10 Valuable Tips to Keep Cats Busy

In the wild, cats generally have no time for boredom. After all, they are busy hunting for their daily sustenance. Domestic cats do not have to deal with this, but this also means that they have much more free time during the day. As an owner, you are usually happy when the cat wants to spend this time with you, but very few can take care of their animal all day. Accordingly, it is important to provide employment.

Tips for general employment of the cat

Even if you are at home, it can happen that the cat is bored and should be occupied with something. Petting and cuddling are always a good idea in principle, but often some variety is needed. For such cases, the following five tips can be useful to help ensure that boredom does not arise in the house cat:

Tip 1: Cat toys

Similar to children, it is not a bad idea to invest in good toys for cats. It is important to note that animals also have their own tastes and not every toy is well received by every cat. Often, however, things are suitable with which the cat can live out its hunting instinct. This can be, for example, a play fishing rod with a rubber ball, which the cat can chase. Also throwing toys are well received by many domestic cats.

Tip 2: Play hide and seek

Playing together does not necessarily have to involve toys. The play instinct of cats can also be satisfied in other ways. Hide and seek, for example, is very fun. Here, the owner hides from his cat and lets him look for him. A few noises can help here to encourage the cat to search. If it has found its owner, this should be rewarded with a treat.

Tip 3: Foraging

In the wild, the cat must look for its own food, but with humans it is fully supplied. Here, too, owners can provide variety by letting the cats search for their food. This can also be part of the main meal and not just a treat.

Tip 4: Challenge intelligence

In addition to physical exercise, owners should also challenge their cats mentally. Boredom is not only caused by the fact that the animal lacks exercise. Many cats tend to get into mischief when they are mentally underchallenged. Intelligence toys are a great way to prevent this. These are usually toys where cats try to make things out of something. Here, owners can also get creative themselves and, for example, build a small puzzle for the cat out of cardboard rolls.

Tip 5: Repurpose cardboard boxes and paper bags

Another easy way to keep cats busy is with cardboard boxes and paper bags. Many cats love to climb into cardboard boxes or get cozy in paper bags. So owners can simply scatter a few discarded cardboard boxes or bags around the home. However, it is important with bags that any handles are cut off to prevent the cat from getting tangled.

Tips when the cat is alone in the house

One advantage of being at home is that the owner can always keep an eye on their cat. However, this is not always possible. Especially working people usually leave their animals alone at home for a few hours a day. Even for these times, there are a few tips to provide employment for the cats.

Tip 6: Search for treats

While the search for food is primarily suitable when the owner is at home, you can also keep the cat busy with a search game in his absence. Here, however, rather treats are recommended, which are distributed in the apartment and can be found by the animal. Cat cushions are also a good option for hide-and-seek games.

Tip 7: Set up an observation point

Cats are fundamentally curious animals and like to observe what is going on in their environment. Owners can also take advantage of this urge for occupational therapy by setting up a cozy observation point for the cat by the window. Especially if there is always something going on in the street in front of the house, this should keep the cat busy for some time. Most important is movement such as moving cars and people walking by.

Tip 8: Set up a scratching post

Scratching trees are generally a sensible purchase for cat owners. They can keep cat busy for some time and help satisfy their play instinct. With a little craftsmanship and a few tips from the Internet, such a tree can also be built quite easily yourself. Ideally, a few small puzzles are also built in to challenge the cat’s intelligence as well.

Tip 9: Provide company

As with humans, companionship can help to relieve boredom. In the case of cats, this does not necessarily have to be another human being; a second cat also helps to ensure that boredom does not arise for both animals. Especially in combination with toys, pair activity often works very well.

Tip 10: Variety in everyday life

In order for cats not to get bored and start doing nonsense, the environment should be as interesting as possible. This also includes that there are always new things to discover or variety is created. Cats are quite open to new things, so it is worthwhile, for example, by new toys or adjustments to the scratching post to create change.