![]() Buy new, healthy treats including fresh wheat grass and try different kinds of catnip.Long fishing pole toys one day, ping-pong balls in an empty bathtub the next. Being fully present is out greatest gift to those we love. No adult, child or pet is fooled when we’re distracted by digital devices. Play with an iPad but resist texting and speaking on the phone. ![]() If you’re lazy you can sit on the couch watching TV and play with a laser-light or other games like crumple newspaper into balls and toss them. When the bully is behaving, they can receive a reward or treat and only then. If during a play session, one cat begins to bully the other, re-direct them by throwing a toy or startling them with sound like shaking a tin can with coins. Yes, they can play with toys alone but nothing beats inter-active play with their pet parent or caregiver ideally twice a day for at least 10-15 minutes. I ndoors cats need stimulation and exercise. If you can, provide small and a tall scratching posts to allow a choice of horizontal or vertical scratching surfaces. Indoor cats need several options for scratching to keep their claws in shape. If your birds are still down south like ours turn to TV or videos of nature shows and wildlife. Cats with their highly developed sense of smell experience much of their world by scent. We had a recent thaw, melting the snow revealing moist, naturally scented goodness. Make sure you have plenty places for cats perch near windows where they can a view and enjoy “window whiffies”. A piece of bark or fresh twigs can be better than catnip for a scent-starved cat. For indoor cats, bring some of the outdoors in. His favorite command to perform is “jump”. We enjoy improvised agility training on various logs on our property. Odin (pictured below) is extremely athletic and goes bananas without daily outdoor exercise. On warmer days, open up the windows and allow some fresh air in (even five minutes will help). However this is not practical for most urban cats and those living in high traffic areas. There is no substitute for the grounding energy of being outdoors. If you allow your cat outdoors unsupervised, restrict the time on very cold days to prevent frostbite. If you have indoor/outdoor cats, I encourage short, supervised walks with a leash and harness. Here are tips how to avoid kitty cabin fever. Most cats cope by sleeping more but cats shouldn’t be sleeping 24/7. ![]() They could be bored out of their mind and miserable. Young cats and kittens are more prone to mischief but just because a sedate older cat isn’t behaving badly doesn’t mean all is well. ![]() If any cat is behaving out of the ordinary or appears stressed, a trip to the vet may be in order to rule out an underlying medical cause. In multiple cat homes, boredom can result in rough play which can turn into bullying or play aggression. If they don’t have an outlet to express themselves, you can expect anything from shredded toilet paper, knocked over knickknacks or worse. Cats are instinctive hunters, designed for a variety of athletic ability from jumping, crawling and climbing. With no others cats to play with, solo cats will sleep more and are prone to gaining weight. In households with one cat, boredom is likely. When cats are cooped up during the cold weather months without even the window open, boredom can set in leading to depression, compulsive grooming and destructive behavior. Have your cats experienced cabin fever this year? Please leave your comments at the end of this post. This is an updated piece from last year called kitty cabin fever when I wrote about the uptick in aggressive behavior I’d seen with clients’ cats. No, it’s not an actual fever but the idiomatic term, first recorded in 1918, for a claustrophobic reaction when a person or group is isolated and/or shut in a small space, with nothing to do for an extended period. The severe winter this year caused an outbreak of cabin fever in cats.
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