Cats love their toys, so it is important for owners to provide them with enough of these items to keep them entertained and active. In the wild, cats have to stalk and chase their prey. This is what they are hard-wired to do. It’s no surprise then that domestic cats like to play. As well as enabling them to behave naturally, these activities also provide the pets with exercise.
Some cat owners mistakenly think that kittens stop playing when they get older. In fact, most of these creatures retain their instinct to chase and attack certain objects throughout their adult years.
The best kinds of cat toys are those that encourage running and hunting behaviour. With this in mind, items that move quickly and unpredictably are ideal. Good examples include fishing rod-style toys and special balls intended for cats and kittens. It’s now easy for people to find toys in pet shops and even supermarkets, making this aspect of pet care easy. These items are particularly important for indoor cats that don’t have access to gardens. These creatures can quickly become sedentary and overweight if their owners don’t provide them with enough exercise.
Meanwhile, owners should also provide their cats with scratching posts. Scratching is a normal part of cat behaviour and it is used to keep their claws healthy and to leave scent marks. Scratching posts ought to be stable and tall enough for the animals to use at full body stretch. If people don’t provide suitable posts, they may find their cats simply use items of furniture instead.