Playtime is important to your cat. No matter what her age, she still needs the opportunity to enjoy her environment by engaging in the natural cat behavior of stalking, pouncing and capturing. Due to your cat's age, physical limitations and medical condition she may not do gravity-defying jumps and her speed may be noticeably slower than it used to be, but she still needs play.
You may have a bunch of toys scattered all over the house for your cat's enjoyment but solo playtime is only part of what's necessary for overall environmental enrichment. Interactive playtime that requires your participation is just as important on a daily basis.
Interactive playtime involves using a fishing pole-type toy so you can move the toy the way prey would move. This allows your cat to fully concentrate on being a hunter. Even if you've tried to engage your cat in interactive play sessions you may find that she doesn't respond. Do you have the one cat who doesn't like to play? Probably not. What might be happening though is that she has a toy preference.
In an outdoor setting a very hungry cat may go after whatever prey is available but some cats have definite preferences regarding whether they'll go after a bird, a mouse, a bug, or any other little creature. The technique the cat uses for hunting a bird is a bit different from the way she'd go after a lizard. Also, a cat may have taste and texture preferences that lead her to concentrate her efforts on a particular type of prey.
Look at the interactive toys you have for your cat and make sure they match her preference. Do a toy test by trying different types of toys and pay close attention to what she likes or dislikes. If your cat enjoys a variety of toys that's great because it'll keep the game very interesting since she won't know from one day to the next what type of "prey" she'll encounter. However, if the fun factor of game definitely plummets when you bring out a particular toy then take note of that. Things to evaluate:
- Does your cat prefer toys that have a soft mouth feel?
- Does your cat prefer "air hunting" with toys that allow her to leap?
- Does your cat seem intimidated by toys that make noise?
- Do cloth-type toys annoy her because they get stuck in her claws or does she like that she can grasp them so easily?
- Does your cat react more quickly to the life-like feathers on a particular toy?
- Does she prefer toys with longer wands that keep you at more of a distance?
- Are smaller toys preferred over larger ones?
- Does the sound a particular toy makes as it moves on the floor trigger your cat's interest more than others?
Of course, how you play with your cat makes a huge difference in whether she responds favorably or not, but it's very helpful to know about any potential preferences.
For more specific information on interactive playtime, check out the following links
The most common playtime mistake
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Pam Johnson-Bennett, CABC is a Certified Animal Behavior Consultant and author of seven books on cat behavior. She owns Cat Behavior Associates, LLC.
Think Like a Cat
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