How to Play with your Cat
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Playing with your cat is not just for fun and games- it relieves boredom, stress and can even control behavior problems. Cats who do not use their minds and bodies become fat, bored and eventually dysfunctional. A wide variety of behavior problems, such as aggression, destructiveness, self-mutilation, inappropriate elimination and obsessive chewing, can be managed by adding regular interactive play to a cat’s day.
The most important thing to remember about cats is that for them, play is a form of hunting. Real prey is clever enough to make the hunt interesting. Mice, spiders, and other creatures are unpredictable. They run at different speeds. They change their direction. They scurry under the couch or behind curtains. They play dead and then suddenly jump up and make a run for it.
There is no substitute for interactive play, because only interactive play can stimulate the hunt. All those wind-up, hang-on-the-door and motion-detector toys don’t act like prey. Most follow a simple pattern when they move, but cats are extremely intelligent hunters, and they can quickly figure out these patterns. Then the toys are no fun.
Cats like things that are small and furry and make just the slightest rustle or squeak, because they locate their prey by either sound or motion or both. Small movements and small sounds best simulate prey. Cats stalk their prey before hunting. They don’t have a lot of stamina to do a lot of chasing, so they have to make every pounce count. So they stealthily move closer while they plan the attack. Eventually there is a pounce, a catch, and a kill bite. That means watching and planning are part of the hunt, so a cat who is not moving but is locked on visually to a toy is still engaged in the game. Watching and planning are aspects of play for the cat.
It also explains why cats love to hunt from a hiding place and burst out on their prey. Throwing an old towel over a low coffee table or draping a coat on the back of a chair will give your cat a perfect place from which to hunt. Often, making a “tent” is enough to get a reluctant hunter going. If the cat is sufficiently stealthy, the prey never notices the cat. It goes about its mousey business. When the prey becomes aware of the cat, it moves away, not toward the cat. The prey may try to hide under or behind something. It keeps making small movements and small sounds. Understanding this gives you clues about how to make a toy more enticing to your cat. Make the toy move away, cleverly changing direction, dashing for cover and popping out again.
When prey is caught, it struggles a bit, then stops struggling. If the prey escapes, the cat may chase it for a short while but then quickly gives up. That’s why you must make sure your cat catches the prey many times during a play session. In a 10 minute play session, the cat should catch the prey at least 10-15 times.
Toy Preferences
Individual cats have individual prey preferences. Some cats hunt at night because their prey preferences are nocturnal; for these cats, the sound of the prey is what causes them to switch from stalking mode to killing mode, and toys and games that make scratchy, rustling sounds are particularly exciting. Cats that hunt animals during daylight will be more stimulated by the prey’s movement. Cats may also prefer prey that flies through the air, that wiggles on the ground, that hides and disappears, or that moves in plain sight, or that is light feathery, small and furry, long and snaky, easy to carry in their mouth, easy to bat with their paws, fun to chew, or several of the above.These prey preferences dictate their toy preferences. Some cats like big things, some cats like small things. Some like hard things they can bat around. Some like soft things they can pick up and carry in their mouth. Often, knowing which toy is a favorite will tell you how the cat likes to play.
You want to encourage your cat to play wholeheartedly, to really think of the play session as a hunt. And that means the cat has to be able to bite down- HARD. So use toys that are away from your body. There are plenty of cat toys that come on a string, stick or wire, or try something small that you can toss. This discourages the cat from thinking of human body parts as toys. The cat can get more physical and more worked up and never associate the hunt with hands. Cats that are in play/hunt drive are totally in the moment and are completely unable to inhibit their bite, so keep your hands to yourself. Make sure your kids do, too, when they play with the cat. Also you, the large person, are too big to be prey, and can even be intimidating. Something remote and far away from your body is more like what a cat would hunt.
Two safety reminders: Always make sure the toys you choose have no easily removable parts that might be swallowed by your cat or otherwise harm them. And anything with a string or wire should be put away when you’re not playing with your cat, because cats have been known to swallow string.
Winding it Down
Cats can only play for 10-15 minutes at a time. So keep the play sessions short and active. Don’t leave the cat wound up. Play is like a hunt. Wounded prey will move more slowly and erratically. It may be still for a while and then just move a little. It will be easier and easier to catch. Let the cat catch the toy more and more often. Make sure the prey is thoroughly “killed”. Eventually let the cat catch the prey and it will move no more. Drop the toy on the floor. The cat may bop it a few more times along with a few more shakes and bites, to be sure it’s really dead. Don’t put the toy away until the cat has walked away- it you pick it up while the cat is still interested, the prey will have been resurrected. End every play session with a small treat. Now the cat has stalked the prey, pounced on it, killed and finally will eat it. Very Satisfying!
