New Ways To Entertain Kittens In 2022
Behavior and Training Richard Rowlands Feb 04, 2022
Playtime with your kitten is not just fun for both of you, it’s also crucial for their development and ensures that they remain active. This is particularly important for indoor cats, as they’re often deprived of the stimulation they need to stay happy and healthy.
Keeping your kitten mentally and physically active can help prevent behavioral problems such as excessive vocalization, scratching furniture, or eliminating outside of the litter box. It can also minimize the risk of them developing health problems like obesity and cognitive disorders later in life.
There are many ways to keep your kitten entertained, and it’s worth experimenting to see what works best for them. But if you’re looking for some inspiration, you’re in the right place. Keep on reading for five new ways to entertain kittens in 2022!
How Much Time Should You Spend Playing With Your Kitten
Kittens basically have two modes: tearing about like human toddlers, and fast asleep. And while you can let them get on with it for most of the time, it’s essential to set aside some time every day for structured playtime.
While with an adult cat you should devote about half an hour a day in total to playtime, with a kitten you should aim for at least an hour in total, split into short sessions about ten minutes to quarter of an hour throughout the day.
That way you won’t have to sacrifice a big chunk of time in one go, and it should also mean that you’re less likely to be pestered by a bored kitten when you’re trying to work, take care of chores or cook dinner.
How Kittens Play And How To Tell Their Toy Preference
Play is an important part of kitten development, it fosters a special bond between you and your kitten while helping meet their exercise and enrichment needs. Learn how to choose the right toys for your kitten.
Kitten proof your house before you bring them home. Secure all electrical and blind cords, pick up anything with strings or small parts. Place objects that can be knocked over easily and harm your kitten up and out of the way. Make sure doors and window screens are secure and cannot be easily pushed open for an easy escape. Instead, offer kitten appropriate toys and outlets for play. You are bringing a new baby home and they can get themselves into trouble or cause mischief.
Play is an important part of kitten development, it fosters a special bond between you and your kitten while helping meet their exercise and enrichment needs. To avoid bad habits and injury, play should be with toys rather than with your feet and hands. Never encourage a kitten nipping at your feet or hands, it can cause a life long bad habit. Never scold your kitten rather offer another toy as means of play instead of your body parts. Play is not only for kittens all cats can benefit from playtime.
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Find Out What Type Of Play Your Cat Likes Best
Every cat is different, so youll need to experiment a bit to discover which types of play your cat prefers. This is a great time to explore and bond with your cat! Try offering different toys, playing at different speeds and at different times of day. Your cat will appreciate all the extra attention and youll soon learn how to play with your cat in the way that suits him best.
Three Different Types Of Play
There are basically three ways to play when it comes to how to play with a cat: interactive play with a human, interactive play with another cat and self-play. Both interactive play with a person and self-play are important.
Cats are smart. Theyre not as interested in playing with a mouse toy theyve killed 20 times. You need to constantly rotate toys, revolving in new ones.
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How To Socialize Your Kitten
Socializing your kitten is important if you want them to grow into a good-natured adult cat. Setting up playdates with other kittens once your kitten is fully vaccinated can be a great way to keep your cats social skills sharp.
It is also important to introduce your kitten to other animals, like older cats and friendly dogs, as well as people who arent members of your household. Bear in mind that some cats and other pets in the home may be territorial.
The best way to introduce your kitten to an older cat is to do it gradually. Allow the animals to smell each other through a barrier like a gate, then hold the animals while they meet fully face to face. Take a break. After a day or two of trying this out, see if they tolerate each other for short, supervised periods of time. Gradually lengthen the time you leave them together.
Keep in mind that it can take up to six months for an older cat to fully accept a new cat in the home, and stay patient.
How To Play With Your Kitten Safely
Always use toys as this keeps your kittens teeth and claws away from your hands. It also helps to:
- throw toys away from you, so that they have to chase and pounce on them
- place tasty treats inside some toys. This adds an extra challenge for your kitten, as once they have chased and caught the toy, they have to work out how they will get to the reward inside
- play for a few short sessions every day
- allow your kitten to catch and grab the toy at the end of each game
- provide a variety of toys
- use fishing rod toys to keep your hands well out of the way
- never force your kitten to play or be trained
Find our top five recommended cat toys.
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Avoid Using Laser Pointers And Flashlights
Many people use laser pointers and flashlights to create a spot of light kitties can chase around. Running is great cardio for cats, but using a light isn’t a good idea. Radosta explains, “What you’re doing when you play these kinds of cat games is stimulating the predatory sequence. So, what happens when predators are hunting prey? They catch something and feel it in their paws and mouths. But with the light, that never happens. There’s no end game and it causes frustration in a lot of cats.” The pent-up energy has to go somewhere and it’s often into biting and clawing people or other animals.
Playing with your cat, and providing fun entertainment, keeps your four-legged friend mentally stimulated and physically fit. But the biggest benefit may be cracking up over your cat’s antics or gaining a new appreciation for your mini tiger’s stealth. Let the games begin!
How To Play With A Cat That Is Aging
How to play with an aging cat is different than how to play with a cat whos younger. As cats age, they may be less inclined to interact so dont wait for an invitation. Take out the interactive toy with feathers to entice your aging cat. Movement is important to maintain that agility and to keep aging cats limber.
Some elderly cats appear to have found the fountain of youth and play nearly as much as they did as a kitten. Their secret is in genetics, regular preventive veterinary care, good luck and a lifetime of play.
Other cats not surprisingly slow down significantly, which is normal. Even a few moments of gentle daily play makes a difference. Expectations are, of course, adjusted depending on any physical limitations on an individual older cat, but play is a good thing.
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How To End A Play Session With Your Feline
Every moment of playtime with your kitty matters, but especially the tail end . The reason is that if you end your playtime on a flat or even unpleasant note, this may discourage her from playing with you again in the future.
Here are a few tips on how to end playtime with your kitty in a way that will positively reinforce playtime as a good thing:
- Let your kitty grab, touch, and catch the toy object. She deserves the satisfaction of catching the prey.
- Give plenty of positive reinforcement through verbal and physical affection, or even a special tasty treat every now and then!
- Be sure to clean up any toys that your sweetie shouldn’t be around unsupervised, like strings.
How Much Playtime Do Kittens Need
The amount of playtime your kitten needs will vary from kitten to kitten, as some cats are more energetic than others, but they generally need at least two to three play sessions a day, if not more.
These sessions do not have to be long: short bursts of play throughout the day will keep your kitten stimulated. Ideally, play with multiple toys until your kitten loses interest.
Timing your play sessions to your schedule can also help you establish a routine with your cat. For instance, brushing your kitten while playing with a wand in the morning can be a special bonding time that develops into a healthy brushing routine over time.
A vigorous play session before bed may help reduce the chances of your kitten pouncing on your toes in the middle of the night .
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Keeping A Cat Entertained When Home Alone
When you are not at home, your cat will still need some entertainment. Puzzle feeders are a great way to provide your cat with entertainment and activity when no one is home. You can stuff a few small treats in the puzzle feeder, or use it to feed your cats daily meal during their time at home alone.
Ensure that your cat has plenty of places to climb and hide. Cat trees, scratching posts, and window perches can help provide your cat with both a physical outlet and mental stimulation.
How To Play With A Cat
Whether you own one cat, two cats, three cats, or more, you instinctively know how strong their personalities can be. But no matter what her preferences are, you can probably tell which style of playtime is best suited to your adult cat!
So, be sure to keep a variety of different types of games and toys around the houseespecially the ones your sweetheart seems to enjoy the most. If your kitty likes catnip, feel free to add this inbut wait until she’s at least 6 months old, and talk to your vet if she has existing health problems.
Like kitties, adult cats should get the chance to play for about 10-15 minutes at least twice per day. Your adult kitty may need more or less than this depending on her health status, age, and other factors.
Do you have a multi-cat household? Hopefully, this means your felines will naturally like to scramble around together! As long as things stay safe and appropriate, you should encourage this behavior with your adult cats.
But be sure to join in on the fun, too, since this promotes healthy bonding between you and your little lion .
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How To Keep Your Kitten Safe While Playing
The Spruce / Phoebe Cheong
Kittens are the epitome of playfulness, but they seem to get their tiny paws on everything imaginable. While letting your kitten play and explore is important to its mental development, you need to make sure that what it’s playing with is safe.
How To Entertain Your Kitten
There are so many ways to play with your kitten. But if you are working and gone most of the day, you might not be sure how to keep your pet entertained.
Check out kitten play activities given below. These ideas can be used whether you are at home or in the office. You will find some great ways to keep your pet occupied.
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Playing Safe With Your Kitten
Try not to play any games where your kitten could scratch or nip you, so keep hands at a safe distance by using rod and pole toys. When they play nicely, encourage this behaviour by praising them and giving them a little stroke under the chin. Kittens sometimes explore with their mouths so do tidy away any string, feather or small toys at the end of the play session to prevent them from ingesting anything they shouldnt.
Build Them An Outdoor Catio
There are lots of benefits to keeping your kitten or cat indoors. In fact, most veterinarians and organizations like the American Veterinary Medical Association recommend keeping cats confined. The reason for this is that outdoor cats are at much greater risk of injury, illness, and death.
But one major disadvantage of keeping your cat indoors is a lack of mental stimulation. Cats are naturally curious creatures and denying them access to the outside world can lead to boredom. Luckily, there’s a simple way to solve this problem: build your furry friend an outdoor catio!
A catio is an outdoor enclosure that provides your cat with a place to run around, explore, and play. Some catios allow access from the inside of your home, allowing your cat to go outside without fear of them escaping. Others are completely separate from the house and look like an aviary or enclosed patio. Either way, they’re a wonderful way to give your cat some quality time outside and keep them safe at the same time.
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How To Get Kittens Not To Bite You
Cats are a predator species, so its perfectly normal for kittens to express their natural instinct to attack, chomp, and gnaw. Beginning around 4 weeks of age, kittens will start visually track objects that look like prey, and practice their pounce. Biting is a totally acceptable behavior for a kitten, but that doesnt mean we want them attacking our hands or bare feet! Instead, we want to encourage kittens to practice these behaviors on an appropriate target. Fortunately, kittens are very adaptive and can learn quickly with a little assistance.
Filling Your Cats Toy Chest
What are the best cat toys to use to play with cats?
Like everything else, this will depend on the individual cat. Some cats will amuse themselves if you set out boxes or paper bags, says Dr. Osborne. Of course, make sure there are no staples or harmful items that may injure the cat. Your cat may also enjoy playing in piles of shredded paper or with plastic tops from water bottles.
Dr. Osborne notes that many cats enjoy cat trees. Cat trees provide cats with a whole slew of activities with built-in cat scratchers, hiding spots, toys and multiple platforms with a cat perch.
Both Dr. Osborne and Dr. Truitt also recommend cat interactive toys like a cat feather wand or a fishing pole teaser toy for cats playing. These toys will give you time to play and bond. Dr. Truitt especially likes the KONG fishing pole teaser cat toy. She doesnt recommend laser toys that dont allow cats to grab onto anything.
Dr. Truitt says that toys that allow cats to hunt for a prize, such as the Smart Cat Peek-a-Prize toy box, are always a fun way to engage your cat in play.
Consider playing with your cats at regular times of the day, says Dr. Osborne. As most kitty owners know, cats love rituals, so even play with them right before meals, she said. Playtime right before meals improves a kittys appetite. If you make it a habit of playing before feeding, the kitty will know its time to eat and be ready.
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Why Your Kitten Needs Playtime
Playing isnt just about having fun. It also teaches pets the essential skills listed below:
- Communication Playing with litter mates teaches kittens how to communicate with other cats.
- Hunting Chasing cat toys develops hunting skills.
- Eye-paw coordination Batting toys around improves a pets coordination.
- Overall coordination Running, climbing, and jumping around also improve coordination.
- Self Confidence Successfully catching prey during playtime boosts self-confidence.
Making sure your pet gets enough playtime helps your new pet develop important life skills. But the benefits of playing with your pet dont stop there!
See the list below to find out what the additional benefits are:
- Burns energy Tiring your kitten out will help your furry friend sleep at night.
- Prevents naughty behaviors Boredom leads to bad practices, but playtime keeps your cat entertained.
- Saves your furniture Providing a cat scratcher allows your pet to keep his or her claws in tip-top shape without tearing up your furniture.
- Strengthens your bond Playing with your kitten is an excellent opportunity to spend quality time with your pet.
- Keeps your petin shape Exercise is necessary for optimal health and prevents unwanted weight gain.
Give Them Interactive Toys
Providing your kitten with interactive toys is a great way to keep them entertained and occupied. These days, there are a wide variety of options available, from simple wind-up toys to automatic laser pointers, and everything in between. There’s something for every budget and preference, so make sure to do your research before you buy.
It’s a good idea to rotate your kitten’s toys so they don’t get bored with them. A good way to do this is to keep their toys in a box or basket and bring one or two out each day. Engage your kitten in active play and then replace their toys when they’re done.
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