How do you end play time with your cat?

[ruaryx]

I have heard of the "Hunt, catch, kill, eat" philosophy of Jackson Galaxy where you feed them a treat after playing to simulate eating their kill.  Recently, someone I follow on Instagram who TNR's and fosters posted that you should gradually slow down the toy to simulate the prey getting tired, and then end the game by letting the cat take the toy whoever he wants for a short time before putting the toy away. She compared it to the wifi being suddenly cut off while you're surfing the web.  It would be annoying and unsatisfying.  It makes sense to me, but I've never heard of it before.  Do you have a special way to end your play sessions with your kitty?  What's the rationale behind it?  

 

[handsome kitty]

I stop playing with the cats when they get bored or tired and lay down or walk away.

 

[grizzlysapien]

 
I stop playing with the cats when they get bored or tired and lay down or walk away.

 I've watched My Cat From Hell series and Galaxy has explained that making the cat get tired is one of the key elements of this process. 

And it makes sense. The only case where you "interrupt" playing is if the cat does something inappropriate, like biting you. You just leave the cat as is and walk away, cause you have to show him/her that when the biting begins, the fun is over.

 

[rickr]

We schedule playtime just before dinner.  I end the session by saying, "finished." Typically, the cats run into the kitchen and wait impatiently for me to fix their meal.

 

[wafflesnomnom]

I play until my cat's panting, and I usually get him panting twice and when he starts to lose interest, I put the toy away, praise him, and give him a treat. 

 

[eck1kaylie]

 
I play until my cat's panting, and I usually get him panting twice and when he starts to lose interest, I put the toy away, praise him, and give him a treat. 

 Sometimes my baby gets bored before I can get her panting, but I try to keep her going until she's worn out. She used to be indoor/outdoor, and she'd catch a lot of little animals, so I try to mimic that as well as I can, using several different toys if I need to (once she's "killed" a toy, I leave it where it is and grab another). 

 

[wafflesnomnom]

I've never 'left' the wand toys with him - I'm scared he'll get tangled in the string or he'll get bored of the toy more quickly if he can play with it a lot at the end. I usually let him kick and bite at it for a bit and then tug it away again. Is it better to let cats 'have' the toy at the end? Also, when he gets a new wand toy he'll run like crazy to catch it and jump and then eventually he'll just do the stalk, stare, wiggle his butt and maaaaybe pounce, and by then I can't tire him out with that toy anymore. 

 

[Columbine]

I wouldn't let them fully 'have' any kind of wand toy. Your approach sounds just about perfect to me It can help to have a favourite 'safe' toy on hand for exchanges - just in case you're not allowed to take the wand toy back...I speak from experience :lol3:

 

[eck1kaylie]

Mine actually gets bored of wand toys pretty quickly - they're fun for a while, but she likes her little stringless toys better. She never quite gets to the point of 'killing' the wand. 

 

[ruaryx]

Wow, thanks for sharing all of your different approaches!  It's really interesting to read about all of them.  As for me, I just try to get as much exercise out of my cats as I can before they get bored in a few minutes.  

  They usually decide play time is over when they lose interest and walk away.