Getting Lazy Cats to Exercise?

The cat below is my Malefica.  She's a little over 1 year old, and at her most recent vet visit, which was about two months ago, she weighed 11 lbs.  Right now she doesn't look like she's fat, just fluffy - very, very fluffy.  The amount of fur she has makes it a bit tricky to gauge just how big *she* is, but when she stands up and moves she looks okay from the top.

But.  She is a lazy cat, and I fear she could quite easily go to seed.  How do you go about getting your lazy, lazy cats to get moving?  We have mixed results with the laser pointers - she'll run at it for a few seconds, then stop.  Same with feather wands.  It's like like moving boulders uphill to get her interested in a toy, and then the love affair is only a brief moment.

She will jump up on windowsills, she has a cat perch, and now she has a playmate that will on occasion urge her to move.  But the slothfulness, I fear it.  I am planning on getting some crystal prims to hang up in my apartment to create rainbows for her, since she seems to like light, and maybe some laser pointers with different shapes to add some novelty.  But seriously - how have this of you with really, truly lazy indoor cats managed to get them up and at 'em?  She's my baby and I don't want her to die early of obesity.

Diet-wise she's on Natural Balance LID Duck and Green Pea dry, and right now we're playing the "which wet food do you like?" game.  Current contender is Weruva, but I am considering switching my kitten to raw, and if it agrees with him she might have to follow suit.  

This is my little (huge) Mallard duck:

How about interactive toys like DaBird?  My kitties LOVE to chase "the bird"!
 

I second Da Bird. My cat does flips when I bring that out. Also, any kind of long rope or ribbon or string will usually get him to come running

My boy (Magnus, same age as your girl) looks really similar to your girl in your photo, except he's all black. I like the name you gave your her.... Also wet and / or raw food will help too. Dry food can pack on pounds.

I must have one lazy cat.  I tried Da Bird today, and while my kitten *loves* it (so hurray on that score!), Mal just sits on the sidelines and watches.  She tends to like lasers, so I might try picking up a Bolt.  Either way a vet visit might be in order - she seems a bit more reluctant than usual to move as of late, although some of that might be due to her long fur and the crushing Missouri heat and humidity.  I know *I* don't want to move.

ellyr said:

She will jump up on windowsills, she has a cat perch, and now she has a playmate that will on occasion urge her to move.  But the slothfulness, I fear it.

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Has she always been inactive? Even though she's young, have you had her eyesight checked (disinterest in a laser toy and feather wands is why I ask)? How about her body (spine, limbs, etc.) for any abnormalities or early arthritis? Is she declawed? That can sometimes affect how energetic they are--and can cause pain long after the surgery. I feel getting x-rays and a good physical exam is in order, specifically looking for anything that could be causing this.

Kitties are not slothful (gotta admit that I cringed at that descriptive word), and especially one that is only around a year old, so diagnostics are in order.

A cat perch might not be as enticing to her as a tall, sturdy kitty tree that she can climb and jump on. Maybe think about getting one of those.

She certainly doesn't look overweight from the photo of her; she looks beautiful.

I'm wondering if there's something health related going on. Perhaps she has pain some where. Get her heart checked, a cat who starts to play then stops after only a few minutes could be an indication of heart trouble, or asthma.

How are her litter box habits? She could have a UTI...or be constipated?

My first thought was diet, and I see you are already trying to convert her to wet food, that may help, but I think the trip to the vet first is a good idea and I'm glad you are planning to take her.

if it has been really hot, I know cats take it easier. I know my long-haired boy does (we have no A/C and temps are in triple digits), BUT he still usually gets a case of the crazies in the morning and at night when it's slightly cooler and goes running around to play (he's also a little over a year old). And if you dangle something at him,. even if he's stretched out lazy on the floor, he'll still get that crazy look on his face and at least take some swipes at it or stalk it

So you may want to do a vet visit just in case (check the heart to make sure there are no heart problems). Probably it's nothing like that but it's always good to rule out.

That's a good point. My girls were stopping their Games pretty quickly last night. Usually I leave the ac on until after game time but it had cooled off enough, I thought. It wasn't hot, but the humidity was terrible, and it just sapped their stamina.

However I agree, that this sounds like something else maybe going on.

OP: Keep us posted!

If you put the kitten away(assuming you have just the 2 cats and no other pets) does she do any better with toys? 

She's always been a bit on the sedate side - when I lived in Maryland with my roommate and Mal was still under one year old, my roomie had an orange tabby who was about a month and a half younger.  He was always the one who was really active.  He'd run and jump and chase things until he was flat on the floor, while Mal would sort of hang back and watch.  Lasers usually get her excited, though.  The past few days she hasn't really wanted to get up and *move* after them, though - her little face perks up when she sees it, but she usually doesn't go chasing after it.

She's been spending a lot of time sprawled out on the tile in the bathroom, even when I have my puny little window AC running (I leave it on during the day for them), so I think the heat and humidity might be really getting to her.  We are going in to the vet Wednesday AM.

yeah humidity can sap them. I know my cat will sometimes pant for a second or two when the humidity is way up (and I brought him the the vet twice about this just to make sure he has no heart or lung or other problems (or was getting overheated), and each time they checked him out and said he was fine, but probably has low tolerance for the humidity (and also he's getting big - not fat - but big so there is more of him than there used to be), so they shaved his belly fur, which has helped).

So maybe consider shaving her belly fur for the summer too. I know when we did that for Magnus it helped him and he'll sprawl on the tiles with his belly to cool off when he gets too hot.

She sounds like she's just hot and reacting to the heat and humidity.  For future ideas, when you know the weather isn't having an impact..think about how she plays - will she chase a ball?  Does she like to bat toys?  Is she a rabbitkicker who might enjoy a long bodied toy that she can grab and wrestle with?  How about textures?  Does she like to sink her claws into fabrics, does she like to snuggle into soft blankets, does she like to scratch at her toys?  Look for toys that match the textures and kind of play she seems to prefer.

Look for flannel or soft fabric toys for snugglers (and if she's a catnip responder - get a catnip filled one, if not, try honeysuckle or a catnip/valerian blend filled toy), toys like west paw design's crawly critter and for wrestlers/rabbit kickers look for long toys such as kitty cuddlers (with catnip or with a catnip/valerian blend), Hot Cats Deluxe (an organic catnip toy), or if she likes wool toys - with that natural wool smell - there are mice by honest pet products, felted wool stick toys by lollycadoodle, and toys with tough denimi twill (the hot cats line) and some with both denim and sherpa (faux sheep wool) fabric.

Balls - Kitty Pongs are colorful ping pong balls - very light, easy for even a kitten to bat, Crinkleballs (the original by Cancor) have a soft colorful fabric mixed with a shiny, crinkly sound material - easy for a kitty to pick up and carry  or bat, cork balls and more.
 

soooooooo many kinds of toys  

Sounds like heat and just her personality  Vet visit will work out well though.

I know my guys love the sponge balls and the mylar crinkle balls(they are the same material as the mylar balloons)

I'm about 95% sure the vet will tell me she's fine, but I'd just as soon take her in for *my* piece of mine.  I moved fairly recently, so right now she's all I've got!

I
 

I had Mal in to the vet this morning, and doc thinks she might has asthma since her breathing is on the quick side, something I've also noticed from time to time at home over the past week.  I have no experience with this.    It sounds like it's fairly manageable, though?

ellyr said:

I had Mal in to the vet this morning, and doc thinks she might has asthma since her breathing is on the quick side, something I've also noticed from time to time at home over the past week.  I have no experience with this.    It sounds like it's fairly manageable, though?

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Oh I'm so glad you brought her in!

So, what is the vet's recommendation, if this is asthma?

I had a cat with asthma. He took prednisone. At first he took it regularly, for quite a few years, I mean, but as he got older, he was able to go off it, and eventually I only had to put him on it on an as needed basis.

This was many years ago though, there may be much more known about it now. I recommend you start a new thread asking specifically about asthma.

I know you'll have to control her weight, and while exercise is still important you will have to be sure she doesn't over-exert herself.

And if you smoke, do it outside, and make sure you are sufficiently aired out before going near her. Don't let ANYONE smoke in your house or near a window Mal may be sitting in.

I am glad you may have an explanation, but sorry to hear that anything is wrong at all.  I've had a cat with asthma - we used oral meds for years, and eventually an inhaler. Here is the best sight I found on the topic:http://www.fritzthebrave.com/

He gave her a steroid shot today, and we'll see if she gets better on it, first of all.  If it is asthma, he said there are a few treatment routes we can go.  The best one would be the inhaler, but that's out of my budget - I'd rather spend my pets budget on getting the best food possible.  Other than that, there's oral liquid or pills, and a steroid cream to rub inside her ear.

I want her to feel better, but I'm a little scared of all the nasty side effects that that steroids seem to bring on. How did you handle things with your cat?

My Ophelia tolerated things fairly well, but we had a hard time getting her asthma under control  She lived with it for many years, through a bone cancer scare, she was a sweetheart about any pills, wasn't a fan of the inhaler (used an Aero-Kat to administer the inhaler).  I was careful about the litter we used - used only unscented.

So far the rapid respiration is still going on.  She hasn't had any other "asthma signs" - no coughing, wheezing, or any of that.  Just the rapid breathing.

If it's still going on after today, I think I might ask for a referral to a cardiologist.  I would really want to either find out if this is heart disease, or rule it out.