Exercise your cat

Whether they are indoor or outdoor cats, cats need daily activities to promote their physical and mental health. While outdoor cats get enough exercise on their forays into the great outdoors to help them sleep in the evening, indoor cats often need a little support from their humans. Here you can find out what the consequences can be if your purring darling doesn't get enough exercise, how you can best keep your cat energised and what you should pay attention to.

Exercising your cat properly - reasons and tips

Some breeds, such as the active Bengal cat, need more intensive activity than more relaxed breeds, but you should give every house cat a good workout - we'll tell you why:

• Avoid boredom and behavioural problems: Cats that are bored can become depressed or aggressive or develop destructive behaviour, such as scratching furniture. Some cats nibble on furniture, plants or other things they find in the home out of boredom. This is not only annoying for you, but can also lead to injuries or poisoning for your cat.

• Support health and fitness: Regular exercise helps your cat to avoid obesity and can reduce the risk of various diseases such as cardiovascular diseases.

• Strengthen the bond: Interacting with your cat while playing promotes a strong emotional bond between you and your pet.

Playing and exercising your cat together is therefore essential to give your pet a healthy lifestyle. These tips will help you give your cat a good workout:

• Duration: Cat owners do not need to play with their cat for several hours a day - several short sessions of 10 minutes are sufficient.

• Time: Basically, it doesn't matter what time of day you exercise your cat - exercise is always good! However, we explain below why it's a good idea to have a play session, especially in the evening. You should always make sure that you keep your kitty busy before a meal. With food in their stomachs, cats are often sluggish and don't feel like playing.

• Kittens: Breaks between play sessions are particularly important for young kittens - they use more energy in play and therefore need longer to regenerate. Ideally, you should play with your kitten in a kind of curve: start the activity gently and gradually increase the speed and intensity. Finally, let the game come to a gentle end. This makes for a more harmonious and enjoyable play experience, and not just for the little velvet paws.
  

Encourage your cat to play - how it works

Some cats can't get enough of playing and are immediately on fire. Other cats, however, need to be encouraged to play and prefer to relax. Whether your pet is active or more relaxed can depend on the cat breed, but also on individual factors such as its character.

No matter what ideas you have: Above all, arouse your cat's curiosity and find out what her preferences are. Does it have a great hunting instinct and love action or is it more leisurely? If you know what your cat enjoys, it's easy to awaken its play instinct. This way you can get your cat to enjoy playing with you:

• find the right cat toy: If your velvet paw never or only reluctantly gets involved in play sessions, you may not yet have found the right toy for cats to let off steam. While many house pets like to play with balls, other four-legged friends enjoy games where they can put their dexterity and intelligence to the test. Intelligence toys such as fiddle boards keep your cat mentally busy as they encourage them to think. It's best to test different ways of keeping your cat occupied and observe which game your cat likes to play frequently.
  

• Satisfy the hunting instinct: Cats have a natural hunting instinct, which they cannot fulfil in the flat or house as they would in the wild. A simple string, play mice or a fluttering toy can often stimulate their hunting instincts. Incidentally, you should avoid playing with a laser pointer if possible. Not only can the beam damage your cat's eyes, it can also cause frustration, as hunting is never associated with success. This frustration can then manifest itself in destructive behaviour, for example. Therefore, always end hunting games with a sense of achievement for your cat by allowing it to win a treat or play with the toy, such as the prey at the end of a fishing line. This way she has fun and doesn't develop any udesirable behaviour.
  

• Food games: Treats can also be used as an incentive for activity. You can use the food as a reward in hunting games or hide it and let your four-legged friend search for it - think creatively and use easily accessible crates or bowls as hiding places.

• Variety: If you offer your cat variety when playing, it will remain exciting and unpredictable for them. If she can always discover and learn something new, she will engage in your play attempts more often and you will be able to give her a better workout, as she will learn something new every time, which will challenge her mentally.

With various games for cats, you not only promote your cat's health, but also their emotional satisfaction and keep them physically and mentally energised.

What do cats like to play with?

Play according to your cat's instincts: your cat can only be satisfied and exhausted if you satisfy its instincts and needs.

• For example, cats like to scratch, which is why every cat should have sufficient scratching opportunities such as scratching posts.

• Games that make your cat curious are also ideal. Tins, boxes or other objects with holes, different levels or materials such as wood or sisal that they can explore with their paws or nose or climb on are attractive to many cats.

• Searching can be mentally and physically challenging and many cats enjoy it. If your cat has enough opportunities, e.g. in a box, it can also hide from you. You can even let her search for you - just hide behind doors or furniture. The alternating game of hide and seek is not only fun for you, but also for your cat and strengthens your bond.

Exercise your cat in the evening

Cats are naturally nocturnal animals that go hunting in the dark or at dusk. Although house pets usually get used to our daytime and sleeping rhythms quickly, it can happen that your cat is fit at night, runs around the flat and keeps you awake with its activity. You should therefore start your last play session immediately before going to bed. If you give your cat a good workout in the evening, it will release its pent-up energy and you will promote a deep and restful sleep. This way, your cat can start the night relaxed and you can look forward to undisturbed peace and quiet.