My Cat Is Sooooo Boring To Play With!

[buddi]

i WANT to play with him, and i want him to exercise, but he just sucks at playing. if i throw anything, or use a wand, he'll just stare at it. ONLY if i put it in a very precise location that he just happens to find interesting will he run after it, but when he catches it, he just stops immediately and goes back to a spot where he can observe. then i have to repeat the process, spending like 10 minutes trying to find the right spot for him to run to. so it's not really good exercise :\ and i also dont have the time to spend an hour trying to get him to play.
he won't continuously play like i see most cats do. is this normal???? he's been this way since he was a kitten, so i don't think it has to do with depression...?

anyway do you have any ideas what i can do to get him to move/ to make things more fun for me too??

 

[Columbine]

How old is he? It's pretty common for adult cats to be less active in their play than kittens. My girl loves to play, but something like 70-80% of her 'play' is spent watching intently whilst I look like an idiot moving her toy around, plotting that perfect pounce!

Switching up the toys regularly can help (I have a ton of different wand toys, and lots of different attachments for Da Bird), and picking your moment is important too. Get to know his most active times, and choose those moments to play with him
How And Why Do Cats Play?
Playing With Your Cat: 10 Things You Need To Know

 

[abyeb]

Some cats are picky about what wand toys they play with, I'll attach links to some toys that most cats love:

Go Cat Da Bird Original Feather Teaser Wand Cat Toy

Go Cat Cat Catcher Teaser Wand Cat Toy

Cat Dancer Cat Charmer Toy

Have you tried playing with a laser pointer with him? Most cats can't resist this. Some people are anti-laser pointer because cats can't actually catch it, but if you can get your cat to exercise with the laser, that's definitely better than not using a laser at all.

 

[Columbine]

Some cats are picky about what wand toys they play with, I'll attach links to some toys that most cats love:

Go Cat Da Bird Original Feather Teaser Wand Cat Toy

Go Cat Cat Catcher Teaser Wand Cat Toy

Cat Dancer Cat Charmer Toy

Have you tried playing with a laser pointer with him? Most cats can't resist this. Some people are anti-laser pointer because cats can't actually catch it, but if you can get your cat to exercise with the laser, that's definitely better than not using a laser at all.

An easy way to stop the laser being frustrating is to end each game by having it land on a suitable toy, giving the cat something to 'kill' at the end of her 'hunt'

 

[LeiLana80]

You might have to try different toys/objects. We had one cat who only went crazy for ribbon or string (**warning, though! You have to keep a close eye with string; some cats try to eat it and it can kill them. So put it away in a closet or drawer when you are done). Another one loved milk rings.
My current cats all like pipe cleaners! I just fold the ends over so they aren't sharp. I also wrap the pipe cleaner around other things, like a pom pom ball or milk ring.
We also have a cat who for some reason loves straws, and also kids paint brushes! So I set out a heavy cup with the paint brushes and straws in it, and he comes over and "shops" for a new one every little bit.
Most of mine have never really cared for actual cat toys. They seem to like random objects around the house better (crumpled up piece of paper, brown paper bag with hole in the bottom, etc).
Now, these aren't necessarily items you can play WITH them, but they do provide them with something to do themselves.
My parents have a very lazy cat who has never ever wanted to play (he's 12 now). He's perfectly happy and healthy (albeit a little fat ) but nothing has ever really caught his interest. So some kitties are just dull, I guess! hahaha.

 

[IndyJones]

If you find your cat likes string, the bamboozler is a toy that she will probably like. It's virtually impossible to destroy. Looks like a long Chinese finger trap attached to a stick.

 

[kittens mom]

We have night hunts. I dim the lights and get out the lizard thingy for the cat wand and we all run through the house. Something about dimming the lights adds to the fun. We do it with feather lures too.

 

[weebeasties]

Just wanted to agree that Da Bird is a great toy. All 8 of our cats like it and 4 of them are obsessed with it. Even Keith who only played by wrestling is now leaping into the air to catch it. It is not your "ordinary" wand toy.
We also have this tiny (1 inch) mouse that runs on watch batteries. I will put it on the floor and then lay sheets of newspaper on top. As it moves around under there the cats get really worked up. They pounce on it, shred the paper, and make a huge mess - but they have a lot of fun and I get to just sit back and watch.

 

[IndyJones]

It's good if your cat isn't destructive but mine broke the cord on the bird toy

 

[Columbine]

It's good if your cat isn't destructive but mine broke the cord on the bird toy

You can get replacement cord kits for Da Bird

 

[kittens mom]

They aren't on the US Amazon.

 

[Columbine]

It does ship to the US though, and pretty cheaply .

 

[sailon]

i WANT to play with him, and i want him to exercise, but he just sucks at playing. if i throw anything, or use a wand, he'll just stare at it. ONLY if i put it in a very precise location that he just happens to find interesting will he run after it, but when he catches it, he just stops immediately and goes back to a spot where he can observe. then i have to repeat the process, spending like 10 minutes trying to find the right spot for him to run to. so it's not really good exercise :\ and i also dont have the time to spend an hour trying to get him to play.
he won't continuously play like i see most cats do. is this normal???? he's been this way since he was a kitten, so i don't think it has to do with depression...?

anyway do you have any ideas what i can do to get him to move/ to make things more fun for me too??

Wish I could help, but I have the same problem. Max has the attention span of a soap dish. Even the ever-faithful laser-light only works for about 2 minutes. A crumpled up piece of paper will get about a minutes activity. Anything else, forget it. Wand toys, wind-ups, battery powered, you name it - no interest. So we pretty much just stare at each other and enjoy the quiet.

 

[maggiedemi]

LOL@ soap dish. That was hilarious!

 

[Louloua :-)) Noor]

You could try catnip filled toys they are good and fun ,you can spray the cat wand with catnip dpray too

 

[IndyJones]

Not all cats react to catnip. Kabby couldn't care less about it. He just gives me the "you crazy? What am I supposed to do with this?" look.

 

[sargon]

Not all cats react to catnip. Kabby couldn't care less about it. He just gives me the "you crazy? What am I supposed to do with this?" look.

Some cats who don't react to catnip ( like Freya) will respond to either Sivlervine or Valerian root, or possibly honeysuckle.

Interestingly enough, some cats (my own included) reacts to the scent of bleach like it was catnip, though being somewhat toxic, that isn't exacly a viable option.