Suggestions to keep cats occupied?

[enendawson]

My husband and I have two cats, Laufeia and Suzi X.  We used to live with two roommates in a nice sized house but moved into our own apartment, much smaller, a couple of months ago.  They are indoor cats.  I've noticed that Laufeia seemed troubled by the smaller space.  She walked around the wall, giving us frustrated chirps.  She's not as bothered now, but I can tell she's a little bored.  Suzi keeps her occupied, but Laufeia is a year old and really seems to have very little interest in the small poof-ball toys and laser pointer and bigger mouse toys she used to love.  My husband and I both work generally from 8 to 4, sometimes later.  When we are home, we can usually keep Laufeia occupied.  She doesn't seem entirely unhappy.  She hasn't caused any kind of mischief, so I wouldn't necessarily label this a "problem."

What do you do to keep your indoor cats stimulated?

 

[callista]

You could build in some vertical space. Furniture they can safely climb on, cat trees, window perches. There are cat toys of all sorts available, depending on the preference of the cat--puzzle boxes for cats who like to poke things with their paws, wands for cats who like to run and jump, toy mice and balls for cats who like to play at hunting. A good window to gaze out of can be a very good entertainment for a cat. I have a large window that I have pushed some furniture up next to, and my cats like to sit and look out. Oh, and don't discount everyday items for cat toys. Toilet paper tubes, paper wads, milk jug rings. Anything they like, if it's safe. Cardboard boxes and paper bags can be used as hideaways, along with the usual cat furniture.

Some cats also enjoy learning simple commands. Most cats will work for food; some will do it just for the joy of discovery or the fuss you make over them when they get it right. Anything they naturally do can be turned into a trick. The fun of it, for the cat, is in figuring out how to get you to give them that treat or cuddle.

 

[enendawson]

I've seen a few cat toys at our local store that we could we could use to make build a sort of cat "house."  My husband got a cat tree, but in my opinion, it's a rather boring one.  And its really only being used by Suzi as a bed.  Laufeia is a very intelligent cat, and I think that may be why she gets bored quite quickly.  Suzi isn't bothered in the least (not to say she's not smart).  You're right about the trick thing.  Laufeia loves when my husband teaches her new things for treats.  And they do have a nice, big window to look out of, but our apartment's on the third floor, so there really isn't anything immediately interesting.  We keep our blinds open partway for them to sit and look.  I think I may look into these kind of cat "lego" building blocks and see if that helps her.  The good thing about that would be the ability to rearrange. 

Thank you for the advice!  You've got me thinking.

 

[fluffyncupcake]

You should check out this toy!!! I saw a YouTube video on it and it seems that cats love it.  http://www.petsolutions.com/C/Cat-I...ison&utm_term=86349480&utm_campaign=shopzilla   I think just about any cat would love this