If you’re like me, you know the frustration of coming home after a long day of work only to find your cat ripped down your curtains and had a “party” with the toilet paper roll. Isn’t owning a cat suppose to easy? You just leave food out for it, a litter box and they are supposed to take care of themselves, right? Not necessarily.
As it so happens, cats, like people get bored very easily and if your cats are anything like mine, they need a constant variety of activities to keep them busy. The busier, the better. I consulted with my vet to ask about the best way to go about keeping my cat busy. She suggested a slew of environmental enrichment tools and techniques.
- Cats love to climb, it’s in their nature, so provide them with things like cat trees and condos or even a stack of boxes. (I know my cats love to play in and on boxes of all shapes and sizes!)
- Make sure they have a variety of self-entertaining toys. (Non-toxic plastic balls, wall-mounted or door hanging toys, a stuffed animal that is approved for children over the age of 3, etc.) That way they can entertain themselves without ripping down your curtains.
- Create a window seat for them. This can be as simple as a chair pulled up to the window or one of those fancy fixtures you secure to the wall. Cats love watching things outside (especially small animals like birds and squirrels). Being allowed to look out the window allows them to enjoy the outside, with the security of being inside.
- Rotating the toys you leave out for your cats and changing the arrangement of cat condos, trees and other furniture every so often keeps your cat constantly stimulated. They love to explore the new set-up!
- Like dogs, cats love treats. Find a good (but accessible) hiding spot for some treats. They will go wild trying to find the treats and feel satisfied once they do!
Cats, in general, are social animals. They require a lot of attention and care and none of these techniques substitute for the required daily human interaction and remember, a busy cat is a happy cat!
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Excellent list. I just moved our cat’s bed to another room, for a change of pace. She seems to have no interest in treats though, and I’m not sure hiding them will help.