Keep Your Cat Fit and Healthy Indoors
If your cat doesn’t venture outdoors, then he’s in good company – there are over 33.2m house cats in the US alone. While most house cats can live a happy and healthy life indoors, it’s easy for them to miss out on day-to-day exercise and become bored or sedentary which can trigger overeating and weight gain. The key to maintaining a healthy weight is to keep an eye on their calorie intake vs their energy output – in short, make sure they’re moving more than they eat and you’ll be a pro pet parent when it comes to healthy weight management.
So how can you get your house cat moving more?
EXERCISE THROUGH PLAY
We all know exercise burns fat and builds lean muscle mass – and it’s the same for our cats. It not only helps manage their weight but it’s great for their overall wellbeing. And don’t forget to exercise the mind muscle – cats are intelligent creatures who need their body and their mind stimulated frequently.
Initiating play sessions will get them moving and up their energy output whilst bonding with your furry loved one.
Indoor cats are typically more sedentary and may need a little more encouragement, so here’s some play ideas to get them moving:
Indulge their natural hunting skills – throw a ping pong ball for them to chase or a fishing line to claw at.
Keep them interested – try a variety of toys on rotation to stop cats getting bored.
Play a little, but often – cats prefer short bursts of activity rather than prolonged periods of play.
Mimic the outdoors – get them a play post for climbing and scratching (and save your furniture!)
Be economical – cats love a roll of toilet paper and boxes to play with, so playtime doesn’t have to cost much.
TOP TOY TIPS
CAT
WAND
Another cat toy classic is the cat wand. Cats love a wand because the movement reminds them of birds or mice which triggers their hunting instincts. All that running and jumping after the wand makes it a great toy to have in your cat toy box.
PUZZLE
TOYS
Give your cat’s mind a workout too with a treat puzzle. They get mental stimulation and a treat as a reward for their efforts – win!
SPRINGS
AND BALLS
Cats love chasing a spring and ball, in fact it gets even the most sedentary cats moving because they can’t resist the chase!
TUNNELS
There’s nothing like a good old tunnel to get curious cats running at speed. They come in different shapes, sizes and colours and some with attachments for toys for extra fun.
TRACK
TOYS
Track toys get your cat moving by encouraging them to paw at a ball to move it around a track. You can get flat circular tracks or the tower ones that stack up high – whichever one you choose, track toys are guaranteed to engage your cat throughout the day and get them activated!
LASER
PENS
Cats love a laser. Press that button and watch as they chase the light dot around the room – minimum effort for you, maximum energy output (and fun) for them!
These are just a few of the ways to introduce some more activity to your indoor cat’s life and tip the scale of energy output vs calorie input in their favor. These activities are also great for bonding. because what better way to show your cat some love than to look out for their wellbeing by keeping them at a healthy weight.