As an alternative of working round within the yard, cats are content material napping in a toasty suntrap on the patio or sitting within the window, watching birds and squirrels go about their day by day enterprise. In addition they have a fame for being unbiased and low-maintenance. However cats profit bodily and mentally from taking part in with their house owners daily. Listed below are six causes you want to play together with your kitty frequently.
1. Enjoying With Your Cat Creates a Deeper Bond
Enjoying together with your cat daily helps to construct and strengthen your bond. A 2017 examine within the journal of Behavioural Processes discovered that pet and shelter cats choose spending time with people over meals, toys, and smells. If you don’t play together with your cat daily, she’s going to lose curiosity in you, and easily view you as a strange-looking tin can-opener. She could cease sitting in your lap or refuse to allow you to pet her, or she might develop an insecure attachment.
2. Enjoying With Your Cat Prevents Weight problems
Weight problems is a significant drawback for cats in the US. In line with a 2018 report from the Affiliation for Pet Weight problems Prevention, 59.5% of cats are chubby or overweight.
Middle-aged cats between 8 and 12 years previous are on the highest threat of weight problems. Indoor cats which are spayed or neutered are additionally more likely to be chubby or overweight. They’re susceptible to arthritis, diabetes, cancer, coronary heart and liver illness, and pores and skin issues like dandruff. Chubby and overweight cats are additionally 3 times extra prone to die early.
To assist get your cat again into form, scatter her favourite treats round the home or toss dry cat meals to her throughout mealtimes to maintain her lively. Ideally, it’s best to play together with your cat for 15- to 20-minutes twice a day, however goal for no less than as soon as a day.
3. Enjoying With Your Cat Busts Boredom
Is your kitty shredding your stuff to smithereens or knocking it into the ground? If that’s the case, she might be scuffling with boredom. A bored cat is a naughty cat. To maintain your kitty from actually pulling out her hair and terrorizing her fellow felines, interact her with play. Furry mice, plush catnip toys, balls with or with out bells, interactive toys, scratching posts, and bins will help you bust your cat’s boredom.
4. Enjoying Retains Your Cat’s Thoughts Lively
As your cat grows older, her cognitive functioning (e.g., consideration, studying, reminiscence, spatial skills) could decline. And she or he could endure from cognitive dysfunction syndrome. It’s a drawback for greater than 55% of senior cats and greater than 80% of geriatric cats. Feline dementia could cause your cat to get lost from dwelling, stare blankly on the partitions for lengthy intervals, or overlook that her feeding time simply occurred.
To assist your cat keep mentally spry, strive actions that encourage problem-solving like hide-and-seek or the shell game. Deal with-dispensing puzzles and snuffle mats are additionally one other method to squeeze extra playtime into your cat’s life. Catnip and silvervine can encourage her to play and should even forestall or decelerate feline dementia.
5. Enjoying Retains Your Cat’s Physique Limber
In line with the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, 90% of senior cats have arthritis in no less than one joint, and one in two cats expertise ache consequently. Elbows and hips are essentially the most ceaselessly affected joints in cats. Arthritis within the ankles, breastbone, spine, and shoulders can be frequent. Enjoying together with your cat daily will help her preserve muscle tone and takes stress off her joints.
6. Enjoying Helps Your Kitten Discover the World
Enjoying together with your kitten teaches her how you can chase, stalk, and entice prey. When she swats at objects together with her paws, she develops eye-paw coordination. She additionally turns into extra assured about climbing, leaping, and working. Enjoying together with her littermates teaches her what their ears and tail imply in sure positions. Is your kitten shy? She’s going to really feel bolder, stronger, and in extra management of her physique each time she pins a playmate to the bottom.
