How to Play with Your Cat | Cat Care

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If you have a cat at home, you probably want to know the best way to play with them. Well, that depends on your cat, but there are certain things you should do and certain things you certainly should not do. The first thing not to do is to play with your cat with your hands. It's really common, especially for guys, but not just the men in our lives to grab cats by the head and shake it as part of a play routine. Don't do that. Some cats like it, but many others also get distressed by it and it can encourage them to be aggressive during play. In addition, some people try to get their cats play by patting their cat's belly. Since most cats don't like being pat on the belly, instead what you can get is a combination of conflicted behavior of "I want to play but I really want you to knock that off".

So, instead, focus on getting toys that your cat can play with that are similar to what a cat's predatory prey will normally be like. For instance, this toy right here is actually a short version of a wand toy. They make many different wand toys. I like this one from Neko Flies because you can attach different toys to the bottom so that it's always interesting for your cat. Cats a lot of times really enjoy things that are small and fluffy and things that look like insects.

That's probably because those are common things that a cat would normally eat out in the wild. So, get yourself a remote toy like this one and decide if your cat is interested in playing. At this time, with our little fellow here, she's really more interested in being patted right now. But, you can also see that she's paying attention to the toy itself. It's important to remember that even if your cat is not actually chasing a toy, if they're looking at it and interested in it you're still providing some enrichment. So, don't be discouraged. Other toys that cats find interesting are crank little balls, like this one. She just wants to bond on it right now. Cat needs stuffed mice. And of course you can find all sorts of cat stuffed toys everywhere. Many cats like to play fetch with these. Balls that have bells inside since many cats like to interact with their environment like noise, as a lot of people know from the cats waking up at 2AM. Little motorized toys that are made for kids like this Hexbug. This is a fun toy because even though you need to play with it with your cat with supervision, it does move in a very erratic manner. And erratic toys keep cats interested.

Many people also enjoy playing with their cats with laser pointers. But keep in mind that laser pointers can be frustrating because cats don't always get to catch the laser. There's nothing to touch. So, if you do play with your cat with the laser pointer, make sure to end the game on a small stuffed toy or something that your cat can actually grab. If you do those things I'm sure you're going to have a great time playing with your cat.

[preranasingha]

My cat doesn't like to play at all...but the stray i feed dies to see and play with me 😑😂😂😂

[BlinkinFirefly]

Also if you cant afford these toys there are plenty of common things around the house you can find for your cat to play with. An empty toilet paper roll, a shoe lace, cardboard box. Even a balled up sheet of paper tossed around can be surprisingly entertaining for your cat!

[flesheatingzombie]

point the laser at the wall and watch your cat turn into spiderman

[RealHypocrisy]

My cat just looks at the laser then at me, she's too smart.


or lazy.

[Comewithmeifuwantlive]

My cat loves being chased! Sometimes she hides under my bed and comes out to attack my legs when I'm getting into bed. She also growls and calls for me to come find her haha!

[excelsior]

"Don't grab your cat by the head and shake her"
_REALLY?_

[icecreamdilara]

Idk how I got here but I'm not complaining

[tillyeq]

My kittens both love be scratched on their bellys. They will lay down and roll onto their backs until you stroke their bellys & roll over because they love it so much.

[Wolfdragoness]

Used to mess with cats with laser points but never knew they tend to frustrate the cats Oo I thought they just the thrill of chasing the dots around. I'll have to remember that tip about tossing a toy at the end of the game the next time I use the laser pointers

[ayah]

I hope when I grow up and get my own place I could find a litter of 3 kittens. I would take all of them because they were born together so they wouldn't dislike each other either way.

[mariamckenna]

My cat just loves chasing my belt. It's the cutest. He will hide N get in attack mode each time.

[Sophia-iwhq]

My cat loves to play all the time which usually ends in a very long sleep:-)

[motomeetyou]

Thank you, I was concerned my cat wasn’t interested in play anymore, but now I know he stills gets the drive.

[parerfr]

If you have a sewing needle and thread and some store bought catnip you could ask your parents to make a catnip plushie or do it yourself

[definitelyxen]

Helped a little bit, thank you! I am still not sure how to play with 4 of my cats together though.

[amybharadwaj]

My cat is a bit aggressive and she loves to hunt little birds - she was a street cat most of her early life and only now she turned up at my doorstep and asked me to be her mama. But her instincts are very wild - she also swats and tries to scratch us. But I have been playing with her with different toys for 3 times a day for 20 mins each - I make her run to chase a feather toy, play strings on a scratching post and get her to jump up and down as high as possible by using this string toy mouse she loves. It’s only been a few days but she is so much happier, doesn’t scratch us anymore, is attentive to commands and has stopped hunting birds. Also she has been eating really well and sleeps through the night too. I am the most inexperienced person as a cat mom you can come across - but I vouch by the playing thing. It works!

[idontlikeyou]

I love all ur videos can u do one on convincing parents to get u a cat

[waseemsalamut]

I wrestle with my cat(friendly way) and he freaking loves it!!

[Manuqtix.Manuqtix]

your cat also loves to be a cast in movies like owlkitty

[toniomiklo]

Laser point is just teasing: there is no satisfaction for a cat, only frustration. Good video.