Did you know that cats can get bored, just like people can? It may seem that Fluffy is striving for boredom, or perhaps sees it as a life goal. After all, kitties do seem to enjoy lounging about and doing as little as possible. However, even the laziest feline needs some sort of enrichment. Read on as a local Biloxi, MS vet offers some insight into keeping your feline overlord happy and purring.
Why Should I Keep My Cat Indoors?
While we generally will adjust our cat care advice depending on Fluffy’s age, temperament, and health, there is one thing we almost always recommend: keeping your kitty indoors. Cats are quite bold, as you may have noticed. (Our feline overlords are often a bit braver than is good for them, but that’s an entirely different topic.) Your pet may certainly enjoy going outdoors and partaking in popular kitty activities, like making paw art on your car and refusing to come in when you call her. Your furry friend may also both enjoy and benefit from the entertainment and stimulation she gets from exploring, watching birds and squirrels, sniffing plants and flowers, and rolling around in the driveway. However, the outside world poses some very serious dangers to a curious little ball of fur. As soon as Fluffy goes outside, she’s exposed to a wide variety of threats, including cars, weather, wild animals, parasites, chemicals, loose dogs, and, sadly, some people. One of the best things you can do for your furry little friend is to simply keep her inside.
Why Do Cats Need Entertainment?
We know, it may not sound like boredom is a serious problem for cats. After all, Fluffy does spend a rather ridiculous amount of time sleeping. (Fun fact: kitties can sleep up to 20 hours a day, which is more than almost any other animal on the planet.) Of course, not even the most expert napper can sleep 24/7. Your pet will be awake for at least a few hours a day. She may fill some of that time with grooming herself, eating, playing, and plotting world domination, but that’s still going to leave some room in her agenda. Just like people, cats need enrichment to thrive. If your feline pal has nothing to do but stare at the walls, she may become unhappy.
Why Is Boredom Bad For Cats?
It’s easy to overlook how important mental stimulation is for pets. And while our focus is generally going to be on Fluffy’s physical health and well-being, we also understand that animals’ emotions well-being very much ties into their health. Kitties really are very emotional, and unhappiness can manifest in quite a few different ways.
Here are a few of the possible repercussions:
Bad Behavior: If Fluffy is bored, she may become unhappy. That could lead her to try and soothe herself by partaking in undesirable behaviors. She may scratch up your carpet, chew things, or even spray inappropriately. You may also notice your pet meowing or even howling.
Depression: Did you know that cats can get depressed, just as people can? This is just as unpleasant for your kitty as it is for us!
Poor Appetite: If your pet is unhappy, she may very well go off her food. This is very similar to how mood can affect appetite in humans. While skipping one meal may not be a huge issue, if your feline pal stays off her food she can very quickly become sick. Cats’ metabolism can quickly be affected by drops in caloric intake. That can be quite dangerous for them.
Escape Attempts: We mentioned above that we always recommend keeping cats inside. Of course, if your pet finds being indoors unpleasant, she may try to escape … and may very well succeed. That puts Fluffy at risk of getting lost, hurt, or even killed.
Aggression: Another possible outcome of kitty boredom? Fluffy may very well try to take her angst out on you. If you have more than one kitty, they may also fight.
How Do You Entertain A Bored Cat?
Now for the fun part! We all know that Fluffy really enjoys catnip mice. However, that isn’t the only form of kitty entertainment.
Here are some of our favorites:
Playtime: While it’s important for your pet to have toys that she can use by herself, she should also have toys that you can use to play with her together.
Here are a few examples of interactive toys:
- Wand Toys
- Laser Pointers
- Remote Control Toys
Of course, you can also toss your pet a wadded-up piece of paper. The important thing is for you to take time out for kitty play sessions. Try to make a habit of setting aside at least ten minutes a day for playing with your feline friend. This won’t just entertain your cute pet: it will also be great for bonding. Plus, it will give Fluffy a kitty workout, help her gain confidence, and make her feel loved.
Window Seat: Did you know that a window seat may very well be one of Fluffy’s favorite forms of entertainment? Your feline pal may spend hours lounging about and daydreaming about hunting while watching birds and squirrels. You get bonus purrs for putting a bird feeder up in your kitty’s line of vision, so there is always some entertainment going on. Of course, we would only suggest this if your pet always stays indoors. Otherwise, you’d just be luring the poor birds to their doom!
Cat TV: Yes, there actually are programs made just for Fluffy. As one may expect, many of these involve birds, squirrels, and other small critters your feline buddy would hunt in the wild. Some kitties really seem to enjoy this! If nothing else, the background noise will offer stimulation.
Smart Toys: Modern technology has advanced in leaps and bounds over the past few decades, and our feline pals have not been forgotten or left behind. There are all sorts of cute and fun new toys for our feline pals to push under the couch! You can get your furry pal a mouse that reacts to her movements, or a laser pointer you can control through an app.
Things To Climb: Have you ever noticed that kitties like to climb up to high places? Fluffy can’t see very much from ground level, so it’s no wonder she enjoys going up to better vantage points. Cat towers are great for this. They also provide napping spots and jungle gyms.
Kitty Gardens: Many of our feline pals really enjoy nibbling on green leaves and smelling plants. Set out some pet-safe plants for Fluffy! You can also make her a little kitty garden. One option would be to plant cat grass in a litterbox. Just be sure to stick with things that you know are safe. You can find a full list online at the ASPCA website here.
Boxes: We may never understand Fluffy’s box obsession, but we couldn’t leave it out of this article. Bring your pet the occasional empty box to look adorable in.
Games: Did you know that there are now games that were designed specifically for Fluffy to play on a phone or tablet?
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Is your feline friend due for an exam? Contact us, your Biloxi, MS Animal Hospital, anytime!
