By petMD Sep 11th 2012
For today's Daily Vet, we're
revisiting Dr. Lorie Huston's column from January on keeping your cat
fit and healthy with play. Don't forget, cats sleep a lot during the
day, but they love to play at night. Did you play with your cat last
night?
Exercise is important for all cats. It helps keep them fit and lean,
avoiding the very common problem of obesity. And toys are probably one
of the best ways to encourage your cat to exercise.
Besides providing much needed exercise for your cat, cat toys serve
another purpose as well: Toys, particularly interactive toys, help
provide mental stimulation for your cat. They help keep your cat
entertained, keep him from becoming bored and help reduce stress in his
life.
There are lots of different types of toys that are available for cats.
Visiting one of the large pet stores will likely provide you with an
entire aisle full of alternatives. So, which toys should you choose?
As you may already know, I have six cats. And each of them has
different preferences as to which types of toys are favorites. Base your
decision on what your own cat prefers. But here are some of my cats'
favorite choices.
All six of my cats enjoy toys that they can chase. We have several toys
that are tied by a string to a pole so that I can dangle the toy near
my cats and let them chase the toy. All six of my cats will happily
chase after the toy, although some of them tire of the game sooner than
the others. Toys with feathers are a particular favorite in this
category. These toys are only available for my cats to play with while
I'm there to supervise though. I do not recommend allowing your cat to
play with these types of toys without supervision because of the risk of
injury should your cat become tangled in the string or break and
swallow part of the string.
A couple of my cats also like small toys that they carry around in
their mouth. They seem to enjoy throwing them and then retrieving them
again. They'll sometimes even bring the toys to me.
Toys that roll are another favorite. We even have an old tennis ball
that is a favorite, but the real favorites are a bit smaller than a
regular sized tennis ball.
Several of my cats also enjoy playing with a laser pointer. They all
enjoy the game at the start, but two of my cats quickly become
discouraged after they "catch" the light a couple of times and realize
there isn't really anything there to hold onto. Be sure not to shine the
laser pointer into your cat's eyes when playing.
The other toy that I find invaluable for my cats is a food puzzle.
Essentially, it's a ball that can be filled with food or treats. The
food drops out piece by piece as the ball is manipulated. As all but one
of my cats is very food-motivated, these food puzzles are a great way
to make them work for their food and provide entertainment and exercise
at the same time. I'm positive my cats think these little balls are
magic. They'll play with them in hopes of getting a bit of extra food
even when the balls are empty.
What kinds of toys do your cats enjoy the most? How do you encourage your feline kids to stay fit?
Dr. Lorie Huston
Keeping Your Cat Fit with Toys originally appeared on petMD.com