How Do I Interactive Play with My Cat?

Why You Need to Play with Your Cat

Cats are fun to play with. They jump, pounce, spin 180° or 360° in the air, and are generally hilarious to watch. It’s vital to develop a daily play routine with your cat that will stay with them for their entire life. Playing helps cats stay physically and emotionally happy, and helps relieve stress, so they’re less likely to engage in negative behaviors in the home. Let’s explore the best tips for playing with your cat to maximize these benefits.

Interactive Play Is Best with Cats

Interactive play, or play that involves both you and your cat, is best for cats in most situations. Sure, they’ll play alone sometimes, which is extra play time, but interactive play should also be scheduled at least once a day.

The reason interactive play is the best type of play for cats is that it mimics hunting behavior. You can use a toy that can be manipulated to act like a bird or rodent, allowing your cat to use all those predatory instincts waiting to jump out.

If your cat can’t express these evolutionary urges, it’s likely to get bored, or even worse, frustrated and stressed. These feelings often lead to inappropriate behaviors, such as urinating outside the litter box, scratching inappropriate objects, or displaying aggressive behavior toward humans or other pets in the home.

How to Play with Your Cat

Here is a guide to interactive play with your cat.Get some interactive toys. Wand toys are great for imitating birds, and they can also crawl on the ground like rodents. Throwing toys also work well, although it is not easy to get them to act like prey and keep your hands away from them. However, cats do enjoy chasing them, and some cats can learn to bring them back.
Keep toys away during playtime. Wand toys with strings can be dangerous for cats if left outside because they can be a choking hazard if they become entangled in them. In addition, cats will get bored or lose interest in toys that are placed around to simulate dead prey.
Make the toys act like real prey. Generally, a cat's prey will not approach them. It will run or fly away, and sometimes freeze in fear, try to hide behind or under something, and then dart off in a different direction. When interacting with your cat, think like your prey, making the game as realistic and challenging as possible.
Let your cat make the kill. During play, and especially at the end of play, periodically make sure your cat "makes a kill." This means letting it catch a wand toy or a toss toy and then take a bite.
After the game, give your cat some tasty treats. After a kill, your cat can eat. At the end of the game, give it a tasty treat, which your successful hunter deserves, and then it may take a bath and a nap.
Aim for at least 10 minutes of interactive play with your cat every day. If you're pressed for time and can't get it for a few days, you can try using an automatic cat toy, which can mimic the behavior of a rodent, but you must make sure to give your cat something to catch at the end of the game, such as a toss toy, otherwise it may become very frustrated that it couldn't catch the mouse.