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Image by Flensshot from Pixabay  Image by congerdesign from Pixabay  Does your cat not play and just want to lounge? For indoor cats, playing is a way of hunting. If the toy is not right or stimulating or has been “killed” many times it may just be your cat is bored with the toy. Here are some tips to get your cat, even the most sedentary one, active. Pick the type of toy your cat likes. If your cat likes to hunt things that scurries, hides behind things, wiggles and moves erratically along the floor, then provide toys that mimic that behavior. f your cat is food motivated, you can hide kibble or other treats in toys for them to figure out how to get the food out. If your cat has played with a toy many times it is best to put it away for a few weeks and bring it back out later. This prevents toy boredom. When playing with your cat avoid making the toy disappear too soon. Cats often like to watch their prey before pouncing. If you remove the toy too early in the play session the cat may get disappointed and learn to not trust that you will keep the play going until the pounce and playtime is complete. In the wild, prey will try to escape, hide, change directions, and move away from the predator. Prey do not move toward the predator so don’t touch the toy to your cat. While playing with your cat, use towels, blankets, furniture to hide the toy and then make it wriggle back out. This will catch your cat’s attention. End your play session with a treat to mimic real hunting. At the end of a successful hunting a cat would get to eat. So ending the session with a treat signals to the cat the playtime is over and leaves the cat satisfied. There are many types of toys on the market, but you can also make your own. Just do a quick internet search and you will find a plethora of diy toys to make. A mixture of purchased and homemade toys will keep you cat happy and playful. I Your dog also has play preferences. For dogs, you can turn every meal into an interactive way to satisfy your dogs curiosity. Using a muffin tin, place the food or treats in each compartment. Then cover each one with a ball or toy. The dog will have to move the ball or toy away to get to the food. You can purchase or make your own snuffle mat. You place the food throughout the mat and then your dog can sniff and root around in the mat to find the food. If your dog is high energy, you can make agility courses inside your home or in the yard. Flirt poles are also a great way to exercise your dog. You can find ideas online for indoor and outside agility/obstacle courses and flirt poles. Sniffingis a dog’s way of learning about his environment and all who are in it. While on a walk, in the yard, or stuck inside on a cold winter’s day, your dog can get mental stimulation through sniffing. On a walk, let your dog sniff the daily news from other dogs and creatures. In the yard or in your home you can play hide and seek with treats. Your cat or dog will appreciate you for taking the time to learn their favorite ways to play and for providing enrichment to lives. |
