5 Tips on How to Keep Your Cat Active
Unlike their tail-wagging counterparts, cats are used to organizing their free time independently and keeping themselves occupied.
But suddenly, you don’t leave the house on a Monday morning, and your furry friend Mimi is already at the door, waiting for you to finally release her kingdom so the cat party at home can begin. Sometimes, however, you are home for several days in a row - the perfect opportunity to train a bit with your furry companion. Here’s how you can fill this time together with play and fun.
1. Catch and Movement Games: The Absolute Hit
Is your furry friend a little bundle of energy and used to spending her free time outside? The mutual hide-and-seek game is great for stimulating your indoor tiger's natural hunting instinct. Distribute empty boxes and paper bags around the apartment and watch how your cat lies in wait.
Find a hiding spot yourself and lure your cat. When she finds you, reward her with a →delicious snack. To further ignite her hunting drive, you can use fishing rods that you glide through the apartment to lure your furry friend out of her hiding spot.
2. Puzzle Toys
To promote not only sufficient movement but also your pet's brain, puzzle toys are ideal. You can buy these from well-known manufacturers or easily make them yourself. A cardboard box, in which you cut holes of various sizes, works well for this. Then fill the box with balls or →[](/collections/fur-katzen-snacks)treats and let your cat get creative.
Empty toilet paper rolls are also great for brain work - and if you’re keeping track of current consumption, these should be readily available. Simply fill the empty rolls with toys or →[](/collections/fur-katzen-snacks)snacks and let your cat experiment.
3. Clicker Training - One Click, One Treat
A clicker - as the name suggests - makes a *"click" sound when used. It can help you teach your furry friend a specific behavior or untrain* one. Whether it’s begging at the dining table, scratching the couch, or constant meowing: with consistent clicker training, these behaviors will soon be history.
The special thing about the clicker is its always the same sound - because cats can be conditioned particularly well to that. Your voice, on the other hand, is sometimes high and sometimes low, so it will be difficult for you to teach your cat to “give paw” without the clicker.
The process should always be the same: You give a command, for example, "Sit" and present your furry friend with a →treat with a click sound after she follows the command. The click in connection with the reward signals to your indoor tiger: "Now I did something right."
Important in the exercises is timing; praise your cat with treats and clicks immediately after the action. Some furry friends learn quickly, others more slowly. The code words for the commands must always remain the same, just like your tone of voice. Create a good atmosphere for training, don’t put pressure on your cat, and keep the training sessions rather short.
To start, train by clicking without a command and giving your cat a reward. Repeat this as often as until your cat comes to you when she hears the click sound in the apartment.
4. Agility - When the Living Room Becomes an Obstacle Course
Agility, isn’t that just for dogs? Wrong - the so-called Cat Agility is tailored to the peculiarities and needs of your indoor tiger and brings plenty of variety into the house! The prerequisite for this is that your cat is already accustomed to the clicker.
For building an obstacle course, you can use things that your cat already enjoys, like empty boxes. Create low hurdles and provide your furry friend with tunnels. You can also easily create ramps with chairs and cardboard. For a slalom course, you can set up filled water bottles in a row with enough space between them.
After your indoor tiger has explored everything thoroughly and maybe even tried something on her own, you can start the training. Lure your cat with a →treat through the tunnel. When she comes out on the other side, activate the clicker and reward her. Practice each part of the course individually and only connect the various obstacles at the end.
5. The Cat Cinema - Roll Film!
Your furry friend naturally has the perfect grandma trait. If she could, she would sit on a park bench all day and observe everything that happens, and the entertainment level would be at 100%. Set up a cozy spot on the windowsill or in front of the balcony for her, from which she can comfortably watch everything happening outside.
Dancing leaves, pigeons, cars, neighbors on the balcony or in the garden - an exciting experience for your furry friend. And in between, she can take a break after all the play and training to gather strength for a new adventure in the apartment with you.
