Cat - Playing Effectively

Kittens have a reputation for being playful – why is play so important to them?

Play is a very important part of the feline world and kittens need the opportunity to play in order to learn vital adult skills both in communication and in hunting. From a very early age, they play with their littermates and with objects that they find in their environment, indeed play provides the ideal opportunity for kittens to investigate the world around them. During kitten development three different forms of play are used. Up until the point of weaning most of the kitten’s playful interactions have been with the queen or with littermates and this form of play is described as social. However at the time of weaning kittens will start to show more interest in objects in their environment and will begin to act out the behavioural sequences associated with hunting. This so called object play is believed to be important in the development of hunting skills and the presence of an experienced hunting mother is believed to increase the kitten’s opportunity to observe the appropriate behaviours and so develop its own hunting prowess. Locomotory (physical) play is also important in developing balance and agility, which will be so important in adult life.

I have a 6 week old kitten and he is very playful – how can I channel his play onto toys rather than the curtains and furniture?

The image of young kittens hanging from the curtains is a very popular one for cartoonists but it is not amusing for owners when their new kittens are ripping their home apart and causing mayhem. The playful nature of your kitten is perfectly normal and the important lesson for him to learn at this age is that play is only acceptable in certain situations and contexts. Obviously kittens cannot read labels or instruction booklets and therefore they need to be shown how to play with toys that you provide for them. However you can maximise their interest in the toys by ensuring that they cater for basic feline needs and have features which will naturally catch your kitten’s attention and interest.

Ensuring that you incorporate a number of short (5-10 minute) play sessions into a day, especially offering games at dawn and dusk which are the times cats tend to be most active can help to encourage your kitten to play appropriately. Providing toys that encourage play even in your absence (for example the food toys mentioned later) can also help to keep his focus away from curtains and other prized possessions.

What should I be looking for when I am buying toys for my cat?

The toys you choose for your cat must take into account their natural behaviour and while pet shop aisles are packed with every conceivable toy for cats it is the ones that have been made for cats and not for people that are the best value for money! Often the simple ones are best and ones that offer unpredictable movement, rapid movement and high pitched sound are likely to provide your cat with hours of entertainment. The old fashioned piece of string and rolled up piece of paper work very well, provided that you are on hand to move them in an unpredictable and exciting fashion. Attaching the string to the end of a dowel rod makes a toy that can be even more interesting to your cat as it is easier to create even more unpredictable movement. Never leave pieces of string laying around when your cat is unsupervised as swallowing these can lead to dangerous blockages of the intestines. You can add to the value of this sort of play by rolling the paper down stairs or along ledges and incorporating an element of agility into the game. Cats also like to be able to pick their toys up, so small items are often more attractive than larger ones provided that they are not small enough to be swallowed.

If your cat appears disinterested in a toy it is possible to increase its incentive to play by attaching a tasty treat and you can also increase the variety of the ‘prey’ that you offer by attaching different items onto the end of the string for different play sessions. Colour and texture are two other important features of cat toys and these should offer variety which will help to keep your cat’s interest for longer.

Should I buy catnip toys for my cat?

A number of cat toys are advertised as being impregnated with catnip and this substance can make the toys very attractive. However not all cats show a reaction and indeed 50% of the cat population are not responsive to the chemical which is contained in this herb. Those that are will experience a period of mild hallucination when the chemical nepetalactone acts on their brain and will show a short lived response of excitement which borders in some individuals on euphoria. There is no harm in this response and the chemical is not addictive so if your cat is a responder giving access to catnip can add another dimension to his life! However, if he is a non-responder you may well be wasting your money.

My kitten loves to play a game which involves chasing my fingers as I run them across the back of the sofa or pouncing on my toes as I move them under the duvet. Is it OK to play these games?

Chasing and pouncing are vital elements of feline predatory behaviour and your kitten will spend hours engaging in these activities. When toes and fingers move rapidly across your kitten’s vision they are seen as a suitable target and it can be very amusing to play with your kitten in this way. However, the problem is that your kitten will learn to target human flesh within a predatory context and as he grows up you may live to regret these seemingly innocent games. As a basic rule it is best to only play predatory games with toys that your cat can eventually catch and ‘kill’ such as toy mice, pieces of food or bunches of feathers on the end of string or balls of rolled up paper. Interaction with human hands should be limited to the context of affection and to being stroked and petted.

I have heard about cat toys which dispense food and wonder if these are a good idea?

These toys include cat puzzle feeders and things such as prawn or chicken parcels (small titbits of food wrapped in greaseproof paper). Cat puzzle feeders can be a very useful way of increasing activity in sedentary or indoor cats as well as providing entertainment for food orientated individuals who will work hard to get the treats out from inside the device. A wide variety is now available which encourage your cat to engage in different activities to get hold of the food. These are available in many pet shops but it is easy to make your own from a plastic bottle, which has small holes in the side, which are just big enough to release the pieces of dry cat food which are placed inside. As your cat knocks the bottle around the floor it will be rewarded with pieces of food and the fact that the bottle is transparent and makes a noise as it moves will help to keep your cat’s interest. It is also useful to use small soft plastic bottles, which are easy for your cat to pick up and carry around, as this appears to increase their level of attraction in feline eyes! Prawn or chicken parcels can be incorporated into play routines and can be attached to pieces of string or elastic to enable your cat to act out the hunting sequence and finish by catching and consuming the ‘prey’.

My neighbour has bought her cat an aerobic centre – would you recommend one of these for my indoor cat?

Over recent years there has been a trend toward the use of cat aerobic centres and these can be very good value. They incorporate the opportunity to climb, balance and scratch and many of them have small toys suspended from them, which offer the opportunity to practice predatory skills. Providing an outlet for these sorts of behaviour is essential for an indoor cat such as yours but even when a cat has access to outdoors it can benefit enormously from this sort of equipment. More information is available in the handout on Keeping an indoor cat happy.

I have been told that my cat needs a scratching post – is this some sort of toy?

Scratching posts do provide an opportunity for play but they are also very necessary since scratching is an important behaviour for cats and one that needs to have an acceptable outlet within the home. Probably the most important features of a scratching post are its height, its stability and its surface texture. Tall posts allow cats to scratch at full stretch and the surface material needs to offer a good purchase for the claws. Wooden scratching facilities can help to transfer scratching behaviour into an outdoor context and if your cat is destined for an indoor life you need to avoid future confusion by ensuring that the material on the scratch post does not resemble any of your household furnishings. See handout on Scratching for more detail.

When my cat was a kitten I played with him everyday but surely as an adult these playtimes are no longer necessary?

It is a common misconception that cats only play when they are kittens, when in fact adult cats also benefit from regular playtimes and playful interaction with their owners. As they get older their play may alter but the drive to chase, pounce and kill remains throughout the cat’s life and games, which allow for these behaviours, are always popular and can add to the quality of life of your pet as well as strengthen the bond between you.

When should I play with my cat?

The best time to play with your cat is when it appears to be naturally interested. Predatory activity will naturally occur around the times of dawn and dusk so morning and evening playtimes are likely to be the most successful. Sessions can be varied in length depending on your cat’s interest but in general terms a number of short playtimes of 5 to 10 minutes each will be more beneficial than one long session of half an hour.

What is the best way for me to play with my adult cat?

Playing with your cat using remote style toys has a number of advantages especially for the more independent adult cat. If a toy is being held in your hand your cat will be aware of your presence and this can interfere with the full expression of his predatory behaviour as it does not seem ‘real’. The close presence of your hands can also encourage your cat to ‘play’ with moving fingers and can encourage predatory responses onto your hands and ankles. The easiest way to encourage play while remaining a little distant from your cat is to use fishing rod style toys and the aim is to keep the object moving and let your cat repetitively stalk, chase and ‘kill’ the prey. During a natural hunting sequence cats will often spend time observing the movement of potential ‘prey’ without chasing it and while you interpret this as a sign that your cat is not interested in the toy the truth is that your cat has just become more efficient at waiting for the right moment to pounce!

I have given my cat lots of toys but he only seems to play for very short periods of time and then gets bored – is this normal?

Although cats are naturally playful creatures they are also designed for short bursts of intense physical activity interspersed with long periods of sleep! These bursts may be as short as a couple of minutes and this means that short intense play sessions are the most beneficial in feline terms and owners often misinterpret the lack of staying power as a sign of boredom. In fact your cat’s play pattern is perfectly normal and you can maximise the benefit of these short playtimes by rotating the toys on a regular basis and ensuring that there is always something new and exciting to keep your cat’s interest!