HOW MUCH EXERCISE DOES YOUR CAT NEED TO BE HEALTHY?

Does your cat live indoors or outdoors?

The answer is crucial to understanding how much physical activity your cat needs to stay healthy. Normally, to help your cat maintain a balanced weight and avoid health problems, it needs to engage in physical activity for 0-15 minutes a day.

But if you have a job that keeps you away from home for long periods of time and your cat lives indoors, how can you keep it stimulated and healthy?

Many people recommend adopting another cat to keep it company and help keep it active. However, if this is not an option, you will need to buy toys to keep it occupied during the day.

Some cat owners, for example, install cat trails on the walls of their homes to keep their little feline friends active. There are, for example, wall shelves for cats, sets of 3 or more pieces of furniture for cats, and cat playgrounds (also wall-mounted), which can make the home environment a stimulating and fun place. In addition to these diversions, interactive cat toys are always highly recommended.

In any case, it is always a good idea to get your cat used to going outside, allowing it to explore the outdoors, but in a safe way. In this article, we will look at how you can let your cat experience and venture outside the home without becoming anxious.

What are the benefits of exercise for your cat?

Exercise is important for a cat’s physical and mental health.

Contrary to popular belief, cats have a great need to interact with their humans. They need to feel loved and cuddled, even if this is not obvious due to the very independent nature of these pets.

Playing with them, perhaps chasing them or playing hide and seek, is already a way to keep them active. Cats are explorers, curious animals with a keen sense of danger, so it takes very little to attract their attention. All you need is a string to pull around the house or a ball of wool to roll and they will follow you everywhere.

Allowing your cat to sleep all day can even cause a form of depression in your little feline. Furthermore, it is well known that cats eat very often and several times a day, ergo: they need to be able to digest.

If you have always allowed them to go outside, this is not a problem, but if they live indoors, you will need to keep them active. Although we think that cats can happily spend hours on end alone, this is not the case. If you adopt a cat with the intention of never spending time with it and just stroking it, it is better not to take it home with you.

But what are the most suitable exercises and games for cats of all ages? Let’s find out in the next section.

7 exercises and games suitable for cats of all ages

As we have mentioned several times in this article, cats need to stay active, both mentally and physically. Especially as they get older and live indoors, they will tend to sleep all day. That’s why you need to think of alternative ways to keep them active.

Let’s take a look at some games and exercises that can help keep them stimulated and active.

1. Fishing rod toys – the classic rod with a feather or toy attached to stimulate their hunting instinct;
2. Interactive cat puzzles – hide food or small treats for them, encouraging them to use their brain to get the reward;
3. Plush balls and mice – in this case, you have to throw them for him. Cats love chasing moving objects;
4. Laser – without overdoing it, playing with a laser pointer reflecting off the walls around the house is fun for them;
5. Hunting – hide small treats around the house for your cat to find. This is a game that keeps their hunting instincts sharp;
6. Automated toys – toys that move on their own and keep your little feline active;
7. Climbing and scratching posts – a cat tree or cat shelves are great alternatives for little felines.

How to create a play routine for your cat

Creating aplay routine with your cat is very important for your relationship, both because your little feline will feel loved and pampered and because you will get to know your cat better every day.

You can tailor a play routine to suit your lifestyle, for example:

• 15 minutes of play in the morning before you go to work, perhaps with a stimulating game such as interactive puzzles;
• 30 minutes in the evening when you get home, with games such as hunting, stalking, throwing mice and soft toys, and of course cuddles. These are a must!

If you can get home for lunch, you could spend 15 minutes playing after lunch, chasing him around the house and perhaps stimulating him with a laser pointer.

It’s a simple routine, but it will make him feel very loved. The reward for you is that in the evening, when you go to bed, you won’t hear him meowing or running around the house for hours.

Fun physical activities to do with your cat

As mentioned in previous paragraphs, physical activities you can do with your cat include cat walls or cat trees that can be attached to the wall in your home.

It is very important for cats to run, keep their hunting instinct alive and explore. If you are not someone who moves house or city often, but have lived in the same house for years, you could consider getting your cat used to a collar so you can take it for walks. Or you can buy a GPS tracker, such as Kippy EVO, which allows you to define its play and exploration area. A GPS tracker such as Kippy EVO not only allows you to let your cat out freely, but also to monitor its play and rest activities.

Kippy EVO allows you to keep an eye on your cat even from a distance, especially if it strays from the virtual safe zone you have set up for it. You can also access its health data at any time, so you know if it is eating or sleeping too much.

This is certainly a solution that will help you manage your life together.

What are the signs that your cat needs more exercise?

The signs that your cat is bored or needs more rest are as follows:

1. it sleeps a lot;
2. it gains weight considerably;
3. it is not stimulated by any games;
4. it spends hours staring at one spot;
5. it gets tired quickly when you play and shows signs of impatience if you insist.

Have you noticed any of these signs in your cat? Perhaps take them to the vet, first of all to rule out other health-related possibilities and then to understand how to help them regain their natural instincts.

Contrary to popular belief, cats need a lot of attention.