Games to Play With Your Kitten

Playing with your kitten is essential to your pet's emotional and physical development. Games ensure that your cat grows both cognitively and physically with muscle tone, agility and stamina. Developing the habit of play helps kittens avoid obesity in later life that can result in health problems such as heart disease, arthritis and diabetes. Play is also good for your relationship with your kitten because it creates strong lifelong bonds between you and your pet.

  1. Times To Play

    • The best times to play with your kitten is in the early morning or in the early evening. These times are when kittens are at their most active and when they will most benefit from your attention. Cats have biological rhythms the same as humans and it is critical to play with them when they have the necessary energy.

    Fishing Toy

    • A feather attached to a string at the end of a stick is an easy toy to make for your cat or an inexpensive one to buy. Store-bought toys will sometimes have a small bell attached to interest the cat. Pretend the feather is a fish at the end of a pole and fish it over your kitten's head. Occasionally raise the height so your cat has opportunities to stretch abdominal muscles. Let the cat catch the feather sometimes so it does not become frustrated or bored. If you make the toy at home use feathers that you purchase from a store as bird feathers from outdoors may be dirty or have bird lice.

    String

    • Kittens enjoy playing with string and an old hoodie string or ribbons are inexpensive toys you can find at home. Attaching a squeaky toy mouse or bird to the string will further attract the kitten's attention. Drag the string along the floor and, if you have a two or more story building, upstairs and downstairs. This play will give both you and the cat essential cardiac exercise.

    Fetching

    • A crumpled grocery store receipt or other wadded paper is a quick way to make an impromptu toy. Bat the paper with your foot or get down on the floor to move the toy with your hand toward the kitten. Keep the paper in active play so the kitten does not lose interest. A ball from a pet store can substitute.

    Exploration Games

    • Provide a paper bag, cardboard box or a circular hamper on its side for your cat to play in alone. Cats enjoy finding and exploring new environments. An overturned paper bag, hamper or box makes an ideal setting for your cat to indulge its curiosity in a safe manner. Do not let kittens or cats play in or near plastic bags to prevent risk of suffocation.

    Observation Exercises

    • Indoor kittens appreciate a room with a view. Provide an area where your kitten can look out of a window. Seeing birds and other animals may not seem like play to humans but observation is a critical skill for cats to give them better play. If you live in a high-rise building be careful and keep windows closed to prevent falls.