Playing with your cat little and often, or doing small things to get them playing with the toys themselves, therefore makes a major difference in keeping them active, playful and happy – which all in turn, helps to tire them out throughout the day!
Having a warm, purring cat or two in bed with you is calming and a stress releaser. It promotes bonding with your pets and can help you fall asleep. Cats don't take up any more room than a small dog.
Most cats enjoy interacting with their owner and playing is a great way to develop the bond between you and your pet. Play for a kitten, like any other young animal, is essential for its development to maturity and for the majority of adult cats, it is a pleasurable part of domestic life.
You don't want to play with cats to the point where they are overly tired or display signs of overexertion, such as panting. “Generally if your cat walks away, is getting agitated, angry, stressed, too intense or becoming too stimulated, you should stop playing,” says Hartstein.
Other cat health and behavior experts offer similar recommendations, with the total amount of playtime ranging from 20 to 60 minutes daily. Playtime should be split into multiple 10- to 15-minute segments as cats are naturally active in short bursts.
In most cases, it's easy to teach your kitten or young adult cat that rough play isn't acceptable. Follow these tips to keep playtime fun: Play with your kitten at least two to three times a day (ideally for 15 minutes at a time) using interactive toys.
You should also never wrestle with your cat. We're much bigger than them, so wrestling will only make them go on the defense. Use hands to show affection, never for rough housing. Don't pull away if your hand ends up in your cat's mouth.
A good place to start is two 15 – 20 minute sessions each day, which you can increase as they get fitter and more enthusiastic. Make sure you keep play sessions short, and always give them enough time to rest in between. Never force your cat to do anything they don't want to.
If your cat is not getting enough playtime, they may have excess energy and find other ways to spend this energy, such as scratching your furniture. A lack of playtime can also make them more aggressive as there is too much energy bottled up within your pets.
Single kitten syndrome is the idea that young kittens, when raised with other young kittens and cats and then adopted into a home by themselves, can become aggressive, anxious, stressed, and even develop behavioral issues like inappropriate chewing/scratching and inappropriately using the litterbox.
Just like a human, if your cat is bored, they may develop some bad habits or even start doing things that are either unhealthy for them or frustrating for you. Repetitive behaviors, overeating, terrorizing other pets, or even becoming destructive are all potential signs that your cat is bored.
Though household cats do get lonely because they developed a need for companionship, remember their ancestors were solitary animals. Therefore, it's in cats' roots to also enjoy some time to themselves!
Sleeping with you provides them with security and an extra defense if a predator should launch a nighttime attack. They sleep with you because they trust you, they know you're not a danger and you can also provide an extra layer of defense if needed.
As we've noted, their purr relieves your stress and can help you heal and live a healthier life. Your cat also helps with feelings of anxiety and depression. Moreover, they are warm, comfortable purring machines to have in bed with you! There are also, however, some reasons you may not want to let them sleep with you.
“So it's fair to say that cats will cuddle up to their owners for closeness, warmth, and safety.” You might notice that your cat sleeps right on top of you more often in the winter. Street cats huddle up to share body heat — when they're not scrapping. This also explains why solo cats curl up like donuts to sleep.
The length of time you can leave a grown-up cat alone depends on the cat, his diet, and your environment. Cats who eat dry food that you can make readily available may be left on their own for 24-48 hours as long as fresh water is accessible as well.
Regular playtime helps cats stay active, allowing them to maintain a healthy weight and have toned muscles. Exercise not only has physical benefits, but mental ones as well! Keeping cats guessing through new games and toys will help keep their minds sharp through their older kitty years.
Most adult cats are fine being left home alone for up to 24 hours, under the right conditions (more on that below).
Cat-proof your home by checking for: string, ribbon, yarn, rubber bands, plastic milk jug rings, paper clips, pins, needles, and anything else that could be ingested. All of these items are dangerous, no matter how cute your cat may look when she's playing with them.
It probably feels like your four-legged fur baby has got it in for you, but these perceived acts of aggression are actually an indicator of affection. That can be quite difficult to fathom, right? But it's true; they're actually “love bites” rather than a defense mechanism.
Never, ever use your hand to play with a cat. Or any other body part, for that matter. Rough hand play is a recipe for disaster, or at least a shredded hand, and if part of that shredding involves a cat bite, a trip to urgent care. So don't get started on that, or if you've already done that, stop now.
Of course, playing hard-to-get with a cat is one of the best ways to make friends. So if you want to be friends with a new cat, let it approach, offer your knuckle, and let the cat get your smell and pet itself against you (she will push into your knuckle and run her cheek along it).
This is effective for cats that are aggressive with people and may bite or grab onto your arm or leg. Give a timeout: Gently put your cat in a bathroom or other room without any people in it for 20 minutes if it is misbehaving. Quite often, it will emerge from the room with a different attitude.