How to play with your cat

In their natural habitat cats living outside have endless things to keep their mind and bodies busy. They run to stay out of danger, stalk and pounce on their prey and even climb trees. So when cats are confined to our smaller spaces, it is up to us, their loving caregivers to give them some off those same natural outlets. Cat trees for climbing, cat scratchers for keeping their nails healthy, feeding toys to keep their curious minds entertained and of course wand toy and balls to bat around.

If you think your cat doesn't like to play, keep reading.

Cats are instinctively skilled hunters. Out in nature the actual catching of a bird or mouse will take only a few moments, but before that there is a 10-minute hunt of searching for and stalking the prey. Once the prey is caught, cats enjoy releasing it so the prey will scamper off and hide and the cat can then seek it out again. This catch and release behaviour is often repeated over and over again and it’s done for the same reason cats will sometimes bat their toys under the sofa (and you thought this was by accident!). Your cat wants the prey to disappear so that they can experience the best feeling, known as the seeking circuit, which fires in the reward area of the brain when the cat searches for prey they cannot see.

So next time you sit down for your daily play session, drag the toy slowly across the floor and then behind something or let the feather wand fly in the air and into a box where it rattles around, peeking your cats seeking circuit. Even if they aren't running around, their brains are still getting a workout! 

Article : Modern Cat