Looking after the health and well-being of our cats involves thinking about both their physical and emotional needs. Today, we’re taking a look at daily playtime with our cats and how we can tailor it towards these two requirements.
The provision of opportunities to play and express normal behaviours is one of the five key environmental needs identified by the two major international veterinary associations involved in cat welfare (the Feline Veterinary Medical Association and the Veterinary Division of International Cat Care). These five needs are briefly explained below
The provision of a safe place when playing with a cat means ensuring there is always somewhere a cat can withdraw to, hide away, and feel safe and in control. This is vitally important for a cat if and when they feel threatened in any way, or if they simply want to rest safely.
Key resources are things like litter trays or toileting sites, food bowls, water bowls, play areas, and resting places. Provision of more than one of each key resource is helpful for giving cats choice. However, this also helps to ensure that a cat can always access these resources, even if they are feeling threatened or uncertain about one particular location.
Cats retain a strong instinct for hunting and predatory behaviour, as well as playful behaviour.
Although our pet cats will have a source of food provided for them, they will still actively want to engage in their normal behaviour patterns. Otherwise, this deprives them of both physical and mental stimulation and can lead to frustration if this is not possible.
Allowing them to hunt for hidden food items in their environment, along with regular playtime with your cat to chase and play, will help meet these needs.
The innate sociability of cats varies considerably between individuals, and the amount of human contact they seek and tolerate will vary. However, all cats will benefit from regular, friendly, and predictable contact with their human parents.
Respectful and gentle handling from a young age helps to reinforce strong human-cat bonds, and for most cats it seems that frequent short episodes of gentle contact are the best way to maintain the bond.
Cats are extremely good at detecting odours (smells) and other chemical signals (pheromones) emitted by themselves, other cats, and other animals.
Cats rely heavily on these smells and signals to navigate and understand their environment. For example, cats will deliberately mark their territory by leaving chemical signals, such as rubbing their faces and cheeks against door frames, walls, or objects.
It is important that these sites are not cleaned away with detergents as they provide important signals about safety for the cat. Indeed, cats that display anxiety or nervousness in their home environment may also benefit from the use of supplementary reassuring pheromones. FELIWAY® Optimum and FELIWAY® Classic are both effective options. Simply plug the diffuser into an electrical socket in the room your cat spends most of their time to provide ongoing support.
Strong scents and certain smells may also contribute to a cat’s unease in an area. Consider the fragrances of products you use in your home and how your cat may perceive them.
The expression of play behaviour in cats is generally regarded as a positive indicator of a cat’s welfare. If a cat is playing, this suggests they are relaxed and uninhibited by their environment and surroundings.
There is often an overlap between playful behaviour and hunting or predatory behaviour, as play can be used to help sharpen the senses and the ability of a cat to hunt.
Although many cat parents believe that playing with their cat is important, surveys suggest that less than half do so on a regular daily basis. The lack of such interaction can be detrimental not only to the cats’ welfare—for example, stress and problem behaviours become more common—but also to the human-cat bond.
A ‘wand toy’ is commonly recommended to encourage cat play and to mimic some aspects of hunting behaviour.
Wand toys usually consist of just two parts. First, the handle (or "wand"), which is often flexible but can also be a length of cord or string. Second, the "lure", which attaches to the end of the wand or cord and is designed to attract or tempt the cat. The lure can be anything from a small toy, some fabric, some fur, or even some feathers, and may also contain catnip as an attractant.
These types of toys are useful for cat play for a couple of reasons:
Using a wand toy allows a cat to catch the "prey" (the lure) and bite into it as they would during hunting. This avoids the frustration that can be associated with playing with something like a laser pointer that a cat can never actually catch.
A wand toy also avoids the need to have hands anywhere near the cat when it is catching the "prey", limiting the chance of any accidental injuries.
A recent multi-national study of over 1,500 cat parents explored the use of wand toys for cat play, as well as potential barriers to their use.
The most common stumbling blocks when it came to regular (5 – 10 minutes daily) play with a wand toy were: the human feeling too tired, forgetting to play with their cat, lacking time, and an inability to make it a daily habit.
The study authors suggested that many people regard cats as being "low maintenance" pets, and that this may contribute to the misconception that cats do not need regular play activity. However, committing to even short daily episodes of cat playtime can have great benefits. In fact, the study found that pet parents who did play regularly with their cats reported a higher quality of life for their cats and that the cats were less likely to bite and scratch during play.
It seems that finding ways to introduce even short, regular, daily times of structured play with your cat really can make a big difference both to the welfare of the cat and also the closeness of your bond with them.
Wand toys are often recommended for cat playtime, but other toys can also be helpful, with different cats having varying preferences. These include:
When experimenting with different cat playtime activities, rewards and treats can be given for a good play activity. The type of toy should also be rotated so that a cat does not become bored over time.
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Ellis SL, Rodan I, Carney HC, Heath S, Rochlitz I, Shearburn LD, Sundahl E, Westropp JL. AAFP and ISFM feline environmental needs guidelines. J Feline Med Surg. 2013 Mar;15(3):219–30. doi: 10.1177/1098612X13477537
Delgado M, Marcinkiewicz E, Rhodes P, Ellis SLH. Identifying barriers to providing daily playtime for cats: A survey-based approach using COM-B analysis. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2024;280(Complete). doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2024.106420.