How to Stimulate Your Cats’ Minds

If you are a cat owner, one of your priorities is to help keep your cat happy and healthy. For indoor cats, they must have both mental and physical stimulation, which can be given in various ways.

If you’re unsure of how to keep your cat’s mind stimulated, here are a few tips to follow!

1. Cat time

Did you know talking is a way to help interact with your cat and keep them mentally stimulated? This isn’t like playtime, but social interaction like this is great for cats, especially for those that hate being touched.

Through talking with your cat, you get to build her trust and get her to relax. Simply get down to your cat’s level and talk to him from a normal distance, as if you were talking to any human friend. But, do speak softly and in a slightly high-pitched tone, mentioning his name now and then.

As you talk to your cat, stay relaxed and avoid staring, which would challenge your cat. Blink slowly, especially when your cat blinks, as this shows he feels relaxed.

2. Chasing

Cats love to be chased and it’s a fun form of play for them, from the time they are kittens down to adulthood! Cats will know they’d like to chase around by standing at one end of the room and looking at you as they take a few steps back.

If they are done playing chase, they will make sounds to let you know they’re done with playtime and would like time for themselves. You will also see it if their tail is down, which signifies fear.

3. Change up their toys

Just like us people, cats want and need variety, so it is best to rotate their pet toys, either creating safe toys on your own or getting new ones from Peggasus Pets as needed. Feather wants, balls, or toy mice are great toys to give them or even simple household items like yarn and crumpled paper!

Rotate their toys and put them away after playtime so they don’t get easily bored with the toys. Also, dispose of all paper bags after playtime to avoid them being a safety hazard to cats.

4. Fetch

Yes, cats enjoy playing fetch, just like dogs! Make sure that you choose a toy that is safe to throw and for cats to bring back to you. Compared to dogs, cats need smaller toys for fetch, small enough that they can carry them in their mouth without discomfort.

5. Hiding spaces

Another thing you can do for your cat’s mental stimulation is to give them the appropriate environment that strengthens their instincts. Give them scratch posts to relieve their claws, a climbing frame for them to climb on for a view, and even places for them to hide, such as boxes or tunnels!

Wrapping It Up

I hope you learned a lot about how you can stimulate your cat, both physically and mentally. Follow these tips for a satisfied and frustrated-free cat now.