humans.
• Self Play - Most cats are introverted and shy by their very nature, and prefer playing by themselves with their favourite toys.
• Combination Play - Some cats also enjoy playing with their favourite humans, as well as playing by themselves from time to time.

Ways to Play With Your Cats

• Play a Fun Cat Game with a Cat Toy

  When it comes to how do you play with a cat, bringing in a cat toy can really amp up your play with cats sessions. A cat chew toy lined with catnip or silver vine can also take playing with cats to new heights.

• Make a DIY Toy to keep them Busy

  How do you play with a cat? Here’s an idea! DIY cat toys made from recyclable items are not just pocket friendly, but also allow you to don your creative cap for your kitty.

• Play Hide & Seek, Tag or Fetch with Your Cat

  Wondering how to play with cats? Felines are extremely energetic and physically active, making games like hide and seek and fetch excellent choices.

• Spend Time Brushing/Grooming Your Cat

  Why not give your kitty a hand in getting rid of loose and matted hair? Cats enjoy being groomed and grooming can help in establishing a deeper, precious relationship.

• Watch "Cat TV" Together

  Watching "Cat TV" with your little munchkin is an excellent way of identifying your kitty's personality while playing with the cat. Cats can never say no to a quiet afternoon snuggling up to their favourite human, catching up on the best TV shows.

• Create a Cat Treat Puzzle

  As curious as our feline friends are, a cat treat puzzle is the perfect way to keep them entertained for hours! Cats are immense foodies, and putting down cat treats in closed boxes with holes cut out can be the perfect cat treat puzzle to keep their cognitive skills active while you play with cats.

• Make a Cardboard Box Playground

  "If I fits, I sits". No matter the size of the box, cats love to play with cardboard boxes and paper bags. So why not gift them an entire cardboard box playground to have fun in!

• Take a Cat Nap Together

  Not all precious cat games need you to be physically active and keep up with your energetic ball of fur. Cats love sleeping, so taking a cat nap together must be on your list when it comes to bonding meaningfully with your kitty while figuring out your next game when playing with cats.

What to avoid while playing with cats

Being mindful of certain things to avoid which can help you in avoiding overstimulating your kitty, such as:

• Games like chase or fetch revolve around a cat's innate ability to stalk and hunt down its prey. However, letting cats only stalk their toy while cats playing session instead of letting them catch their 'prey' can cause your kitty to feel frustrated.
• Although letting your cat play with a laser can also cause cats to feel desensitised or lose interest over time. As cats are not actually able to catch the laser, it is not always an ideal toy to bring while playing with cats.

Things to remember

• Play for a few short sessions everyday

  Playing with cats majorly contributes to their cognitive and personality development. So, squeezing in a few short playing with cats sessions everyday can ensure your feline furball's brain development, as well as keep them entertained for hours. 

• Allow your cat to catch and grab the toy at the end of each game

  Cats are easily excited by games like fetch, as it appeals to their instinctive hunting senses. Allowing your cat to catch and grab the toy at the end of each game not just helps boost their confidence, but establishes a sense of independence and accomplishment when you play with cats.

• Never force your cat to play or be trained

  Although cats are immensely friendly, affectionate, and can pick up training easily, they are extremely independent by their very nature. So, it is important to invite them to cat play sessions, without really being forceful of their training or play with cats sessions. 

• At the end of each playing cat session tidy away toys with string, or anything that might present a danger to your cat

  Now that you know more about how to play with cats, it is also important to pick up the toys after each play with cats session. Tidying away toys with string or sharp edges can help your kitty from getting hurt in your absence. 

• Have fun

  Most cat parents enjoy playing with their cat because it is extremely relaxing, and can contribute to the physical and cognitive development of their furry munchkins. So, if you are worried about how to play with your cat, throw your worries away and just have fun while playing with the cat.

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