Crazy Cats Continued

Yesterday I discussed how we incorrectly perceive cats as being easy pets and as a result tend to neglect their emotional and behavior needs.

So, what can you do if you want to give your cat more stimulation?  Well, listed below are 4 simple ways for you to give you cat more simulation without having to spend much money (because I am cheap) or expend much effort (because I am lazy too).

1) Make a cat feeder out of an old water bottle.
It’s really simple really.  Just cut a few holes in a bottle (after removing the label and any plastic rings) and fill it with cat food.  Start with bigger holes to get your cat playing with the toy and gradually create toys with smaller holes.  You can put your cat’s morning ration of food in this feeder and give it to him in the morning and he can play with it all day.  Pay attention to signs of wear and replace frequently. And, yes, I am perfectly aware that the bottle in the picture is filled with cereal…I am not at home and – contrary to popular belief – I do not carry cat food bags in my carry on luggage.  Also, a bottle that was not clear would probably have been better…oh well, you take what you can get.

2) Make a cat feeder out of a storage container.
I made 3 of these (one for each cat) for my cats a while ago, and the change in their personalities has been AMAZING.  They have to live separated from the dogs and every time I would go in to see them, I would find them hiding in their own spots.  One cat would only ever be seen at feeding time.  Now, with these feeders, they are always out and much more sociable.

This is a long under the bed container (about $6.50…look for them on sale!).  Cut a hole in one end that is just big enough for your cat to get his head in (and OUT! test this with a cardboard box prototype first) but not big enough he is tempted to get all the way in.  Then cut slits in the lid as shown.  They should be just big enough for him to get a paw in (1 inch was what worked for my cats).  Sand down all the edges to make them smooth.  Start out by putting the food close to the head hole and as he gets better, move the food towards the other end.  My cats have gotten good enough at this that I had to put speed bumps in the bottom.  They now get all of their food in puzzle toys (in fact, they don’t even HAVE food bowls anymore).

The idea of these two feeders is that cats were designed to spend long amounts of time hunting for food so our meal based feeding is less than appropriate for them.  Think about it, dogs hunt in packs and will kill something MUCH larger than they are.  They then gorge themselves and laze about for a while.  Cats on the other hand, hunt things much smaller than they are (and are often unsuccessful) and so much spend a lot more time hunting than dogs.

3) Make a toy puzzle box
I do not currently have a picture of one of these due to mine meeting the destruction of some fiendish felines who did not approve of being left in the care of a sitter (ugh…cats are NOT easy). The concept is fairly simple though.  Take a cardboard box and put some holes in the sides. Place toys (or old ping pong balls if you are cheap like me) in the box.  Seal with tape.  Get video camera.  Place on floor.  Enjoy.
For some reason, not being able to directly SEE the toys makes them infinitely more fun.

4) Try out clicker training for your cat.
YES! Cats CAN be trained.  In fact, a lot of times they are smarter than some dogs I have met.  The site I have linked (http://www.clickertraining.com/cattraining) includes TONS of information about getting started with your cat.  Just a few minutes a day can improve your relationship with your cat, get him thinking, wear him out mentally, and possibly teach him some useful skills (or at least some cute tricks to impress your friends who are STILL trying to get their dogs to great people nicely).

 

NOTE: if you have a cat that is attacking you, there are several things you can do to protect yourself and help to retrain a better behavior without resorting to punishment based techniques.  Contact me and will be more then willing to give you some pointers.