Cats use play time to practice survival skills especially hunting. Typically young cats and kittens play more vigorously and more often than many older cats. Besides being preparatory, active play is great exercise for your cat. In multi-cat household, often the cats will be playmates to one another. But, in a single cat household, it is your responsibility to engage your cat in play activities. So, how can you be a good playmate?

According to Elizabeth Wasserman, a Washington DC area freelance writer writing for The Daily Cat, your feline will generally prefer one of two types of activities either ground hunting or aerial hunting. BTW – the cat wants to be the hunter not the prey in these games. You can place interesting toys around for the cat to discover and hunt, but that will not be nearly as interesting to the cat as a toy that you move to entice him or her.

You should choose toys with a string or wire attached that you can move back and forth to catch his eye and increase the thrill of the hunt. For maximum realism you should move the prey object slowly even partially hiding it. The slow movement is similar to prey trying to hide from the predator cat. Fast and continuous movements confuse your cat. Let your cat succeed by making contact with the toy. Then, you can move it slowly again and the cat will pick up the chase.

Also remember that cats can really get into this prey-predator game. So, never use your hand or foot as the prey. Your otherwise sweet, gentle cat once they are in hunt mode will pounce on and bite or scratch you just as he would a real toy. After a great game of predator - prey, you can reward your pet with a small treat that says – “now wasn’t that fun? Let’s do it again.”

Posted by Barbara.