Older cat doesnt play but is bored!

[danteshuman]

Your cats are adorable!!!

Can you give them a catio? Or hang some bird feeders & let them watch/smell/hear through a secure screen?
My guy gets out most of his energy from a short walk & 4 hours of outside time. The more outside time, the less play he needs. I try to give him at least 2 hours every day. I put him on a long leash & let him do his thing. He climbs trees, rolls in the dirt, sleeps & occasionally runs during his outside harness time!

 

[D gn]

Maybe a laser pointer , how about catnip toys?

after thoughts about my comments. We put regular tissue paper on the floor. About 8-10 sheets layers on top of each piece. Our cats like to pounce onto the paper. The paper crinkles and makes noise, they ruffle the paper and seem to enjoy it. I go to dollarstore and buy large packages if tissue paper.

 

[danteshuman]

I put tissue paper or the brown packing paper Amazon uses as a rainy day toy. I add catnip and some toys and let him hunt for them under the paper. He loves it. I always use a crinkle ball or a jungle ball for the noise value.

 

[KavKit]

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 rolled into a ball. he does respond well to toys that include snacks (those snack balls, or a fumblebox), but I am afraid that he will get fat. We tried to set up a routine but he got more and more bored, we even decided to get a little brother for him, whom he now has accepted, but he still doesnt really play(He only watches), and if, he only runs after the feather stick thing for a minute and then decides to be done. Usually I never had problems, I had many calm non-playful cats in my life, but Helmut yowls and paces, especially in the evenings. Sometimes I hear him play at night though.
At the vet, they said he is alright, nothing wrong with him, he is perfectly healthy and his weight is (for now -.-) ideal. Anxiety was ruled out too, bc his general behaviour when he's not pacing is very calm, relaxed and attentive to the new little brother.
Vet recommended the usual play, then feed recommendation, but well, after months he doesnt really play. The other cat plays by himself and is excited about everything.

Maybe some of you have particularly difficult cats when it comes to play and can help me or reccommend toys? Is there something even Helmut can be crazy about?

Thanks in advance!
(Photo of the boys for y'all)

Have you tried mental stimulation instead of all out play to entertain Helmut? My 12 year old girl is not a fan of most play, aside from one wand toy that she will chase for all of 3 minutes before she lays down. But she will meow and paw for attention out of boredom. I have discovered she loves my patio. We have a condo with a 3rd floor balcony so it’s safe for her to be out there. She will spend hours just watching and listening and smelling nature and activities around her. She always comes back inside much more relaxed. We also put on Cat TV for her. She is also getting leash trained. Just 10 minutes sitting on our front stoop on a leash and harness watching the world go by is stimulating and tiring for her. And over time we will progress towards walks.

 

[upsetmilk]

Your cats are adorable!!!

Can you give them a catio? Or hang some bird feeders & let them watch/smell/hear through a secure screen?
My guy gets out most of his energy from a short walk & 4 hours of outside time. The more outside time, the less play he needs. I try to give him at least 2 hours every day. I put him on a long leash & let him do his thing. He climbs trees, rolls in the dirt, sleeps & occasionally runs during his outside harness time!
View attachment 386193

Hey, they basically have a catio: Our balcony on the 1st floor is about 8 m² and has a safety net and a few places to sit. Currently both balcony doors are open almost all day, since it is nice and warm. I live in a very big city, there is no space close by I could take them on a leash safely without stressful travels. I do have a backyard but there are a lot of dogs there sadly, so I dont feel its safe

 

[upsetmilk]

I put tissue paper or the brown packing paper Amazon uses as a rainy day toy. I add catnip and some toys and let him hunt for them under the paper. He loves it. I always use a crinkle ball or a jungle ball for the noise value.

I did! I bring a lot of paper home from my job too, when unpacking things. He does like boxes filled with them but only when it involves food. The toys he doesnt care about.

 

[upsetmilk]

Have you tried mental stimulation instead of all out play to entertain Helmut? My 12 year old girl is not a fan of most play, aside from one wand toy that she will chase for all of 3 minutes before she lays down. But she will meow and paw for attention out of boredom. I have discovered she loves my patio. We have a condo with a 3rd floor balcony so it’s safe for her to be out there. She will spend hours just watching and listening and smelling nature and activities around her. She always comes back inside much more relaxed. We also put on Cat TV for her. She is also getting leash trained. Just 10 minutes sitting on our front stoop on a leash and harness watching the world go by is stimulating and tiring for her. And over time we will progress towards walks.

That is basically what we have too, our balcony is huge and faces a green yard with big birds. Helmut sits there for hours, but at the moment prefers just laying on the cold balcony floor. I said above that the balcony is freely accessible most days. Cat TV I tried too, but he ignores it most of the time.

At the moment I have realized that he doent show signs of huge stress, since he spends his "lazy" time in relaxed positions and locations a stressed cat would not be. I do think that the new little brother is a lot atm, and that Helmut currently doesnt really enjoys anything he usually does, especially when the little one is around. He was very anxious when he arrived here last year and needed to hide for three days to get used to us, now I believe its the same with the kitten, expect hes now not hiding but just unruly. It feels like he cant sit still or concentrate at his usual things like sitting on the balcony for hours or playing longer than 30 seconds. I talked to the vet again, and we ruled out depression, since he is not hiding, eating normally and grooming. Will keep you guys updated though, also to maybe help somebody else.


As I am writing this he teamed up with the kitten to chase a fly.

 

[upsetmilk]

General update: He was interested in chasing a string a bit. But really just walking after it in circles was how I got him to move at all, otherwise he would just plop down and do nothing. If he gets the string, he holds onto it like a dog, which makes playing a bit... meh.
One developement is, that hew yowls less, especially in the mornings. During the day he just does these tiny sounds that I more or less think are just him being talkative. Will keep you guys posted.

Just in general, I have had 10+ cats in my life, but he is really a nutcase. Never encountered a cat this difficult `;D

 

[nanniecat]

Tried all of these actually, he likes the ones with the stick and feathers attached, but only cares for the plastic end, not the actual toy. Also he only likes to chase it on the bed or sofa. Otherwise he ignores it. If he plays with that then only for a minute or so. I recently am trying to reward him for every minute of intense playing, maybe that will make him play longer?

now that my girl has arthritis i use a wand toy and just move it on the carpet. i started noticing that she would try to grad it in the air and them just sit. so now we do it all at ground level! i still wakeup sometimes with a milk cap ring in my bed. it always puts a smile on my face.

 

[KavKit]

That is basically what we have too, our balcony is huge and faces a green yard with big birds. Helmut sits there for hours, but at the moment prefers just laying on the cold balcony floor. I said above that the balcony is freely accessible most days. Cat TV I tried too, but he ignores it most of the time.

At the moment I have realized that he doent show signs of huge stress, since he spends his "lazy" time in relaxed positions and locations a stressed cat would not be. I do think that the new little brother is a lot atm, and that Helmut currently doesnt really enjoys anything he usually does, especially when the little one is around. He was very anxious when he arrived here last year and needed to hide for three days to get used to us, now I believe its the same with the kitten, expect hes now not hiding but just unruly. It feels like he cant sit still or concentrate at his usual things like sitting on the balcony for hours or playing longer than 30 seconds. I talked to the vet again, and we ruled out depression, since he is not hiding, eating normally and grooming. Will keep you guys updated though, also to maybe help somebody else.


As I am writing this he teamed up with the kitten to chase a fly.

I realize its been a couple weeks so I hope your kitty is doing much better. But in case things have not relaxed, reading through you said the new little kitty may be affecting his attitude. I too have a younger cat. 2 years old compared to my 12 year old female. They tolerate each other at best. Neither are depressed or really stressed by the definition, but both have anxiety around each other. I also used to foster cats that showed signs of general distress instead of true fear, aggression, depression etc. More a general malaise. What has helped has been giving them time apart. I call it the prisoner exchange program. Each gets time alone in their own room/safe space for a couple hours a day, so the other can roam freely without stress of the other cat's presence. They tend to be more playful at that point. Instead of focusing on where the other cat is, they can focus on playing with me as their buddy. It doesn't matter how long the cats have interacted, years of living together and they may still find that having some one on one time with the family and with the house free space is generally what they need to decompress. My younger cat loves playing hide and seek with me. We run around the house like we are both toddlers. But my older girl is afraid of quick movements, so we only play when the old lady is in her time out space.

Anway, don't know if this helps, but I hope all is well and Helmut is doing good.

 

[upsetmilk]

I realize its been a couple weeks so I hope your kitty is doing much better. But in case things have not relaxed, reading through you said the new little kitty may be affecting his attitude. I too have a younger cat. 2 years old compared to my 12 year old female. They tolerate each other at best. Neither are depressed or really stressed by the definition, but both have anxiety around each other. I also used to foster cats that showed signs of general distress instead of true fear, aggression, depression etc. More a general malaise. What has helped has been giving them time apart. I call it the prisoner exchange program. Each gets time alone in their own room/safe space for a couple hours a day, so the other can roam freely without stress of the other cat's presence. They tend to be more playful at that point. Instead of focusing on where the other cat is, they can focus on playing with me as their buddy. It doesn't matter how long the cats have interacted, years of living together and they may still find that having some one on one time with the family and with the house free space is generally what they need to decompress. My younger cat loves playing hide and seek with me. We run around the house like we are both toddlers. But my older girl is afraid of quick movements, so we only play when the old lady is in her time out space.

Anway, don't know if this helps, but I hope all is well and Helmut is doing good.

Hey, yes some time has passed, but the general problem keeps persisting.
Big one got a bit more used to the little one, he actually now hisses less at him, or only when the kitten interrupts his sleep. Generally they cuddle and groom each other, big one sometimes actually joins some little playfight. What is very very clear that both cats are in a learning process, big oe never took care of a kitten, or has seen one, small one is still being socialized by his big brother. They eat together without problems. I do take Helmut to the bedroom sometimes for some alone time, also to initiate play, which works - somewhat. I have figured out that he is very picky, and what toys or socks he likes besides treat related toys. My partner takes care of the little one while I handle Helmut, so the kitten doesnt cry at the door - because Helmut instantly stops playing when his brother comes along, and little brother seems to be a commie Your toy? NO! OUR toy. Even though he can choose from hundreds of toys Helmut usually ignores. He just always wants to be a part.

But as I say, the general problem persists. Helmut doesnt really play and is BORED. I said earlier that he has been stressed a little by the arrival of his little brother and has stopped doing his usual stuff - like sitting on his cat safe balcony for hours. He picked that up a little bit now, but that and scheduled playtime and the snack intelligence toys (he loves them) are just never enough. He paces and yowls, especially after 4 p.m.
The breeder recently came to visit (shes a close friend) and she was also very confused bc on the one hand, Helmut displays behaviour of a very chill cat - how he lays and moves with tail up, how he grooms himself and his very relaxed sleeping positions. But on the other side there seems to be stress included by the new arrival. We did another visit to the vet, nothing, they are clueless too, bc they have a relaxed, healthy Birman boy on the table (aside from his sensitive belly). I remember, when Helmut moved in, he was hiding for a week or so, until he was somwhat comfortable. He seems not to respond well to changes, and that causes stress, affecting his mood and play. I will monitor him for anther 4 weeks, also I switched the Feliway Diffuser to a stress free formula, instead of the "Friends" one. With my old cats I had very great results with that.
The kitten is doing very well btw, he is pouncing around, sleeping, eating and doing his kitten stuff. He just sometimes cries when he gets lost in the closet.

Will keep you updated in case my results or lack thereof will help others!

 

[danteshuman]

Can you keep the kitten locked in a kitten room for 8 hours a day? Or 4 hours to give your adult cat balcony time? Or put the kitten in a kitten vest harness & keep him from going on the balcony (play with him) & let your boy have some peaceful balcony time?

I don’t have a solution for the kitten wanting to play keep away. I bought the 3 kittens a package of 6 rabbit fur puff balls. So there was always at least 2 ready available. Guess what their favorite game was? Only I called it kitty soccer!

 

[danteshuman]

I am glad to hear your adult boy is less stressed ...,, it would just be nice to hear they were both sitting on the balcony for a couple of hours every day. This may be a problem that resolves with time...., when the kitten hits 6-12 months & starts to calm down with age. Kittens like toddlers sometimes are tiring & annoying to the adults; no matter how much you love or like the little monsters. Sometimes all you want is time away from them.