Tag Archives: cat exercise

Cat Care, General Care

And Meow, A Word About Cat Towers

Does your kitty like high places? Do you often find your feline friend perched on the back of a sofa or on top of the fridge? If you think about it, Fluffy’s love of heights makes purrfect sense. Kitties can’t see very much from ground level! This is only one reason they love cat towers. A Georgetown, IN veterinarian offers some insight on this below.

Why Kitties Enjoy Towers

As mentioned above, cats love high places. It’s instinctive for Fluffy to want to get a better view of things, so she can track predators or prey that are nearby. Towers also offer kitties manicure stations. This is very important! Felines depend on their claws for survival, and are instinctively driven to keep them sharp. In the wild, they would use trees. Unless you happen to have a full-size tree in your living room, a cat tower is the next best thing. Towers also offer napping spots, and encourage your furry little friend to run, jump, and climb.

Choosing Fluffy’s Furniture

The first thing to consider here would be how many furballs you have. If you have three cats, pick a tower with at least three levels. Otherwise, your feline friends may fight over it. (Note: the feline who gets the top spot on the tower is likely the household boss cat.) It’s also important to choose something sturdy. Kitties get very nervous over wobbly scratching posts, so Fluffy may get scared of hers if it moves too much. Finally, consider your feline pal’s age. A kitten will enjoy a fun activity center with lots of toys and things to climb and explore. A senior cat, however, will probably prefer something that’s soft, comfy, and easy to get on and off.

Rekindling The Love

Is Fluffy ignoring her tower? This doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with it: your feline buddy may have just gotten so used to it that she’s kind of forgotten about it. Start by cleaning the tower. A steam cleaner is ideal, but a vacuum may also do the trick. You can try repositioning it or even moving it. Sprinkling toys or catnip around it may also help. If all else fails, tell Fluffy to stay off it. She’ll probably jump right on!

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Cat Care, General Care

Tips For Playing With Your Cat

Is your feline buddy still frisky and playful? This is always super cute to watch. As it turns out, one of the best things you can do for Fluffy is to play with her regularly. A Georgetown, IN vet offers some advice on playing with kitties in this article.

Do It Regularly!

First and foremost, take time to play with your furry bff every day. This will benefit Fluffy both mentally and physically. It will also make her feel loved. You may be surprised at how quickly your furry friend comes to expect (or demand) this!

Make It Fun

Playtime is more fun for kitties when it’s challenging for them. Use toys that you can control, such as wand toys or laser pointers. Fluffy will be more engaged if she can’t anticipate what her ‘foe’ is going to do next.

Keep A Routine

If possible, play with your feline pal at roughly the same time every day. Kitties really thrive on set schedules! This is easy to work into your nightly wind-down time: just keep a remote-controlled toy or laser pointer near your sofa or armchair.

Discourage Rough Play

Kitties are very lovable, but they can be a bit, well, violent. Don’t let your furry buddy use you as a cat toy! It may be cute if Fluffy pounces on your toes, but it’s also very bad petiquette.

Don’t Play Favorites

Do you have more than one kitty? Pay equal attention to both of them, and make sure they both get enough playtime. Otherwise, one of your feline friends is bound to get jealous of the other.

Choose Safe Toys

Cats are very playful, which is super cute. Unfortunately, Fluffy doesn’t know what is and is not safe for her to play with. Don’t use anything that could be dangerous. Sharp and/or sharp items are a definite no, as is anything with dangling ropes or cords. If you use wand toys, pick them up when you’re done: you don’t want your furball getting tangled up.

Offer Catnip

Does your furry friend like catnip? Don’t forget to refill her toys regularly! You don’t have to worry about your kitty overdosing. Catnip wears off after about 15 minutes. After that, Fluffy’s brain will need to ‘reset’ before catnip will affect her again.

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