Tips to Encourage Your Indoor Cat to Play with You

While autumn days are getting shorter, your furry friend is slowly increasing her sleeping hours. Cat circadian rhythm naturally switches to a rest and repair mode on less daylight. Even though cats don't hibernate as many other animals do in winter, they still need more sleep than usual. Their body needs to accumulate fat and use energy sparingly. Because of that, many cats get bigger and fatter during cold days. According to veterinarians from Eastshore Vet, Branford animal hospital, the real challenge is how to encourage your indoor cat to play with you during winter months. These tips might help you to tackle the challenge head-on.

Tips to Encourage Your Indoor Cat to Play with You

Try to Understand Your Cat Better

‍To keep your cat active during her waking hours, do a little survey. Try to experiment and find out what kind of noise, color, and type of a toy entice her. If you already know what her favorite toys are, make or buy a similar one in another color or with a different sound.

Satisfy Her Hunting Instincts‍

Your cat will best respond if you simulate the hunt during play. All cats are natural born hunters and won't resist taking part in a good hunt. To hold her attention, try to make her prey perky and surprising.

Get Her Attention

‍Sometimes, an old box or yarn may startle a cat and force her to get up from her cozy sleeping space in order to take action. You may want to cut slots or holes in a cardboard box here and there to make it more interesting.

Be Patient

‍Consider a play as an opportunity to get closer to your cat. Not only that a play will help you bond stronger with your cat, but it will also create an exercise habit. It will increase her level of physical activity and help her welcome the arrival of spring weighing fewer kilos than usual.

Reward Her by Food, Treat, Hug, Cuddle...

‍While many cat owners believe that cats couldn't be trained, scientists think they can. Unlike dogs, cats can be trained by reinforcing positive behavior with rewarding. You may want to offer her a ball with dried cat food, puzzle feeder, or treat dispenser to encourage her to earn the food.

An Extra Tip

‍Adopt one more cat. Two cats in a household guarantee a lot of fun. They will chase and wrestle with each other without your interference. Just be sure to properly introduce a new cat.