No Bored Cats

Do cats become bored?  

If your cat is a Couch Slouch then boredom may not be a problem but some cats are better described as Party Animal Puss-Cats. Such cats know how to boogie and if they don’t get enough brain input, their behaviour can be catastrophic.

Some bored cats show hyperactive behaviours. The most common is that the cat will race through the house like a fur-covered lightening bolt especially at night.

Bored cats also delight in a bit of rough and tumble and if nothing else is available, will happily use your fingers and toes as a chew toys. Commonly, a bored cat will hide under furniture with its eyes as big as dinner plates. As you walk innocently past it will scoot out and latch onto your leg imbedding its claws and teeth in your calf. Just as quickly it will detach and will race down the hallway to hide once more readying itself for another encounter of the furred kind.

Boredom is most common in confined cats and this is a problem because confining cats to the home is becoming much more commonplace – and for many good reasons.

However, inside the house is a sterile environment compared to the joys of wandering freely through the suburbs. The more a cat roams, the more it becomes stimulated by the refreshing newness of its territory and each new joy that the cat discovers is its own reward, stimulating more exploration.

So, how do you cater for the needs of a bored cat?

 

Contents of the next page

What’s on the next page : –

1. Outside play areas

2. Exploration

3. Inside games