Indoor cats often seem aloof, especially after the age of 5. However, exercising your cat is so important because it will help extend his life.
The excuse we always used before was “our cats don’t want to play“. Are you saying that in your head right now? Well, the feline specialists tell us that this is simply not true. If your cat is not sick, she wants to play. Why? Because she’s a cat. Felines were created to be active.
Obesity is plaguing our domesticated cats. Here in the states more than 60% of indoor cats are overweight. This is leading to the epidemic of diabetes, arthritis and cancer in cats. We’ve got to do something about it right meow!
While we agree that the dry kibble diets have a lot to do with the vast amount of obese kitties, lack of exercise is also a big contributor. If you want to start exercising your cats, here are some tips to get started.
Best Ways To Exercise Your Cat
- Stop feeding your cats from a bowl. Research shows that cats have less stress and more exercise when fed small bites that they hunt down themselves. If you feed dry or freeze dried foods, buy or make some indoor hunting feeders and hide these around the house. Even our most “lazy” cat loves to hunt his food! Get creative and really make them work for it too… this is a great way to get your kitty moving!
- Create plenty of vertical space. Cats love to climb. Why? Because they’re cats. Make sure you have plenty of places where your cat can climb up high. This encourages movement and also reduces stress.
- Schedule daily playtime with your cat. If you haven’t done this before it may take a few sessions to get your older cat moving, but cats love routine and attention. Take 20 minutes out of your morning or evening and engage in playtime with a wand toy or laser toy to start exercising your cat regularly.
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