Keeping Your Cat Active

Written by Shopify API

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Posted on May 19 2017

Whilst cats and dogs are completely different pets to care for – both require a few of the same things. Exercise to keep them fit and healthy is one of them! You don’t walk cats, so it may seem a little harder to ensure they get the exercise they need, so here are a few ideas to help you along.

Outdoors

Firstly, if your cat is allowed outside, then letting them out as much as possible will do wonders in keeping them active as they will run around and jump, hunt and chase things and generally keep moving, until they find a sunny patch to lie in. Keep some cat toys in the garden or some climbing frames so encourage your cat to get active.

Indoors

An indoor cat of course has less space and opportunity to run about and exercise so indoor cat owners need to get a bit creative in order to keep their cats healthy and active. Here are the most effective ways of keeping your cat active indoors:

Play play play!

Lots of playtime with your cat, where they get to move around will help keep them active. You can build up a collection of interactive cat toys and remote control toys to keep them running around and keeping trim! Even a simple fishing pole toy with a string and feathers attached to the end can make for hours of energetic fun for your cat. Try and create a stimulating play environment for your cat, with places to climb, jump and things to hunt and chase. There is a wide variety of cat furniture on the market that you can buy and set up in your home to encourage play and activity. Any game where they have to jump and climb is an excellent exercise, so playing a game like this every day will do wonders. A simple laser pen used carefully can also be the most fun you can have watching a cat – just shine the laser point on the floor and watch your cat go mad!

Hunt hunt hunt!

It’s also a good idea to nurture their natural instincts and encourage them to ‘hunt’ indoors as they would if they were outside. Use a toy mouse or even just a soft ball, toss it somewhere and watch your kitty go into wild cat mode and hunt it down. Great exercise for them and so much fun to watch! You could also change where put your cat’s food bowl from time to time and watch them hunt down their dinner in its new spot based on smell! These are just some ideas on how you can help keep your cat active. Of course, pay close attention to their diet and overall health. Keep up a nutrient rich diet and keep their coats brushed and shining. Plenty of fun exercise will help make them happy as well as healthy.