Despite having multiple cat toys and cardboard boxes for our cats to play with, sometimes we return home to see our cats Akki and Zuzu intently waiting for the door to open. While Akki waits for us to return and spend time with her, Zuzu wants us to take her out for a stroll. As doting cat parents, we are constantly devising ways to entertain indoor cats and keep them away from boredom.
Outdoor strolls make Zuzu’s day
Fundamentally, cats are hunters and they are curious animals. Thus, it’s natural for indoor cats to get bored when they have nothing much to do. They need attention and some initiative from us to help them relieve their energy naturally. Indoor cats are deprived of the life that an outdoor cat has, especially in terms of entertainment. Bored cats can sleep more or have behavioral problems. So, it’s our responsibility to enhance their lives and create the best catmosphere for them.
A cat may be giving cues that she wants to play if her ears and whiskers are forward, the tail is up, and the pupils are slightly dilated. If your kitty meows constantly looking at you, stroking at your leg, wrapping across your laptop, perhaps, all of these are signs that your cat needs some special, undivided attention and playtime. Some cats are upfront about their need for attention, and you should never ignore it. Usually, cats ask only for a normal pick and throw game. But you can do more.
You can entertain indoor cats by making them run. This makes them especially happy. Once tired, she will be content and have a sound nap. Cats need to be active for physical health and mental stimulation. Being curious animals, they need to retreat and hide, scratch, hunt, climb, and sometimes simply unwind.
These needs call for activities that are mentally challenging as well as physically exhausting. Thus, you should look at creating a more stimulating environment by spicing things up with cat furniture like cat trees, multi-level structures for cats, cat tunnels, and cat perches. These few value-additions at home can help you keep your kitties engaged, entertained, and happy.
Interesting Window Views for Cats:
Cats love sitting near windows. As indoor cats usually do not have the freedom to go outside that easily, they need entertainment at home and a window is like a television for them with interesting channels and programs to watch, hear and smack. Windows offer cats a world of beautiful experiences like watching chirping birds, hitting buzzing flies, sniffing the breeze, smelling various aromas and odors, intimidating dogs, and investigating strange people from afar.
You should consider creating a “view” for them so that they get to watch what is going on outside. To do so, you can place a bed near the window or create a window perch so that your cat can comfortably sit and see out. You can place a bird feeder in view of the window to get them interested.
Knowing how interesting this can be for your cat, window beds are made available commercially that you can attach to your window frame and witness your cat chill. We recommend Heart to Tail Cat Window Perch available on Amazon. We have placed an AmazonBasics Cat Tree in our balcony to watch birds and see the world go by. If bird watching doesn’t entertain indoor cats, few other things will 🙂
Mira bird-watching atop a cat tree in our balcony
Find the Right Cat Toys to entertain indoor cats
There are so many cat toys out there – small chasers, wrestling toys, spring-loaded toys, wands, ball and track toys, automated and remote-controlled toys, crinkling and rattling toys, cheepers, textured toys, and last but not least, catnip stuffed toys and a lot more. However, not every cat likes the same toys. The best way to find what works for your cat is to buy a few at regular intervals and perform a test to see what catches your cat’s fancy. Remember, most cat play is based on the prey response – the idea is to keep their hunting spirit alive.
You should choose toys that your cat can hunt, pick up in her mouth and carry. It resembles them hunting for prey and then carrying it after killing the prey. Being able to carry is a sign of a successful kill. So, the toys you choose should be relatively small and lightweight. Also, try to get more and more toys as they can easily get misplaced and your cat should not be left without any.
Play for at least 30 minutes a day
Schedule time so that you don’t miss out and even get into the habit of expecting some fun time in return for good behavior. You can split the playtime into multiple 15-minute sessions. In short bursts, cats will naturally play and that’s the best way to help them expend some energy. You can use a ball, laser pointer, or feather to play with them.
Kittens will usually initiate the play and will want you to continue for a longer time, but adult cats may show disinterest in playing if they mostly live a sedentary lifestyle or merely due to lack of stamina. Hence, with adult cats, you may want to spend 2-3 minutes per session to begin with and gradually increase time based on how your adult cat responds to it.
Give them a spot in the Sun and place the right plants
Some warmth – it’s good not just for humans but also for cats. And cats love sunshine. You should look for the window that allows the most sunshine and place a perch in that area. Allow your cats to bask in the sun. Open those blinds or curtains and let some nature in. And what’s more? If you can plant some cat grass, basil, mint, lemongrass, or catnip, that will be delightful for your feline friends.
Know which plants are safe for your cats to chew on.
Treasure Hunt at Home
Get some cat interactive toys to maintain the cat’s interest throughout the day. You can place cat toys like jingle balls, feathers, ping pong balls, cat treats, etc., around the house. You can drop a ping pong ball inside the empty bathtub for them to bat around. Although we don’t recommend using catnip too often, you can sometimes use it just to break the monotony in your cat’s life.
Create spaces for cats to sit and relax up high
Cats usually like it at the top as they get a bird’s eye view. From a high position, they can spot potential danger easily. Cats’ ancestry lived in the wild, giving even indoor cats the natural instinct of climbing on objects, hiding from large predators, and attacking prey. Thus, cats like anything that’s elevated, be it a high shelf, a window perch, wardrobe, loft, or the top of the refrigerator. If you have identified such places at your home, you should ensure that there is some support for your cat to get to the top such as a table kept next to the wardrobe or the kitchen platform next to the refrigerator.
You can also create vertical spaces in a small apartment. But ensure to clear off the surface so that your cat can explore it without any hurdles and doesn’t end up breaking something important. You can place a scratching post on the wall vertically which your cat can happily scratch up on to shed the outer layers of their nails.
Expand the Cat Family
Though not related by blood, Mira and Akki are very affectionate towards each other.
Cats usually like staying alone and they are quite territorial but if they get along with other cats, it is the best thing you will experience at home. While cooking, we see Akki and Mira play like crazy. They groom each other, watch out for each other and showcase the perfect bond of cat love. Mira, our first cat, never warmed up to other cats but with Akki, she has a special bond. I am sure they are extremely glad to have each other. Zuzu on the other hand is an outdoor-indoor cat we got home when she was fostering her kittens. It’s been a year we got Zuzu home and await the day the three get along happily.
It’s a constant effort to entertain indoor cats. The end result though is fulfilling beyond measure.
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