Contrary to popular belief, cats that sleep all day and night without any interactive time are stressed out. It’s true that it’s normal for most cats to sleep 14-16 hours per day, but they should be active when they aren’t resting. If your kitty is refusing to play, we need to increase their environmental enrichment.
Humans did both a great service and injustice to cats by bringing them into our homes. Cats live much longer lives now that they aren’t exposed to as much danger indoors. However, we also deprive them of many of their natural instincts and behaviors by keeping them within our 4 walls.
As a result, many indoor cats are bored. And a bored cat is a stressed cat. It’s important for us cat parents to understand that stress is one of the leading causes of illness in cats, so we need to do our best to offer our kitties as much environmental enrichment as possible at home to help their mental and physical health.
How To Help Your Cats That Sleep Too Much & Play Very Little
- Offer vertical space for your cats to climb. It might sound silly, but studies have proven that when cats are able to climb and observe their surrounding from an elevated space they are less stressed. Build climbing shelves or offer them an easy way to access the top of your cabinets in the kitchen.
- Open your windows for your kitties to explore. In the wild cats will stalk their prey and this is very good for their mental health. Allowing your cats to see, smell and hear the sites of the outdoors can help keep their minds active. If you can put a bird feeder outside a window, even better! Watch your ‘lazy’ cats suddenly start to be interested in more than just laying around.
- Build a catio for your cats. A catio is just an enclosed patio with vertical space for kitties. This allows them all the mental stimulation from the window with an added bonus… they can feel the earth. This is such a great way to help keep your sleepy kitty active mentally and physically.
- Play with your cats daily. Interacting with your cats and engaging in playtime will help them greatly. Wand toys are a fantastic way to allow your cat to go through that prey sequence. Engaging in play with cats has also proven to increase their confidence levels. Play with them on a schedule and they will thank you with a happier and healthier existence.
Environmental enrichment is more important than you think for your cats. What steps are you willing to take in order to help your cat sleep less and engage more?
Recommended Product To Increase Energy In Cats
Recent Comments