bored cat

my cat seems bored with all her usual games yet mews all the time for attention.

shes been vet checked and is fine in every other aspect, just bored.

we rotate her toys but shes not interested in them. she doesnt want to play hide and seek or any wrestling game, the only thing she likes is her furry mice and a cardboard box with holes in it.

i'm thinking of buying her a panic mouse but was just wondering does anyone have any idea of games i can play with her? getting another cat isnt an option at the moment sadly

i think its because i'm off uni at the moment and she is getting bored of having attention on tap! or maybe she's just testing me? every time she meows i go running to see what the matter is.

In all honesty, house cats have little to keep their attention. Left alone (if you work) they are up to their own devices so to speak. If they were outside they would be grouping with other cats, (fighting) climbing trees, hunting, hiding, roaming. Inside, if they don't have activities to at least mirror what they would do outside, all they do is sleep and eat. Make sure she has a nice tall cat condo, or a cat ramp or shelf. A panic mouse is not all its cracked up to be IMO. It's a plastic toy that is pretty hard and it twirls around in the air at different speeds sometimes slamming the cat in the mouth. On a scale of 1-10 I give it a 2. Look into a turbo scratcher, a treat ball, get an empty cardboard box and cut cat size holes in the sides and throw some ping pong balls in there for her to chase. Look for activites that stimulate her natural abilities, which are stalking, hunting, and the fact that cats are endlessly curious. Put new objects in her path, make her a tunnel out of blankets and pillows on the floor. Invest in a fish aquarium so she can watch the fish, just be sure the top is secure and the tank anchored, because cats will jump at the top to get to the fish. Put a bird feeder outside of a window where she can sit and watch them. A friend of mine periodically goes to the pet store and buys about 5 crickets. Then she brings them home and lets them loose in the house for her three cats to chase. Kind of sad for the crickets, but she argues they would be eaten by lizards and snakes anyway, and it keeps her cats in top form and active. So who knows.

i'm so glad you said about the fish and crickets. i went to petsmart yesterday to get some fish for her to watch (we have a covered aquarium that i'm pretty certain she cant break in to!) but chickened out because i wasnt sure if it was fair to the fish. ditto on the crickets! going to go to a local petshop tomorrow to get some fish (petsmart freaked me out a little. i just got an 'odd' feeling about the pets and the assistants were all outside smoking and didnt seem to care about helping me)

she loves the bird feeder so i'll be sure to keep it topped up. thanks for all the great ideas hissy.

Aww Nicky thats a shame that you can't get another because this was the reason why i got Sophie.

I used to try and play with Rosie as much as possible when i got home from work but i used to think how lonely she must have been in the room on her own all day even though she had a window to look out of and plenty of toys.

What MA said is brilliant, and i used to scatter a few treats on shelves, the windowsill etc... so she could hunt them out.

i wish i could get another one but i'm a student so have to live at home for financial reasons and my parents wont let me. its so frustrating as we live in a big house so two wouldnt be any more bother than one, especially as i pay for the food, toys vet bills etc.

theres someone home 90% of the time because my mum only works part time, my sister very rarely goes to college (lazy!) and i'm at uni so theres people for her to hang out with, just no one plays with her like i do.

i've just built her a very long and complex cushion tunnel and am dragging one of her toys through it on a piece of string. she seems to like it!

i've tried hiding treats but she doesnt seem bothered. the only thing she likes for you to throw her bits of chicken, prawns or ham then she can hunt them and beat them to death! treat balls dont work for her either. i'm seriously considering the crickets which hissy suggested but the only thing thats putting me off is if they get in my hair or touch me, euegh!

We have a pet lizard and he gets fed crickets so guess what the highlight of the day is for my kitties? We bring the crickets home from the petstore and the kitties know what's in the bag and they race to the lizard cage, eagerly waiting for "The Show." Birds are big here too. We feed the outdoor critters so we get lots of birds and squirrels and it really does entertain the boys here. Ditto for the Turbo Scratcher...I highly recommend that as all 3 of my boys consistently play with it. It costs 10.00 and depending upon how much your cat uses it as a scratcher, which mine do, you do have to replace the cardboard pads but they're cheap and you can turn them over and reuse the other side. We've had it for 1 1/2 years and it's still a favorite. Bummer you can't get another cat though as that really seems to be the best...I think having 2 or more is much easier as they really do entertain each other...maybe you could provide research on this for your parents.

My Elmo never gets bored, he loves to be outside sunbathing and watching the birds go by!

I don't know what it's called, but Tripod loves this toy shaped like a wheel with a ball inside. Theres just enough room for him to put his paw in there and move it around.

Oliver woke me up once to watch him play with it. He doesn't pay attention to it anymore, but it worked for quite awhile.

I think its $5-6.00 at Wal-Mart. It might keep your kitty occupied for awhile.

What about those aquariums with the fake fish... would that work??

my little brothers friend just donated us some goldfish! he had five and wanted to free up some space in his tank to get some tropical fish so gave us two. Maverick is fascinated by them and they dont mind her at all, there were TWO cats at their old home who kept pawing the tank, lol.

we had to take all string away from her as she tried to eat it. i always put string toys away when we are not playing for safety reasons but i guess i didnt hide this one hard enough ( i didnt realise she could open that particular cupboard) as when i got out of the shower she had swallowed a good deal of string. luckily my mum was with her and managed to get it out of her stomach.

i looked up the Turbo Scratcher but cant figure out how it works? what does it do?

You know, the issue of cat boredom brings up so many interesting things. For instance, purely indoor cats do of course get more bored than their outdoor counterparts, because the indoor environment just can't provide the same level of natural stimulation. However, outdoor cats also have to contend wtih fleas, ticks, etc, and many of us live in areas where our feline companion's life expectancy would be significantly decreased if they were outdoors. It's a trade-off, and each parent has to figure out what is best based on their situation.

Then there is the "only child" question. While most felines are not social, the domestic cat most certainly is. So, is it better to have two cats than to have one cat? The question posed isn't "would the cat like a sibling", but rather "does not having one do any harm"?

What do people think? Indoor/outdoor, only child/multiple cats?

You asked about the Turbo Scratcher. It serves two purposes. One, it is a scratcher, which, depending upon a cats scratching preferences may or may not be used. It should come with a little bag of catnip to rub on it. My cats use the scratcher faithfully, especially Wallace. The "toy" part is the ball that is in the track. Maybe you couldn't see this online. There's a white ball in a track on the perimeter of the Turbo Scratcher and the cat bats it around. My cats love it. You can show them and make the ball go for them. My cats actually stalk the ball, it's quite funny. They stalk, pounce and push the ball around and around. It's not something they play with all day but it is regular part of their day. If you get one, make sure and put it on a rug though as otherwise it will slide all over. It really is one of the best toys we've purchased. Many have gone by the wayside but this one has remained tried and true.

thanks grapegal! i might give it a try but my kitty hates balls at the moment

well the goldfish died. no, maverick didnt eat it! even though i had left the water to stand for nearly 24hours and thought i had done everything right the poor fishy passed away. Bubbles looks so lonely without Splashy! i've had goldfish before and none have died on me quite so quickly feel guilty for uprooting the poor little thing.

Obi my stand on Indoor/outdoor, only child/multiple cats is thus:

i would love my cat to have free accsess to the outdoors but i dont thinks its safe enough. there are so many horrible people out there it makes me shudder what could happen to her. at the moment shes strictly indoors but with summer coming it will be nigh impossible to keep her in.

as for multiple cats, maverick was very un-socialised when we first got her and i think had benefitted from having 10months to herself as an 'only child'. lol
however, as a general rule i think cats should be kept in twos + as they need constant stimulation and company. at the moment mavs ok as theres people asround 24/7 to love and fuss her but hopefully we'll get another cat soon to keep her company.

my mum has been dropping hints for another kitten (my dad is a 'cat hater'- well in theory any way! he loves mav to pieces. he's more of a dog person. if she wants another cat she'll enlist my help to get it!) so hopefully mav will have a little bro/sis to keep her entertained!