4 Things You Can Do At Home To Entertain Your Feline Friend
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Just like any other pet, spending time with your cat is one of the many ways you can show them your love — be it spoiling them with their favourite treats, accompanying them during playtime (with a laser pointer perhaps?), going outside for a walk and letting their paws feel the grass (if they’re willing), and so much more.
The time and attention you dedicate to them contributes to their emotional and physical health, ensuring your feline’s wellbeing is in tip-top condition. However, sometimes your work and lifestyle can get in the way of you finding time to play with them. Even the weather can dictate the activities you can do with your cat, especially in Singapore. If the weather gets sweltering hot, chances are, your cat would prefer lazing around in a cool spot of the house than do anything else really.
Still, don’t let unfavourable conditions stop you from spending time with your cat. If you’re willing to commit the time and effort, there are plenty of activities to do with your cat to keep them happy and active — here’s how.
1. Don’t Settle With Just One Toy
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Unlike dogs who get easily excited over the same tennis ball repeatedly, cats tend to get bored or tired when playing with the same toy over and over again. The best workaround for this is to keep them on their toe beans (hah, get it?) by buying them multiple toys from a pet shop like Clubpets E-store and introducing the toys to them one at a time. This way, they won’t easily get bored because they aren’t stuck playing with the same toy repeatedly over an extended period.
The toys that many cats love are the ones that are either soft, colourful, lights up, makes a sound when moved, or a combination of all four. You can check out this swanky cat scratcher that’s guaranteed to entertain your pet for a good few minutes. But if you prefer a more DIY approach, you can fashion a scratch post out of a table leg and wrap it with a thin rope, and a ball of yarn dangling at the end. Regardless of whichever approach you’re taking, the key is to provide them with multiple things to play with.
2. Use Lights to Your Advantage
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If you want to explore other toys for your cats, browse any online pet store and try the ones that emit light such as lasers. Ever happen to watch those internet videos where a cat tries to catch a laser with its paws? You can try the same thing with your cat and keep them entertained by pointing one right in front of them and moving it sporadically. This will tickle their curiosity and make them try to catch it, but they never will — which is the fun part.
Another strategy that you can use to keep them entertained is by decorating your room with fairy lights. It’s not as fun as lasers, but it will definitely still make them curious because cats are naturally fascinated by lights.
3. Phone or Tablet Apps
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When you have an old phone or tablet lying around, you can use it and download games that your cat can play — Cat Alone, Fish for Cats, JitterBug from Friskies, and other painting or light games.
Just open these apps and lay your phone or tablet on the floor or table where your cat has access. This will keep them entertained for at least a few minutes before they start looking for other distractions to play with.
4. Try to Teach Them a few Tricks
The thing that most feline pawrents don’t know about is that cats can learn a few dog tricks. You can definitely spend some time trying to teach your cat how to fetch, sit, give you a high-five, and so much more.
While cats can do common dog tricks, you can also teach them cat-specific tricks such as getting them to climb up your leg to pry the cat treat from your hand, or even becoming the next Meowzart by learning to play a few piano keys. Though they might not become YouTube sensations overnight, the fun is still worth a try.
5. Give Them (Safe) Window Access
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Cats like to observe the world outside, that’s why you can commonly find them sitting or lying on the windowsill. This is also their way of getting their dose of sunlight when they can’t go outside. If you can, make the windowsill more comfortable for them to sunbathe or catch a whiff of the outdoor air.
However, PSA: do ensure to catproof your window by installing the appropriate grills to prevent your cat from accidentally stepping over the window ledge. Despite the myth of cats being capable of landing on all fours from varied heights, cats actually have a poor estimation of how high up they actually are. Needless to say, this can prove to be fatal.
It is our responsibility as cat owners to safeguard and protect the wellbeing of our feline furbabies at all times.
Conclusion
With a spark of creativity, there’s lots of fun to be had with your catto at home. Let your imagination run wild in thinking of innovative ways to keep it fun for your feline, even while at home.
