How do you exercise your cats?

When we adopted Kismet, she was a bit of a chubber and she still is now. We're going to the vet with our boy, Mo, this Thursday for some bum troubles so we'll see how this vet is with him before we bring in Kismet, now that she's adjusted to our home.

Mo likes to attack shoe laces. Kismet likes to chase Sprokets. They both lose interest within a relatively short period of time and don't end up huffing and puffing like they used to. My boyfriend used to get them to chase the lace around the bed, but I put a stop to that because it teaches them the bed is a place to play, and having claw holes in my fancy comforter is not okay. I've had to curb their foot-clawing/pouncing behaviour several times already. Because we do free-feeding (I'm a student, he's a freelancer. We have odd jobs and odd hours that are inconsistent. I do my best for a morning and evening wet meal, and dry is out during the course of the day), we really need to get these guys moving when we're around. Our laser pointer died, so we're gonna grab a new one next time we head by a dollar store.

I can't use any toys that look or sound like birds, because I have small birds in the apartment in another room, so toys like "Da Bird" are out regardless of how effective.

Please accept some crappy mobile pictures of my little chunker the day after we brought her home as my gratitude:


And Mo, back when he hated my existence and clawed at my feet in the bed he called his three years ago:

They exercise themselves, as evidenced by my having to physically removing them from my kitchen counters.

I have odd hours and only feed twice a day, so I'd still advise for you to stop free feeding kibble.  It can be done.  Sometimes my guys get breakfast at 4 am, sometimes it's 9 am.  I do the best I can and they're fine.

A laser pointer is what I call "the most fun you can have while sitting in one spot."  Great exercise and cheap!

Actually, my kitties LOVE DaBird!  It'll get 'em moving.

stephanietx said:

 
They exercise themselves, as evidenced by my having to physically removing them from my kitchen counters.

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Haha, mine usually lie down and go to sleep. I've only found evidence of them on the counters once when we were gone for the weekend but they DO know it's a no-no here.

peaches08 said:

 
I have odd hours and only feed twice a day, so I'd still advise for you to stop free feeding kibble.  It can be done.  Sometimes my guys get breakfast at 4 am, sometimes it's 9 am.  I do the best I can and they're fine.

A laser pointer is what I call "the most fun you can have while sitting in one spot."  Great exercise and cheap!

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Glad to hear it's doable! Our main concern is that there are times we're gone for the weekend (two days or a day and a half - because of the birds, I can't be gone longer than that) so they still need to be comfortable eating kibble. In the past, my boyfriend used to leave for honestly several days and he'd just load a giant tub of kibble and a giant bowl of water - this was pre-any wet feeding and pre-water fountain because both those things came about when he moved in with me. Should we do one feeding of wet and one feeding of dry?

The laser pointer is a great time for Kismet. Mo's lazy and will jump for it a couple times, but he won't run after it. I find they run more when they're chasing something physical, but what that has spelled lately is me running around the apartment like a lunatic with toys in hand, and them half-heartedly trotting a few feet towards me and sitting down. I've been getting more exercise than them, which isn't a bad thing because I could use it too, but I'd like for them to at least humour me!

The biggest reason I'd eliminate kibble is for the kitties health.  There are some pretty good timed feeders on the market, that might be an option for longer trips.  Freezing food and allowing it to thaw might also be an option.

Is there a chance it may spoil if it's left out? We haven't experienced a summer in this apartment yet, but our biggest windows lining the entire living room wall face west so even in the winter we get hit with HOT sun that bakes the entire apartment. If we leave for a weekend, will canned or frozen food stay fresh and safe? I don't leave their wet food out for more than an hour or two if they don't polish their saucers on the first go. (We're more likely to leave for a few days during the summer when I'm out of school)

My boyfriend loves the obvious convenience (and probably cost-effectiveness) of kibble, so I'm gathering information to see what he thinks. Initially he was the "cat guy" and I was the "bird lady", but since getting Kismet, I've become the all around "crazy animal lady" so I need some science to back it up! I actually received flack lately because he thought my feeding "tons of wet food" (because dry was still available, I didn't feed 100% of the recommendation, and this is something I'll be asking the vet about too) was exacerbating Mo's chin acne so I'm walking into this facing resistance. I don't think we can afford to go raw completely, but I did want to get some things like gizzards to offer once in a while, so things like that I would like to freeze anyway.

More than likely Mo's chin acne is due to the type of containers he's being fed out of or the containers aren't thoroughly clean.  What kind of containers is he being fed out of?  Plastic is a big no-no for many cats that suffer chin acne.  Sometimes ceramic too since it can crack and grow bacteria.

As far as how long something will stay frozen, why don't you try it while you're there?  Finals are coming up so you have time.  Run a little experiment and see what happens.  There are timed feeders that have ice packs too.  Can a friend or neighbor stop by and feed the cats? 

If you're needing science to back up why cats shouldn't be on kibble, here you go:  www.catinfo.org.  I had cats for years on kibble, then I lost my soul kitty to diabetes and CRF caused by kibble.  Until the diabetes and CRF, I would not even consider canned food.  When Grey got diabetes, I then looked into nutrition and saw the error of my ways.  Sure, plenty of people may be thin and live on pizza.  Run many of these people's blood work; you'll be surprised.  One doesn't have to be overweight to have terrible profiles, and one doesn't have to have terrible profiles and be overweight.

Oh that's awesome! I didn't know there were temperature controlled timed feeders.

Both cats are eating wet off of flat ceramic saucers and dry out of stainless steel bowls, all washed daily. We just got the saucers last summer and we have a whole set that has yet to show any wearing or cracks since we use them for human snack foods and such too. His water comes from a plastic water fountain, but the mushroom of water spurting out is high enough that neither his chin nor Kismet's end up touching the edge of the fountain. That gets a full wash once a week. Before we moved in together, Mo had eaten out of deep plastic bowls for 9 years and I don't think the food one ever got a good thorough washing! He had a little dot under his chin for most of his life that I never noticed, but once I brushed under his chin (unaware he even had acne at the time), it loosened the scab and the condition of it has gone up and down lately. I have lots of questions for the vet tomorrow so I'm hoping to get lots of info specific to Mo's current condition. I'm slowly phasing into it now by offering less dry food (like 1/3 of what was available before) and more wet food at meal times. I'm sure they'll take to it quickly anyway.

Right now, most of my friends in the area are classmates who've since gone home for the summer. I have friends who can transit up to me, but it's an hour and a half ride one-way which isn't very convenient for their jobs and other obligations if they need to do it on a daily basis. I'll be perusing the raw forum to see what I can grab and experiment with though! I've decided this summer to forgo a four day trip since one of my birds is on water-soluble medication, so I'm uncomfortable leaving her. In turn, that decision will likely mean I take fewer long trips with my boyfriend who will be going regardless.

ETA; I forgot to add.. I've seen single bugs around the apartment (little roaches) in the past, pretty infrequently, like early in the mornings. It's kind of expected since it's a big apartment building and my neighbours have reported seeing bugs to the rental company and you really can't guarantee any neighbour is going to have pristine conditions. It's far from an infestation, but one is one too many for my preference. I clean the kitchen counters, dishes, and sink every night before bed. Something else that bothers me is the chance of these little nasties coming out and trying to feast on food being left out for long periods of time, starting to enjoy the bounties of our home, and staying here instead of roaming away again since I know they like the residual food and moisture.

I have one cat, so I exercise him 3-5 evenings a week, usually sometime past 9 p.m. and he meows for play time. 

Essentially it's time with a lazer pointer, his favoured mouse toy that he plays fetch with, and ball chasing. 

He keeps going until he starts panting. Usually 15-20 minutes max. 

Unfortunately (for you), my cat's love Da Bird best .  But another thing that I've found that does get them running is to throw them tiny pieces of treats (you can use anything, even a piece of kibble) as far from them as possible and let them race to see who's going to get it first .  My two boys LOVE this game.  Whenever DH gives them treats he just hands them to them, and I actually think the boys miss the action of having to chase them down.    As a matter of fact, when it's getting towards the end of the game (as in I say "last one", Tinky will grab it and run around with it and drop it back at my feet to keep throwing it .  He ALWAYS beats Darko to it, because he loves playing chase so much.  And we have tile floors, so he's slipping and sliding as he turns the corners....so reminds me of Fred Flintstone He little legs are under him going a hundred miles per hour, but he's barely moving.  He's so cute!  And he has such a good time.  Such a happy cat.

Darko (my pudge) enjoys this game too.  I tell him he should be an outfielder, because he jumps really high with his paw up and half the time he catches whatever it is right in his paw! 

Anyway, just another little exercise game to try. 

Thanks guys! Tinky's behaviour sounds adorable!!

Mo loves to chase treats. Kismet takes a bit to get treats into her mouth so she's usually more hesitant to run. We just got back from the store and I got three wand toys in case the new one breaks quickly, but that definitely got her going again! The downside (I guess it's an upside, I've been complaining about my laziness lately) is she loves it most when I run it around the apartment, so she's chasing me.. which means I get a workout too. Tossing stuff is always great. We've got parquet tiles so we hear claws and paws sliding all the time.

I really wish my cats would fetch. They chase things I throw, but when they get to it, they stop, sniff it, and look at me to come throw it again. *sigh* Such cats!

Especially since Kismet's still relatively young (just over a year), I want to make sure she gets lots of exercise. If we have her favourites, she'd probably play 2-3 times a day for a good 20 minutes!

mrsgreenjeens said:

 
Unfortunately (for you), my cat's love Da Bird best

.  But another thing that I've found that does get them running is to throw them tiny pieces of treats (you can use anything, even a piece of kibble) as far from them as possible and let them race to see who's going to get it first

.  My two boys LOVE this game.  Whenever DH gives them treats he just hands them to them, and I actually think the boys miss the action of having to chase them down.    As a matter of fact, when it's getting towards the end of the game (as in I say "last one", Tinky will grab it and run around with it and drop it back at my feet to keep throwing it

.  He ALWAYS beats Darko to it, because he loves playing chase so much.  And we have tile floors, so he's slipping and sliding as he turns the corners....so reminds me of Fred Flintstone

He little legs are under him going a hundred miles per hour, but he's barely moving.  He's so cute!  And he has such a good time.  Such a happy cat.

Darko (my pudge) enjoys this game too.  I tell him he should be an outfielder, because he jumps really high with his paw up and half the time he catches whatever it is right in his paw! 

Anyway, just another little exercise game to try. 

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I just bought Da Bird off Amazon. Looks pretty nifty and there's a load of great reviews. I'm sure my guy will go bananas for it.   I presume the feathers rip off easily so I got some refills for it too.   

I feed my cat his wet in the morning, he has a routine of usually having a few bites, then going for a poop then he naps for about 2 hours then finishes it. Sometimes our wet can sit out on the ceramic dish for up to 5 hours and he has never got sick from it. Ive read that their stomaches pretty much kill any bacteria. When I am careful is if I have food in the can too long, a can lasts one-two days and I dont get the large cans because Im paranoid of bocholism and other issues from the can itself if the food sits for multiple days. Basically what Im getting at (correct me if im wrong) but wet food left out for a few hours isnt going to harm them.

My cats favorite 'toys' are boxes of all shapes and sizes, tall narrow boxes, standard boxes, either way he loves to explore in them. The other thing that gets him going are paper bags, sometimes I cut a little hole in the back of the bag and stick a string though to get his intrest, he will bolt around the living room with the bags.

One more thing he LOVES as well is grabbing a sticky note, waving it around a bit then sticking it on the back of a door, he will jump and jump until he tears it off. I dont know if its just my cat...anyone else tried this?

Then there are crumpled paper balls, which I roll up fairly loosely so they still make noise when rolling around on the hardwood. Sometimes I flick them though the air. All of these toys are freebies so give them a shot.

Thanks for sharing your experiences! I always like hearing first hand that it's not problematic. I notice when our wet is out, within a couple hours, it dries and kind of sticks to the plate. At that point, it's not too appetizing and doesn't have much of a smell anymore. I often water Mo's food down because he doesn't drink much water, and may have kidney problems causing dry poops which would warrant providing him as much water as possible (we get the call about the test results tomorrow).

We have lots of boxes too! Ours use them more to relax in, but they make for good obstacles for them to hide behind, peek around, and jump over if they're chasing something. I've never thought to cut a hole in the ends of our paper bags. We have two now (I stuck a small open box at the end of one to hold it open for them to stick their heads into) so I might try that trick!

It's funny how the free and unconventional toys work best. We do the paper ball thing too, and sometimes with foil and sometimes with old masking tape. We don't have sticky notes, but we do have little flaps of paper that come with storebought stuff and we slide them into something higher on the wall. If we flick at it, we might get one jump out of it or some stalking, but our cats are so lazy about jumping! After one or two jumps, they're both spent and would rather run. I might have to try it with a sticky note though so it can be moved and chased to different rooms or spots on the wall. Maybe the fact that it's always in the same spot is boring to them!

Thanks again!

Hes just fascinated by how Im fluttering the sticky note in front of him then all of a sudden it "lands" on the wall or door. Once he grabs it I then move it higher or to another location. 

The laser pointer and kitty wand are my cats' favorite toys.  They also go nuts over those "hex bugs" that skitter all around the floor like real bugs.

We are big fans of the "Cats Meow" toy, which is a wand that spins around a motor (like a clock face) underneath a crinkly mat.  It looks like something is running around erratically underneath the mat and it drives them wild!  I will turn that on when I am cooking dinner on busy days, and it wears them out.  It is nice to have a few "interactive" toys that exercise the cats when I just have too much going on.

Joseph Watson said:

 
Placing some eatables that your cat likes most in different places in your house that are hard to reach could work for you.

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Thanks! This works well for our older cat who is very food-oriented. They tend to lose interest when they don't find a bunch in a row, but it gets them going for short spurts!

FireNat said:

 
The laser pointer and kitty wand are my cats' favorite toys.  They also go nuts over those "hex bugs" that skitter all around the floor like real bugs.

We are big fans of the "Cats Meow" toy, which is a wand that spins around a motor (like a clock face) underneath a crinkly mat.  It looks like something is running around erratically underneath the mat and it drives them wild!  I will turn that on when I am cooking dinner on busy days, and it wears them out.  It is nice to have a few "interactive" toys that exercise the cats when I just have too much going on.

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I've always wondered about the Cat's Meow. I'd seen it advertised on TV and I'm always wary about that stuff because they're always advertised as miracle products - I'm glad to see it's legit and actually works well! I'll have to look into it next time I see it at the mall. How long do you find the batteries last?

Do you ever worry about hex bugs getting bitten or chewed on by the cats? That was my first thought when I saw what they were!

pinkdagger said:

 
Thanks! This works well for our older cat who is very food-oriented. They tend to lose interest when they don't find a bunch in a row, but it gets them going for short spurts!

I've always wondered about the Cat's Meow. I'd seen it advertised on TV and I'm always wary about that stuff because they're always advertised as miracle products - I'm glad to see it's legit and actually works well! I'll have to look into it next time I see it at the mall. How long do you find the batteries last?

Do you ever worry about hex bugs getting bitten or chewed on by the cats? That was my first thought when I saw what they were!

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I wouldn't call Cats Meow a miracle product, but it is fun for the cats.  There is a less expensive version at Wal-Mart.  Our batteries last for a few months, but we only use it for maybe 30 minutes, a few times per week.  Not sure how long it would last if being used more often.

I didn't worry about hex bugs being eaten until you just said that, haha!  I definitely will not let them play with it unsupervised from now on.  Not sure that they would try to swallow it, because even feeling the vibration on their paws makes them run away (until they come back for more, of course).  I don't think I would ever use the bigger ones with the wire antennae though.

My diabetic cat has mild peripheral neuropathy in his hind legs. He can race up the first 2/3s of the stairs no problem. By the time he gets near the top though, it's "more up, more up" (to quote the Vicar of Dibley). We exercise his hind legs by putting a few treats in a window sill several times a day. If he wants the treats, he has to make the jump.