Keeping Your Kitty Entertained

Cats get bored easily. It's true! They are intelligent, social, little balls of furry goodness and often need distractions from the usual stretch, eat, potty, sleep, clean and purr routine of their daily lives. And believe it or not, it's actually super easy to entertain your cat companions! Here is a small list to help you get started.

1.) Lasers! It's not just for James Bond villains, science fiction or puppies. Most cats absolutely LOVE chasing those cheeky, sneaky red balls of light around. Get them spinning in circles, jumping up walls and pawing at the ground. Believe me, it is as much fun for you as it is for them! There are even battery operated laser machines made specifically for cats. They sit on your table, you angle the laser, press on and voila! It is on a timer so you needn't worry about switching it off.

2.) Feathers! You can find the feather teasers at any pet store anywhere. They're the long sticks with the feathers and bells at the end of them. These are especially great for cats with a lot of energy- track them along the floor to hone into the stalker nature of your cat or wiggle it in the air to get them to jump like mad.

3.) Crinkle balls! Some cats genuinely do not like the sound of crinkle balls, so get a small one and try it out before you try to play with them. Just rub it in between your fingers and if your cat bolts, you know it's a no go. If they stay, you'll get to watch them bat the crinkle balls around like mad for ages.

4.) Brushing! True, it doesn't sound like entertainment, but they sure do love it. Start them at an early age and every time you bring out that brush they will flop down and rub their faces all over it, like it's going out of style. It's a great bonding activity for you and your kitty, provided they sit still long enough.

5.) Fetch! If you can train your cat to play fetch (both of mine do), nothing will pass the time quite like throwing a little fuzzy ball or mousey toy around.

6.) Mouse hunt! You can find this battery operated toy at pet stores- it's a white circle with a yellow mouse that dashes around the circle with three small "caves" in which to hide. Just turn it on and watch your cats sit around it, and bat at the mouse as he runs about. There are so many other toys of this kind available that cats love. These types of toys keep their wits sharp and minds entertained.