When these affectionate beasts are limited to an indoor area, they require many considerations.
Dr. Laurel Davis, WNC’s holistic vet, offers Stories from a Holistic Veterinarian, the blog of a holistic vet and “animal interpreter.” With a clinic in downtown Asheville, NC. Dr. Laurel also offers animal health, lifestyle and vaccination advice for cats, dogs and their human friends across the country.
Have a question for Dr. Laurel? Send it in.
Want comprehensive or detailed dog or cat advice? Schedule an Ask Dr. Laurel™ phone or Skype consultation.
The Ultimate Playground: 10 Steps to a Cat-Friendly House
Love and light…isn’t that what we all are ultimately seeking? It’s no different for your adorable, sometimes rapscallion, always enlightening kitty cat. This post is about how you can make your cat-friendly house light and energy-filled. The idea is to create a cat-friendly, safe playland for a house-bound cat while forging indoor feline fitness.
The feline you reside with is actually a wild animal.
These furry beings are not as domesticated as their doggie counterparts. When these affectionate beasts are limited to an indoor area, they require many considerations. Among the most important of these aspects of creating a cat-friendly home are movement and stimulation. This most often means you, their caretaker, need to get off your keister and play. Studies have shown when a cat is stimulated as if they are hunting, a brain chemical (dopamine) is released that creates a feeling of eager anticipation. Your involvement will make the difference between a content, well-adjusted cat and a despondent, probably overweight, muddled mouser.
If you take a look around your home, you will observe there is virtually no motion other than what you create yourself. Because of the increased rod cells that visualize black, gray, and white colors in the retina of your cat’s eyes, along with their 200-degree field of view, cats are exquisitely adapted to capture the scurrying of a mouse in an obscure nook. This is one of the reasons they are such wonderful hunters. They actually require movement in their environment to maintain stimulation and animation in their indoor life.
How to Create the Cat-Friendly House: 10 Practical Tips:
- Play is important! By far, the best time to play is in the morning and evening. This is the time your cat would naturally be hunting. You can play, then feed them — ahh! They will feel replete. Job well done!
- Rotating toys is extremely effective! You can remove and reintroduce them every two weeks. When they reappear, they will be greeted as ‘new’ for a while. Of course, new toys are fun too!
- Make your own toys or playgrounds out of boxes, balls of paper, or foil… you know what he/she likes.
- Inspire them with educational and interactive toys, such as “whack-a-mole” type toys or ones that stimulate their hunting drive with moving parts. Look online for different types that might appeal to your feline friend.
- Have fun molding their behavior and teaching new tricks with clicker training. It will allow your kitty to use mental energy and, BONUS: they increase their bond with you! Find more information here.
- If you have more than one cat, try to ensure everyone is getting equal play time. A shy cat may need his/her own entertainment time and will be ever so pleased to have a one-on-one with yours truly.
- Indoor cats need unrestricted access to resting areas where stressors, such as loud noises, dogs, other cats and pursuit by small children are minimized. They need to be able to chill out in a safe place.
- There should be one more litter box than felines in the household, ie. two kitties = three litter boxes. They can be side by side if space is a consideration.
- Litter boxes must be in an area that isn’t stressful. It’s best to have it quiet and commotion-free.
- Same goes for food and water: they should be in a quiet, safe place.
Your exquisite, delicious, sensuous feline friend is just waiting for you to be that caring
, yet silly human who will throw that wad of paper, play the game of hide-and-seek, poke those bits of food into a cat puzzle, trail that bird feather around the house behind them, or slide to the floor in the sun to share in a catnap!
Shine on!
Dr. Laurel
Dr. Laurel Davis is WNC’s holistic vet offering phone and Skype consultations for animal lovers everywhere. Call 828-254-2221 or order an Ask Dr. Laurel™ phone or Skype session or bring your dog or cat to her downtown Asheville, NC clinic. Read more patient stories.
Get to know Dr. Laurel by reading her blog.
Do you have a story about Dr. Laurel’s dog advice or how she helped your dog or cat? Please post your comment on our Facebook page or write a Google Review.
