Anxious at playtime?

Gem90

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Hi, all!

I've had my cat Toebean for two weeks. He's a Maine Coon cross, just over a year old and neutered. He seems to have bonded well with me; he meows and headbutts and dozes next to me on the sofa. He's using his trays perfectly and is enthusiastic at mealtimes. So far, so good.

But this is my first cat, and I'm noticing something odd during playtime. (Nervous new owner alert!) He's a house cat, so I know I need to give him plenty of exercise and stimulation (he has two cat trees, perches and access to high spaces for lots of jumping and climbing), but I don't know him well enough yet to say if this is his normal or if he's still stressed about his new home, feeling crowded, w/e.

I try and play with him 2-3 times a day between meals. It can be hard to get him to play for more than 5 minutes sometimes, but he particularly likes his fishing rod toys. He hunkers down, stalks, wiggles and lunges as normal, but he often doesn't actually pounce on the toy. He dashes past it into the next room, jumps on the furniture, ears in aeroplane mode, looking skittish and wide-eyed; then he fixates back on the toy and the cycle starts again. Sometimes, playing like this gives him zoomies.

It's the flat ears that worry me, and the fact that he forgets the toy once he's running, so he's not getting the satisfaction of catching anything. Does anyone else's cat do anything like this? Do I just have a generally anxious kitty, or am I doing something wrong? I tried googling for answers, but all I found were cheerful articles on how zoomies are perfectly normal, and advice for a cat getting aggressive at playtime, which isn't the case here.

Thanks!
 

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verna davies

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Hi Gem90 and Toebean, welcome to the site, glad you have joined us. Not all cats are playful and prey driven. One of mine is just like Toebean, gets excited, bum wiggles and lunges but then walked past the toy as if it's not worth the effort. I suspect the aeroplane ears are all part of the playing and nothing to be concerned about. Enjoy having him and post lots of photos
 

Neko-chan's mama

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Your boy is beautiful! Neko-chan sometimes does that too. I found she prefers a stuffed toy on the end of the string rather than a feather or something. I'm guessing it's more satisfying, more like a mouse. Try different lures on the end to find out what Toebean likes best.
 
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