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5 New Fun Things to Do With Your Cat

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5 New Fun Things to Do With Your Cat

Playtime with your feline friend is one of the great joys of being a pet parent. There are so many fun things to do with your cat and cool new cat trends to follow. But what if your pet is bored with catnip mice and jingly balls?

You both benefit from interactive play, but kitties may become bored with the same old thing and turn to mischief. Best Friends Animal Society explains, “All animals, including pets, have natural behaviours and needs; to be healthy and happy, they must have opportunities to express those natural behaviours in appropriate ways.” A great way to provide mental stimulation and alleviate boredom for your cat is to try out new ways to play.

Here are five fun things to do with your furry family member, from low-tech activities to high-tech new cat trends.

1. Hunting Prey

Indoor cats retain their innate hunting instincts, which is why a seemingly sleepy kitty may suddenly pounce on your foot or zoom after a dust bunny. One way to indulge her inner predator is by playing hide-and-seek with a stuffed animal. Hide behind a wall or piece of furniture and make the plush critter “peek” around the corner, and then wiggle it a few times. You also can launch it across the room to make it look like it’s running. She’ll love charging after it! Amp up this activity by using a stuffed animal that is larger than her usual cat toys so she has the added satisfaction of taking down substantial prey.

2. Mechanical Toys

Another hunting option is to use wind-up or battery-operated toys, especially those designed to look like small rodents. Your cat is attracted to the unpredictable movement of these toys as they zigzag across the floor (hard surfaces work best). The exercise helps to sharpen her stalking and pouncing skills and keeps her away from your feet. Placing obstacles in the toy’s pathway increases its erratic movement, making it even more entertaining for your cat.

3. Cat Food Puzzles

Kitties love the excitement of a mental challenge and a tasty tidbit, so why not combine the two? Feline behaviour researchers explain in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery that food puzzles provide both physical exercise and mental stimulation. Keeping your kitty’s mind sharp is important for keeping her happy and engaged. This activity also is easy on the budget: You can repurpose items in your home, such as a cardboard box and dry cat food, for a DIY cat puzzle.

4. Cat Obstacle Course

While it’s true that cats are creatures of habit, they’re also curious and enjoy investigating enticing, non-threatening changes to their environment. Construct a maze-like structure by placing cushions and pillows around the room. You can include chairs that offer her a high perch for jumping, too. The best way to keep your cat interested in this new set-up is to plant pieces of cat food at various points throughout the maze. As Animal Planet notes, cats have a surprising ability to learn and remember new skills. Your kitty is no lab rat, but she’ll learn to run mazes for a healthy treat!

5. Cat Apps

It may come as no surprise that many new cat trends incorporate electronic technology. Did you know that there are apps that your cat can play with by herself? Now, your cat can catch fish, paint or chase lasers on a screen, according to PC World. She’ll need you to operate the smartphone, of course. If you’ve ever caught your cat watching television, you know she’s enchanted by the quick movements and vibrant sounds of electronic devices. Be sure to check with your vet to make sure the screen brightness won’t damage your pet’s eyes.

Trying out new fun things to do with your cat benefits your fur baby physically and mentally. Get creative, and kitty bonding time will never be the same.

Source: Hill’s

Why Do Cats Love Concrete Slabs? A Vet Explains.

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Why Do Cats Love Concrete Slabs? A Vet Explains.

The viral trend taps into some very real feline instincts.

If you’re scrolling on Instagram, TikTok, or the more specific sub genre #CatTok you may have come across some interesting feline behavior as of late: Numerous videos of excited cat owners presenting their pets with concrete slabs, even taking trips to the hardware store to pick up some pavers. When presented with their new gift, ever curious, cats investigate and ultimately seem to enjoy their hard, new toy. But why?

“As is typical with cats, only they know,” Bruce Kornreich, a veterinary cardiologist and director of the Feline Health Center at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, tells Popular Science. 

While we don’t really know for sure, there are some things we can glean from this behavior. Cats generally love exploring objects with different textures. Yet, like in humans, it’s different strokes for different feline folks.

“Scratching posts are a good example,” says Kornreich. “Some cats like wood with bark on it, while some cats like cardboard.” Sometimes a scratch post’s orientation can determine whether or not a cat uses it. “Cats like them upright, other cats like them horizontal, and some cats want horizontal with carpeting on it.”

As for concrete, the porous nature of the material may offer cats somewhere to deposit their scent. Smell is important for many animals, felines included. Cats can use their urine and pheromones as a way to communicate. According to the ASPCA, an individual cats’ urine marking alerts other cats of his/her presence and also “makes a statement about such things as what piece of property is his, how long ago he was in the area, and, over time, when other cats can expect him to return.” Felines will also use urine to advertise when they’re looking for a mate. 

That same porous property in the concrete might also be good for one of the most common cat behaviors—scratching.

“We believe that cats like scratching posts because they can partake in a natural behavior,” says Kornreich. “We believe that in many cases, they’re scratching to mark territory. So they may scratch on these things or rub their pheromones on them to mark them as their own.”

Temperature may also be involved. The cat might use the slab as a place to warm up if the block’s been left in the sun, or cool down if it’s in an air conditioned room. Introducing a concrete slab to a cat’s environment could also simply be something exciting for them to explore or a piece of new territory to claim. 

“They may be saying, ‘Hey, this is a new thing. It’s kind of porous. I can put my scent on it. I can sit on top of it. I can scratch my nails on it. It also provides me with a nice little scratch on my back.’ So it’s certainly possible that these things are involved in why a cat would be attracted to it,” explains Kornreich.

Kornreich and other veterinarians recommend cat owners stimulate and play into their feline friends’ natural behaviors. Introducing scratching posts, supervised time outside either walking on a leash or on an enclosed outdoor “catio,” and using toys to mimic hunting behaviors all help a cat stay healthy, happy, and entertained. Even just “five minutes a day” of dedicated play time will help make cats’ lives more full and enjoyable, says Kornreich. Switching cat foods periodically under a vet’s supervision can also help keep them stimulated. 

Social media can sometimes seem tailor made for documenting strange feline behaviors, from cats talking to hiding inside tables. But if your cat develops any destructive habits or behavioral issues, discussing your concerns with a veterinarian is key.

But if your cat just loves a slab of concrete? “I don’t see any real concerns,” says Kornreich.

Source: Popular Science

Just How Smart Are Cats?

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Just How Smart Are Cats?

It’s well known that cats are clever, perhaps even devious creatures, but just how smart are cats?

According to scientists, it’s not your imagination: Cats are far more intelligent than you may realise and far more stubborn.

What’s Going on in Her Brain?

You only have to observe cats for a short time to recognise that they’re highly intelligent beings. Cats have smaller brains compared to dogs, but Dr. Lorie Huston for PetMD explains, “relative brain size isn’t always the best indicator of intelligence. And the cat brain shares some amazing similarities with our own brains.” For example, Huston elaborates, each part of a cat’s brain is compartmentalised, specialised and connected to the others, allowing cats to understand, respond to and even manipulate their surroundings.

And as noted in Psychology Today by Dr. Berit Brogaard, “cats have more nerve cells in the visual areas of their brain, a part of the cerebral cortex [the area of the brain responsible for decision-making, problem-solving, planning, memory, and language-processing], than humans and most other mammals.” That’s why, for instance, your cat races from one end of the house to the other chasing a speck of dust that you don’t even see. They’re on a mission.

In addition to having top-notch vision, a cat’s memory, both long-term and short-term, is impeccable, which you know if your fur baby gives you the evil-eye when you pack your suitcase. They remember the last time you left the house with that suitcase you were gone for ages and they aren’t happy about it.

What Does Science Say?

Another sign of cat smarts: refusing to participate in research studies in the first place.

David Grimm writes in Slate that two leading animal researchers with whom he has spoken with about cat intelligence have had great difficulty working with their subjects because cats simply wouldn’t participate in the experiments or didn’t follow instructions. Leading animal researcher Dr. Ádám Miklósi even had to go to cats’ homes to work because the kitties were so uncooperative in his lab. However, the more they learn about cats, the more scientists will be willing to give it a try. It’s just a matter of getting the cats to follow commands, which clearly is very complicated.

Who’s Smarter? Cats or Dogs?

So, the age-old question remains: Which animal is smarter, a cat or a dog?

It depends on who you ask. Dogs have been domesticated far longer than cats, are more “trainable” and are more social creatures, but this doesn’t mean cats aren’t as intelligent as dogs. It’s impossible to know for sure because cats are so tricky to study in the first place.

Dr. Miklósi, who typically studies dogs, discovered that like their canine counterparts, cats have the ability to understand what other animals, including humans, are communicating to them. Dr. Miklósi also determined that cats don’t ask their pet parents for help as much as dogs do, mainly because cats aren’t as “tuned in” to humans as dogs are. “They’re surfing other channels on the dial,” says Grimm, “and that’s ultimately what makes them so hard to study. Cats, as any owner knows, are highly intelligent beings. But to science, their minds may forever be a black box.” Isn’t it exactly this mysterious nature of cats that makes the animals so compelling?

It may take some time before scientists can more specifically answer the question, how smart are cats? What is known is that cats are impatient, they have strong cognitive decision-making skills, and they will walk away from you if they find you boring. In fact, they’re pretty good at taking your ego down a few notches.

But if a cat loves you, they’ll love you forever. With a good understanding of your cat’s intelligence, the two of you can form a strong bond for many years to come.

Written By: Christine O’Brien

Christine O’Brien is a writer and long-time cat mom. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @brovelliobrien.

Source: Hills