Pet Play Time: 4 Reasons you Need to Play with your Cat
alicebarianna January 18, 2021One of the happiest moments of one’s life is when one holds their first pet in one arm. The sense of ownership is full of joy and is quite overwhelming. But that’s not the happy end. Once you have gotten your favorite kind of pet you need to take full responsibility for them too. Imagine having a kitten in your home, you’d know they love their “me” time but more than often they can be playful too.
So if you want to take care of your cat, you not only need to focus on their diet and regular appointments to the vet but also spend quality time with them. According to several types of research, it was concluded that playing with cats is one of the healthiest activities besides grooming. Even if you play with them for 15-20 minutes on a daily basis it would have the desired effects.
All cat’s preferences differ from one another, unlike dogs who are happy with staying outdoors or running around. The preference to play, with cats, will change according to their cat’s age. A kitten may prefer to run around or maybe play with the cat toys for chewing while the older cats are more likely to stalk or pounce.
But what makes playing with your cats so important?
A Healthy Cat is a Happier You
It’s quite an obvious fact because we love our cats we may tend to overfeed them. Besides an inactive cat is prone to more weight gain and can easily jump from being healthy to obese. Sleeping all day long and lying around is not what you want your cat to do. If your cat is happy she will move around the home, play with you, or indulge in their own activities like stalking or playing with the cat toys and so on.
If your cat is happy it will avoid overeating or will avoid stress-eating also. So you can say playing is more for their emotional and physical well-being.
A Stronger Bond is Better
When you adopt a pet, your relationship thrives upon the bond you develop with them over time. Cats are played with attaching to their owners rather quickly than those who just have to tend to themselves even after being adopted in a nicer home. Felines are sensitive in nature and therefore need some attention too. It’s not only the good food that will keep them happy but playing with your cat is another way to release all the stress they might be going through.
Let your cat sit on your lap while you brush them or even try playing with the motion balls. Cats adore the catnips and motion balls.
Socialize Improvement
Playing is good for health (mind and body), that’s true, but it helps improve the cat’s behavior too. If a cat is bored it might climb the stairs, scratch, or do other things. Even if you get cat toys for cats their interest will last just long enough to go back to stalling. But if you play with them with the right use of cat toys they will come out of their shell too.
For instance, you can use interactive cat toys like a laser pointer or teaser toys for cats. Cats have the impulse to catch shiny things so you can make them run for them. It’s natural to feel concerned about the furniture and general appearance of the home too. So where a bored cat might chew the furniture or nip the curtains, playing with them will help them to socialize and divert their minds from the furniture. Cat training is not similar to dog training either so playing or socializing is not the same as that of dogs.
Create comforts for cats
Change is inevitable – even for pets. Cats are creatures of habits so if anything changes around them even a shift in the furniture they might just stress out. When you play with cats they relax (like anyone would). Setting a routine with them is a lot helpful in this regard. Set a time to play either in the morning or evening, and maintain a routine with it. It can help them distract from stress or anxiety.
If your cat is shy by nature (which is also common) then they can groom, come out of their closed shell and let you in. they get attached with you in a good way, become cozy enough that you can pet them.
What does your cat want?
If you are still unsure why your cat is not playing or being rather active then do focus on their health condition. You’d just need to have the hinge sight to know whether your cat is happy or not. What do you think?
