Does anyone else have a difficult cat when it comes to playtime?

[hannahe01]

I haven’t posted in awhile but I guess I’m venting/searching for people in a similar situation.. my 2 year old cat is so difficult to engage when it comes to play. And I know playtime is a super important part of being an indoor cat. It’s hard to keep him engaged and sometimes it’s hard to even get him engaged to begin with. Last week was a good week. He played every single day. More than he has in months. I was hoping for this to be another good week but so far not so much. I don’t understand why he’s so difficult to play with.. it wasn’t always this way. But then again that was when he was younger. It’s like right after he turned 2 he became much less playful and much more difficult to engage. I’m tired yall. I worry so much that he’s going to get bored but I keep trying to remind myself that he’s eating good and grooming well and we’ve even started clicker training. He has a million things in this apartment to keep him occupied if he does get bored.. but I still want him to play everyday. I know you can’t control cats and they kinda just do whatever they do but on days where he plays I feel so happy and good. On days where I can’t get him to play it completely ruins my night and I’m super sad/worried. I also have bad anxiety.
Does anyone else have cats that are like this? Anyone have any jackpot toys they can recommend? I’ve tried dabird and he doesn’t like it. Paper and foil balls are a no go. He has a select few toys that he likes sometimes but only on his terms. I’m searching for a unicorn I guess. Sigh. I’ve had cats all my life and never have I ever had one that was this difficult to have playtime with

 

[Kat5242]

My cat also gets bored easily and doesn’t play with most toys she is supposed to like.
One thing she most of the time does enjoy however is the stick with the string and toy attached to it (I call it catfishing).I made my own by drilling a hole in a round piece of craft wood I had on hand. Braiding and knotting yarn into a large knot and tying it to the wood. Its lasted me a year now and I haven’t even had to change out the yarn.
The second toy that she is absolutely captivated by is an old Christmas present I got. A tiny disco drone. I don’t know how much It costs or where dad bought it but I bet it wasnt more then 15$ you don’t have to control it you just turn it on and it will fly around at random. It won’t crash into anything as it had surface detectors which means it can sort of dodge a cat and it has lights so thats very amusing too.

But honestly I really just use these when she feels frisky. I am a new cat owner so maybe this is trash advice but I feel like she knows when she wants attention and when she needs to play. She keeps herself entertained by climbing around my apartment or taking naps.

 

[susanm9006]

Balls, like a golf ball that can be bounced or rolled, cat springs, furry mice, tissue paper, cardboard boxes, sparkle Pom poms, catnip toys, food or treat puzzles. You really need to keep trying new toys until you find ones he loves.

 

[suzeanna]

Laser pointer??? My 8 y/o lady plays multiple times a day (usually before meals). I cut up a few greenies treats into 6-8 pieces each so I can toss her a small nibble every time she catches the dot. I turn off the laser and toss the treat, wait for her to eat it, then point the laser to a new place on the wall and turn it back on and starting it "crawling" around. She plays on a large carpet that we have in the living room and usually only tries to catch it when it's on the carpet.

 

[LTS3]

Try these threads for playtime and toy suggestions:

Older cat doesnt play but is bored!

Hello community, I need your help. My cat Helmut (5 y.o. spayed Birman) doesnt really play. We got him as a singleton 9 months ago, he did play a little bit, but was very picky with his toys. First he only played with soft toys, then he stopped and the only thing he then liked was old socks...

thecatsite.com

My cat gets tired of toys QUICKLY

I have a 2 yo cat that has tons of energy. If I don’t play with him he takes this energy out on my other cat. It’s really hard to find wand toys that get him moving. When I finally find a toy he likes it lasts a day or two and then he completely ignores it when I bring it out. I am consistently...

thecatsite.com

Struggling With Play Time

Hey all. I have an inquiry as to how to get my cats to play. I have three in total: two males of six years and a female of three years. I would not usually have cats of such an age difference but the female was kind of an accident. A very happy one, I assure you, but we do have our problems. Her...

thecatsite.com

 

[hurricanemix100]

My cat started to play less around the same age. I honestly think it's normal. They are just losing that kitten/teenage cat energy and getting more chill. I still try to play with her every day, bit if she's not feeling it then it's ok. She'll probably zoom around later on her own and I feel like that counts.

I find it's about timing though. Sometimes they don't want to play when you want to play and vice versa. It's a good time for you, but not for them. So you have to be kind of flexible and notice when they are in a playful mood and strike when the iron is hot.

You can also try rewarding the cat for play. When you do get her engaged always end the session with some treats. She'll associate playing with getting treats at the end. Same thing works for nail cutting. Seems like it would work for play.

Try to switch up the play types too. Wand, laser pointer, roll balls across the floor, bounce balls, throw plastic grocery bags in the air, let them rip apart paper grocery bags, put an open box on the ground, cat nip, springs, etc. They get bored of the same play easily. Constantly rotate toys and types of play.

 

[ladytimedramon]

My kitty's go-tos are springs and pipe cleaners.

 

[IkeaMonkey]

Just a question - if he is not playing during the day with you, does he stay up at night? When I don't play with my guy enough during the day, he suddenly is all about independent play during the night!