Keeping Your Cat Healthy with Play Time

Food and proper grooming are not the only ways to keep your cat fit and healthy. One other sure way to keep a cat physically and mentally healthy is to give her some quality play time.

Why Cats Need to Play

Your cat may sleep double your eight-hour sleep period in 24 hours. Just like humans, cats need to exercise to fight obesity and to stretch their limbs and muscles. Cat exercise usually takes the form of play.

Aside from keeping your cat physically fit, cat play time can also help relieve boredom or anxiety. Bored or anxious cats may either get depressed or unusually aggressive. Playing can help them feel good and can also help them develop deeper bonds with their owners as playmates or with other cats.

Playing Outdoors

Looking at your cat’s wild cousins such as lions and tigers will make you realize that cats shared their playful qualities before they were domesticated. If given the chance, cats love to romp around the garden and wrestle with other cats.

Ensure that your garden is a safe place for your cat to play and that he is protected from the road, aggressive dogs and poisonous plants. Read more on this subject in the ebook Toxic to Cats! Be sure not to leave your cat exposed to the sun for too long without any shade. Your cat could potentially suffer from heat stroke with extreme sun exposure.

Playing Indoors

You can keep your cat happy and active indoors too. You can buy cat friendly toys such as stuffed toys and catnip-filled toys. You can also find some simple toys from whatever you have at home. Cats love to play with linked shower rings and small bouncing balls. Surprisingly, they also enjoy crumpled paper, cardboard pieces and even large boxes with window cut outs.

Your main concern however with playing with your cat indoors is to ensure you keep her safe. Toys should be appropriate to your cat’s size. Be careful of small objects that could become a chocking hazard. If you buy childrens toys for your cat, make sure they are marked safe for kids under three years of age. Carefully monitor your cat while at play to check for frays or damaged toy pieces. Even cardboard and plastic balls should be checked for damages. Toys with missing parts may mean that your cat may have ingested the missing part.