How to tire my cat?

¿Your cat sleeps a lot during the day and becomes a ruthless adventurer in the early morning? In part, it is important to understand that felines developed predominantly nocturnal habits during their evolution; and their senses (mainly their vision) allow them to perform better under dimmer lights, guaranteeing a successful hunt.

But this does not mean that we must open up our necessary rest to provide well-being to our cats. It is possible to reduce the nocturnal activity of our domestic felines by proposing a more stimulating routine during the day and positively increasing their environment. And to help you in this mission, invite you to meet some how to tire your cat by playing.

Benefits of playing with your cat

Cats own a active and curious character, like most felines in the wild. But when they are not properly stimulated in their home life, they can be hyperactive, stressed or bored, developing numerous health and behavioral problems. In fact, most cats that exhibit aggressive behaviors experience sedentary routines in environments that arouse very little of their interest. Therefore, if we want to provide a healthier and happier day to day for our cats, we will need to encourage them to expend energy and release tension. How? Playing!

The games are an excellent option of physical activity to tire your cat and also offer the following benefits to your body:

• Stimulate your cognitive abilities.
• Contribute to the strengthening of your muscles and bones.
• Help balance your weight, your metabolism and your cardiorespiratory rhythm.
• Prevent pathologies and behavior problems associated with the accumulation of tension, stress and boredom.
• It favors socialization (mainly in homes with more than one cat).

All this with the additional advantage of providing better sleep nights to the tutors!

How are the games to tire your cat?

The games we propose below are excellent alternatives to stimulate, entertain and tire your cat. But they also propose moments of coexistence to be enjoyed together, strengthening the bonds of friendship and affection between tutor and feline. What do you expect to start having fun with your cat?

“The magic wand”

This exercise simulates hunting a little bird, and cats simply, they love it! We will need a toy in the form of a wand with feathers of many colors at its end. There are several options in the market and you can also make it easily in your home, using a wooden stick, a strong string, some colorful pens and a lot of creativity. By waving the wand, we imitate the flight of a small bird and awaken the hunting instinct of our domestic felines.

Play ball

This is probably the most simple and economical from our list. To perform this activity we will need just a ball and a lot of disposition to have fun with our cat. The ideal is to prefer a ball suitable for animals and avoid those that bring bells or decoys and make a lot of noise.

To start, just throw the ball and watch our cat fly it through the ares while performing really acrobatic pirouettes. You can not imagine how much fun it will be for both of us!

Are we going fishing?

This proposal is similar to the “magic wand”, but simulates a fishing adventure. We will need a long rope or strong thread and a toy that is to our cat’s liking. We tie the toy tightly to the thread and it is enough to throw as if it were a hook to awaken the curiosity of our cat. The most interesting thing is to throw it over a door or other similar surface, making our cat stretch, jump and exercise to catch your catch.

We played hide and seek?

Not only children have fun with the game of hide and seek, our pets also enjoy this activity a lot. To start, call your cat until it comes to your voice (logically, from a place where he can not see you). Then, you can change rooms while you keep calling him. It is very important to start with an easier level so as not to frustrate your cat, and reward him once I find you.

In addition to stimulating the body and mind of your cat, hiding is an excellent activity to train him to attend your calls. And the best thing is that you can start it today, without needing any toy or additional object.

Did you like these feline games? So to continue discovering other options of fun activities for tire your cat, do not forget to read our article “10 games to entertain my cat”.

How to tire a cat when it is alone?

Many times, our work does not allow us to have enough time to play with our cats during the day. And by spending a lot of time alone at home, the animal is more likely to get bored, sleep many hours during the day, and want to play at night. Therefore, you may be asking yourself the following question: “How can I tire my cat if I’m not at home all day?” Well the best is enrich your environment with toys and accessories that allow him to entertain on his own.

How to enrich the environment for your cat? A practical and effective option is to give a scraper with different floors and accessories, which acts as a real amusement park for cats. You can even make yourself a “Home Scraper for cats” easily.

To exercise your creativity even more and encourage your cat’s curiosity, we recommend making mazes with cardboard boxes, where a reward awaits you at the end of the road. And you can also use cheap and creative options like these 5 homemade cat toys, using simple and recycled materials to stimulate and tire your cat while you’re away.

Have you already thought about giving a little brother to your cat?

“What if my cat gets tired of playing alone and I work all day?” In these cases, it is best to consider the possibility of giving a little brother or sister to your feline. In this way, by enriching their environment with toys and accessories, they can spend their energy together during the day and rest at night. Of course, before making this important decision, Know your cat and act according to your needs. If you are not a sociable feline, you should look for another alternative, such as asking someone you trust to spend time with him.

If you finally believe that it is the best option, it is important to pre-prepare the cat for the arrival of a new family member. We must not forget that felines are very territorial animals and can show certain aggressive behaviors in front of the entrance of an unknown animal in their environment. To ensure that your cats get along, do not forget to read our tips to socialize an adult cat and, above all, to know how to present the new cat to your cat.

Care when offering toys and accessories to your cat

The most important care when increasing the environment of our cat is guarantee your safety. It is not recommended to offer very small toys or accessories that contain accessories and tiny ornaments that can be easily released. These elements can get stuck in the throat of the animal, creating the serious risk of suffocation.

Toys that contain long strings or threads should not be within reach of the cat when we are not present, to prevent the animal from swallowing or getting entangled with them. It is also recommended to avoid toys and activities that can generate the feeling of frustration or irritability in the feline. The ideal is to prefer more games objectives that allow the animal to positively exert its hunter instinct and enjoy the success of catching their prey.

If you choose to present intelligence games to your cat, such as hiding places with caves (or holes) and puzzles (puzzles), it is important to choose a proposal appropriate to the age of the animal. If we propose an excessively complex game to a very young cat, for example, we can frustrate its will by exposing it to repeated unsuccessful attempts.

If you want to read more articles similar to How to tire my cat?, we recommend you to enter our section of Games and Fun.

Hello Miluska. Thanks for your comment, I’m very happy that you trust him to know your pussycat better.
In principle, I recommend you consult your trusted veterinarian about any change in the behavior of your cat. Remember that some diseases can interfere with the behavior and appetite of our pets. Therefore, we must have the experience and knowledge of a veterinarian to rule out any pathological cause and ensure that our kittens are healthy.
Now, let’s talk a little more about your cat’s habits during the early morning hours. Actually, cats are more active at sunset and just before dawn, during the early morning hours. They inherited this characteristic from their ancestors, who used to hunt when the solar incidence was more tenuous.
But if your kitten is very energetic throughout the night and does not let you sleep, it is very likely to be bored during the days and want to play, attract attention and receive caresses during the night. This usually happens when the cats are left alone for a long time during the days, since their owners need to be absent to work, and their environment does not have the necessary elements to stimulate it.
How do we change that? First, I recommend investing in the environmental enrichment of your cat. You can offer interactive toys or intelligence, scrapers, a source of water for cats, or try catnip. A cat that exercises and plays during the day, will be tired during the night, will be able to sleep and let us rest.

So you know a little more about the environmental enrichment for cats, I leave the link to our article on this topic: https://www.expertoanimal.com/enriquecimiento-ambiental-para-gatos-todo-lo-que-debes- know-22569.html

Another possibility is that your cat really is hungry. I understand that you are regulating your daily amount of food to avoid obesity. And it’s perfect that you worry, since sterilized felines can gain weight more easily. But keep in mind that, if you offer food to your cat very early, it is logical that hunger appears before dawn. I advise you to start feeding him just before going to bed, and only offer him his feed again after you wake up. In this way, it is very unlikely that your pussy will feel like eating at dawn.

Now, I wanted to talk about the habit of getting up and feeding your cat when it becomes more active at night. I know it’s heartbreaking to deny attention to our beloved pussycats, but the “no” is also part of a good education.
If every time your kitty meows, runs or breaks something in the early morning, you offer to eat, you are encouraging her to associate this behavior to receive a reward. It will be harder and harder to get rid of this habit, because unconsciously you are rewarding it just for not letting you sleep at night. Then, your cat will be able to get more active at night to get a snack or food that is to your liking. You see that the understanding of cats works very differently from ours.
To correct this behavior, you will need to have a lot of patience and use positive reinforcement to encourage your kitty to learn. Remember that yes or yes, your kitten must spend energy during the day, otherwise it will be very active at night.