Cat Amusement

I've been thinking today about feline enrichment and what amuses cats. For their protection, for the safety, we responsible owners keep our pets indoors but that means that we have to find things to amuse them, keep them busy, exercise their minds as well as their bodies.

There are all sorts of toys that we can buy and they are becoming more sophisticated all the time. Just as there are puzzle toys for dogs, there are now food puzzle toys for cats. It makes it more interesting for kitty if he or she can figure out how to get the toy to release those morsels of food, like hunting for food. We love the interactive toys that allow us to play with our feline friends.

They need a scratching post, nice and sturdy to replace the tree outdoors against which they will stretch, which is healthy for them, and scratch off that outside nail that you find at the bottom of the scratching post. A cat tree is always handy for getting away from it all. It's especially nice if it has a closed in type of bed, a nice little hidey-hole for kitty.

How did I get off on this train of thought? I was on a business call today when the thought came into my mind. Well, I really paid attention to it after I hung up the phone. I keep the TV on for "white noise" for me and company for Aimee.  This morning was no different. I had the TV tuned to MeTV, the channel that runs old television shows from the '50s and '60s and '70s, too. Aimee was on my lap with her head turned. She was alert, sitting stock still. It occurred to me that what she was doing was watching The Rockford Files starring James Garner. I realized that it was an action show. Lots of movement, which would appeal to her. She had no intention of stalking the screen but she was giving it her full attention. And then I remember those videos for cats that showed birds flying, etc.  Why should this be any different and why should I be surprised? Especially since I had Yorkshire Terrier who was hooked on soap operas. Really.  

I'm not sure if those kitty vids are still available, if they've been transferred to DVD, but it might be worth a look.  Or maybe your cat will like the old action shows on MeTV, too.