Cat games and exercise.

[tinysalmon]

So I'm pretty busy with my school work every day, but I try to set aside some time to play with my cat so she can get some exercise and is not just sitting around all day.

I have a meter stick that I hold, and have a piece of string tied on one end that I tease her with and she chases it around (she only plays with it when I'm around, otherwise I put it away and don't have string lying around). Also, in addition to running around, I dangle the string on my bed so she can jump, then dangle it on the ground, and back on the bed. The string seems to be her favourite game, sometimes she wont show interest in her other toys.

My question is, how much time in total should a cat get in a day? And is jumping up and down from a bed a good form of exercise or could it be harmful for her legs over time? Could she sprain her ankles or something? What precautions or other forms of exercise do to your cat?

 

[annie_belle]

Hi TinySalmon!

Well it sounds like you and your cat have a good game started!  As far as how much time each day to spend playing/exercising, I "try" twice a day for about 15 minutes each time.  Daily consistency is really important, for in my experience, our cats would get used to interactive play and would actually look forward to it.

In regards to jumping up and off the bed, is it a really high bed?  Are the floors carpeted or wood or tile?  How old is your cat?  Those parameters might make a difference.  It's good that you are thinking about this type of thing...I'm always one who would rather be a little more cautious...if the jumping is not "wild" and frantic...a little bit should be okay...when things get too wild accidents can happen.

For example, when Britches, our Siamese and I play "feather"...where I use a peacock feather and trail it along...sometimes she gets really excited and begins racing around.  I found that it's best for me to stand still or at least move slowly...otherwise, it's easy to get in her way and have her run into me....

When you said that the string game was her favorite and sometimes she didn't show interest in her other toys...it made me smile...I've found that each cat seems to have the type of toy or game that they really respond to...and other things, that other cats love, they couldn't care less about.

On toy that is a great solo play toy is the Turbo Scratcher...if your cat enjoys swatting things...balls, for example, this would be a good toy for her...she might get really excited and create her own exercise!

Anyway...good work in getting your cat some good quality interactive play time!

Until next time...Annie

 

[ducman69]

We used to do 15mins everyday, now its more like 10mins before I get bored.   We use a similar toy to yours called the Da Bird with either a feather or usually a mouse attachment (its more durable).   IMO exercising until panting is good, and I don't see the need for precautions.  

We also use cheap kids bouncing balls since I have hardfloors that they chase, and I rotate out various self-entertainment toys.   I found if you don't leave em out 24x7 they are much more excited when they see it and play more aggressively:

For some of their dry meals and always for their treats, instead of just letting em cram their face in a bowl, they work for it and I throw the pieces up high on the top of the kitchen cabinets, their shelves over the windows, down the hall, make em run and they seem to love that anyway as its a game for them.   Luckily they also chase each other around quite a bit which helps.  

Also bought a huge bucket of Cosmic Catnip, and if you squish that (to get the oil out) on their toys now and then, that tends to make the kitties more playful too.  

 

[lokilove]

DA BIRD killed my cats!!!!!!!!! Not really but holy moly that toy rocks! I live in Canada and had to order it off ebay...only took 4 weeks but I got it today. Cats go nuts for it...like actually. Isis is really bad at playing, she gets bored really easily but she was really into Da Bird. You'd think it's just a feather toy it's waaaaaaaaay better. My cats are now lying dead(ish) somewhere because they played so hard. I felt really guilty putting it away cause they then stalked the house looking for it. They didn't even want treats. I'm going to have to order some attachments cause I don't see it lasting all that long. My only problem is that my whole apartment is laminate, they are able to run much more on carpet.

Like annie bell said cats get used to play. I play with my cats before I go to bed so that they sleep through the night. Loki waits by my chair and lets me know it's play time. He was a vegetable before.

Ducman...your cats are hilarious! Nice videos.

As a side note I've found my cats both have more energy since getting them off of kibbles and onto mostly wet (and a bit of grain-free dry)

 

[brightsunray812]

if theres one thing my kitty loves to do, its play.

she has this string which she will pick up and drop on your feet  

basically, what has worked for me is i take one end of her string and drag the other half around the floor, and she will scamper like a rabbit  

also, i put her string above her head, and she jumps for it! she has at least jumped 3 1/2 feet in one jump!!!

also, get a cardboard box, clean and big enough so your cat can jump it. the bigger u can get, the better!

my cat loves to jump in and out of it!

also, make sure ur kitty has shelves to jump around on- like this one!

 

[x2006nkg]

I try to play with my kitten in the morning before work once and a few times at night time. He loves the laser pointer, so that's a good way for him to get exercise when I'm watching TV. Also the plastic balls with the bells in them, he loves to play with those. He will run around by himself, and I'm pretty sure he does it while we're at work, because they're always all over the house. As for the jumping off the bed, I was always worried about that hurting him, as we have a high bed and hardwood floors, so I just keep our computer chair beside the bed, and now he jumps from the bed to the chair and onto the floor, way less impact!

 

[windycitymom]

Our favorite is laser play.  The cats know the click of the laser's button and go nuts.  There's 3 of them and they get a ton of play with eachother, so we just supplement here and there.

 

[lj40]

My cat will get a little bored unless I rotate through our toy collection on a regular basis. Overall, her favorite is The Bird, followed closely by those cheap little furry mice that she bats around all over the place here. For interactive stuff, how long we play depends on the toy: if its The Bird 15-20 minutes can happen easily. If its the laser pointer, it only keeps her attention for around 5-8 minutes as she gets frustrated because she can't grab hold/chew on the light. (She has all her teeth and claws). 

One thing I'm curious about though, is does anyone have any idea which would work better: a regular scheduled time to play with a set length of time or a floating time frame which could be morning, noon, or night but still daily and for the same amount of time each session? I only ask because I've been more busy then I have been in a while the last few months and even though I try to get back to our usual schedule we keep sliding out of it. I don't know which would work better but I'm open to suggestions...

 

[ritz]

I'd say try to stick to a schedule, not necessarily the precise minute, but within the same hour or half hour.  Any time is better than no time.  Ritz is an only cat, so doesn't have anyone else to play with when I'm at work 10+ hours a day.  She also needs to watch her waist/weight.

I kind of know when Ritz wants to play, around 5 or 5:30 a.m., sometimes 7 a.m., and roughly 8 p.m., depending how bored she was during the day.  I do drop everything and play with her when she gives me her visual clue:  sitting in front of a crinkly tunnel, which she then hides in, waiting for DaMouse to pass by the opening.  Hunt and pounce.  She usually only wants to play for around ten minutes at a time, and she only likes one or two toys--DaMouse and the fluffy small mice.  She plays with the items I put in her three-tiered cat tree.

When she seems to have excess energy, I bring out the laser and finish off with a toy she can literally sink her teeth into, like DaMouse.  She doesn't seem to grow tired/bored of DaMouse, but I try to do new things with DaMouse, like putting it under a rug and pulling it outwards.  She loved DaBird for a while, until she saw DaMouse.

 

[brightsunray812]

oh. another biggie is the LASER POINTER!!!

zala goes INSANE for it...oh man do i love that cat!

im obsessed with the warriors series and iv noticed that she can do a perfect hunters crouch- is that instinct?

 

[rad65]

My cats love Da Bird and laser pointers. They get bored very easily, so I have had to add all sorts of random attachments to the end of Da Bird, from those mylar crinkly balls to a lucky rabbit's foot that my cats LOVED, but it's not good if you have a dog. My roommate's girlfriend tried it, and her roommate's little ankle biter dog (I love dogs, but I honestly have no idea what breed the dog is other than "tiny") ate the whole foot minus the metal cap in one gulp.

The main thing I focus on is trying something different whenever my cats look bored. They respond a lot more favorably to different sounds and sights. It's amazing, but even just taking the feather off Da Bird, my cats were going crazy for the metal safety pin-like end of the string. I have also found that taking the handle off a plastic shopping bag and putting that on the end of a string-on-a-stick toy makes my cats go insane. They love the crinkly plastic sound, and it looks like a feather or a pair of wings depending on how you tie it to the string.

 

[txcatmom]

Rad65, I love the idea of the plastic bag handles tied on the end of the DaBird.  I'll definitely try it.  We also rebuild our DaBird in different ways (those feathers are expensive.)  One of mine goes nuts for a plastic drinking straw attached to the safety pin.  We've also used craft store feathers, one big 6 inch feather at a time until they are demolished.  They are not quite as cool as the spinning DaBird feathers, but still a big hit and much cheaper.  We've also replaced DaBird string with shoestrings at times because we have quite a chewer.  And the little plastic nub that once held the DaBird feathers is a hit at our house too...lol.

 

[orientalslave]

I was given some 'fuzzy sticks' - pipe cleaners in bright colours sold as children's toys.  My cats love them!  I also keep all the toys (except ones with feathers on) in a basket, and round them up and put them back every so often.  Then they help themselves and spread them round the house again.

I had a strong catnip bag that they liked, except someone peed on it in the car.  They also love a laser light.

However one of the best games I've had was the stair game.  This involved a steep flight of stairs and a ping-pong ball.  Throw ball up, cat rushes up, ball bounces back down, cat rushes down again.  Having a large glass of wine first added to the fun.  You need a flight of stairs where the ball will bounce back down - one where the stairs lead up to a turn or a wall.