Playtime in a 3 cat home.

My husband and I have 3 cats.  They range in age from 16 to 6.  For the most part they are good cats.  They don't have any serous behavior issues.  That is not to say that they are angels.  The big problem is that they don't really like each other much.  They sometimes swat at each other and chase each other some times but they never have serous fights.  They are not hurting each other.  They try to keep their distance from each other but they can all be in the same room without any problems.  

What I need advice on is playtime.  That is when they seem to have issues with each other.  The 6 year old is rambunctious and an aggressive player.  The other 2 cats get frustrated because she attacks the the feather on the teaser wand with gusto and the other 2 older cats never really get a chance at it.  I suggested that we play with each of them separately.  My husband disagrees.  We have a cat room with food, a litter box area cat trees and other stuff for them.  Since we live in the city if they got out of the apartment they could be hit by a car in seconds.  That is were they are put when the front door will be open.  I want to put 2 of them in the room while we play with one of them then feed the one we played with in our room then take out the next and so on until all 3 have been tired out and fed.  My husband really wants them to all get along.  He feels putting 2 in the cat room while we play with another is mean or cruel.  I do kind of get what he is saying but I think its more important that each of them get time with us alone playing instead of having 2 cats playtime disrupted by the other.  

Any advice you can give me would be great.  Thanks in advance for the advice.

I don't think there is anything wrong with separate playtime for cats who are not getting along. I do this with a couple of mine and they truly appreciate it. A side note: have you tried Neko fliers My cats go crazy for this line of wand toy. Even the two that do not get along, will play together with this one and not get into a battle of the wills.

Do you have tall cat trees in the home? Some people will install cat walks throughout their home for multiple cats and this always helps tremendously with a few that might not get along, giving them many options to avoid each other but yet still be in the same room. Sometimes, I think that cats have issues with each other because they are just board and need to expel some energy. I know it is hard to make our homes into a cat haven but it certainly helps when you have multiple cats living under the same roof. Hope this helps some. GOOD LUCK and happy playing.

l love @Feralvr's idea of catwalks!

My 3 cats do get along very well, but l do still play with them each individually. l don't see anything mean or cruel about it, l did the same with the kids when they were little. They each got alone time, l think it's healthier than always treating them as a gang. lt builds each cat's personal relationship with the human.

Thanks to both of you for your advice.  We do have cat trees.  We are working changing a few things in our apartment.  New furniture new cupboards and yes soon cat walks in some if not all of the rooms.  Weeks go by without a spat between the cats so they are not really fighting much.  Mostly the older cats get frustrated and walk away from our younger cat because she gets in their space.  But they don't mind being together in a room.  Right now one is on one side of the sofa and the other is on the opposite side while the 3rd is in the window.   I have never heard of that line of cat toys.  I added the product you mentioned to my amazon wish list.  I plan to order in the next few weeks.  

I plan to show my husband the posts.  Maybe he will agree to playing with them separately, or at least try it.

Thanks again. 

Dani16001 said:

I plan to show my husband the posts.  Maybe he will agree to playing with them separately, or at least try it.

Thanks again. 

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Good plan because, again, it is actually very beneficial to have separate playtimes to make certain kitties feel extra special. There is nothing wrong with that, at all. I hope you get your Neko fliers soon from your Amazon wish list. You can buy interchangeable attachments. They have a whole line of "live" prey to tempt kitties off the couch.

Ok... what are cat walks? Can they be bought?


Sorry your kids are not getting along. I don't think seperate play times from the wild one is a bad idea.