We all know that keeping your cats indoors is the safest option. Living indoors means they won’t come into contact with other animals, people, cars, or diseases that could harm them. But it also means that they won’t come into contact with enriching new stimuli that improve their mental health. Just imagine if you never left the house. You’d be pretty bored, too.
That’s why providing your cats with toys and opportunities for play is so important. However, that’s not the only way to keep your indoor kitties stimulated and engaged. And the best part is that you don’t always have to spend time or money to do so.
Do you ever notice how interested your cats get when you change or even move one small thing? Well, just do this on purpose every day to give them something new to investigate and experience within the safety of your home. Here are some examples to get you started, but you should feel free to improvise!
- Fort time – Using just couch cushions and throw blankets (or towels), you can create a very tempting little cave for your cats to hide out, play, or take a nap in. They like feeling enclosed, so just set up your fort and wait for your cat to go inside. You can also create a different type of fort by draping a sheet over your coffee table.
- Make a move – While it may not sound very interesting to you, your cats will probably be very interested if you move something from one room to another. Put a dining room chair in the kitchen, move the office chair to the hallway, or surprise them with a living room ottoman in the bathroom.
- Make shapes – Use painter’s tape to create random shapes on your floor.
- Toy party – Throw all your cat’s favorite toys into the empty bathtub.
- Open up – Open something that’s normally closed like a storage chest, closet door, or cabinet. Just make sure that there isn’t anything inside that could be dangerous for them.
- Paper party – Ball up a bunch of pieces of packing paper, parchment paper or any kind of paper and toss it on the floor. If they don’t dig that, try just laying papers out on a table or the floor.
- Box it up – Next time you get something delivered in a large box, seal the box back up and cut a hole large enough for your cat to comfortably enter.
- Old toys – If you have toys your cat used to like or never really liked, try taking them out again. This time, put them in a new area or rub them with cat nip to entice them.
- Clothes mess – Spread out some of your clothes or towels on the floor or a cat-friendly table.
There are no rules here. It doesn’t have to be a big thing. Just try to change one small thing in your home every day to give your cats a more dynamic and engaging environment. Some of the things from this list may work while others don’t. That’s ok! Just keep trying and don’t be afraid to come up with new ideas based on what you know your cats enjoy.
