Tips for Playing With Your Cat

Did you know that playing with your cat is one of the best things you can do for her? Playing is beneficial for your kitty both physically and mentally. All that pouncing and jumping will help keep your cute pet strong and healthy, while focusing on those tricky run/jump/pounce combinations is great for her mind. Read on as a San Antonio, TX vet offers some tips on playing with Fluffy.

Make It Routine

Because playing is so good for Fluffy, it’s best to make it part of your regularly-scheduled furball hangout time. You don’t have to devote huge chunks of time to holding that laser pointer. Just take a few minutes, at roughly the same time each day, for kitty playtime. Keep things fun and fresh for your feline friend by changing her toys out regularly.

Discourage Rough Play

As you may have noticed, our feline pals have a tendency to pounce on toes, and bite our hands and arms. (Fluffy may be the only animal that attacks her humans for fun, but that’s another topic.) This playful behavior may be cute in kittens, but it can be very problematic—not to mention dangerous—in adult cats. Nip this bad habit in the bud! If your furball attacks you, reprimand her by saying ‘No’ or ‘Bad kitty’ or ‘Don’t bite.’ It doesn’t matter what you say, as long as you are consistent and use the same phrase every time. Then, walk away and ignore your feisty pet for a while. She’ll get the hint eventually!

Give Fluffy A Challenge

Kitties are very skilled predators by nature. Fluffy is more or less hard-wired to pounce, stalk, jump on, and attack things. To let your pet indulge her inner huntress, use toys that you control, such as a wand toy or laser pointer. This will mimic the movements of an actual mouse or bird, which makes playtime both more fun and more challenging for your little buddy.

Let Fluffy Win

Playing can be a great way for timid kitties to build confidence … but only if they can actually catch their ‘prey’ sometimes. While Fluffy may never manage to get that elusive red dot, you can let her capture that fuzzy mouse sometimes!

Do you have questions about your cat’s health or care? Call us! As your San Antonio, TX vet clinic, we’re here to help!