Is your cat bored out of his mind? Please share your cat entertainment and toys here..

I've run out of ideas..

I had a cat tree.. I used this 'Da Bird' toy, little mouse on a string toy, Cats Meow.. strings, boxes..

My cat has gotten bored of most of these things..

In the summer, I open the window and he hangs out looking outside, but inside this winter he's bored to death.

I feel bad for him because we get to go outside and do all these interesting things, internet and watch TV, but for the cat, my apartment is his entire world, and not too much to do.

So anyways -

What do other people here do to entertain your cats?

Share your stories, please.

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I'll share a recent discovery I've found to entertainment them..

Here show them this video on a laptop full screen HD. My cat loved it and sat and watched the whole thing.

Here's a video I took the other day while down with a cold. My cat still likes to play with toys, I cannot let a day go by without playing with him. He won't let me. Henry was handed down to me from a friend I lost to lung cancer. She was a special lady and Henry is a very special cat.

I haven't shown Henry your vid yet because right now he's asleep but I plan to get his response. Sometimes I search for bird videos for him to watch and he sorta likes them usually.

a reply to: nOraKat

I understand that your situation is different with an indoor cat. We have a cat flap and due to that, we have gone from 2 cats to 6 (yes I know, don't say it.) They mostly amuse themselves by going out and doing what cats do, however they still need stimulation at times and we still have to play with our cats regularly despite them being outdoor cats.

We have done it all. We have a huge cat tree, lots of mice/fish on sticks etc and lots of cat nip filled toys. Our last cat Barry (RIP) brought things from other people's houses - yes he was a thief but he would have recommended KONG toys as he stole at least 3 different kinds of those.

Laser pens are great, they love 'em. We also got this thing that moves a laser around so you don't have to point it and it switches off after 15 minutes or so. Another thing we have has a ball inside that runs along an enclosed track - they went off that after a while. We have been thinking of getting a puzzle feeder, that makes them work for their treats.

Lastly, we have a couple of cats who like to keep themselves to themselves but having a "friend" to play with is great.

Case in point, Charlie - scared of everything and everyone, found in a bin with his mother with half his back end eaten away - well anyway, Charlie needs loads of stimulation as he can't/won't use the cat flap - too daunting for him. We had a stray kitten come through the cat flap, and he gets all he needs from her. She is now fully grown and they play together and keep each other company. However, I don't think it would have worked if she hadn't been a kitten.

Good luck with finding something that your cat likes.

a reply to: nOraKat

Get him a friend. Take him to a shelter with you and see if he's attracted to any certain one, then adopt it. Cats like toys, but having a buddy to play and snuggle with is better.

Saw a program ages ago about a cat that was bored and was a little bit going nuts so they got in a professional and what they did was make a walkway around the room at various heights so the cat could go all around the room with barely having to put its paws on the floor so steps up and down a varying height and the cat loved it as it could sit and watch everything feeling safe and secure so not just a straight picture rail sort of thing with steps up and down but multiple heights so it could be well out of the way when it wanted it or could be more with the owners

It sounds stupid but milk jug rings. From when you open a gallon. Mine go crazy for those. And balls of crunched up tinfoil. They play with those over expensive toys all the time.

a reply to: Scallywwagg

originally posted by: Scallywwagg
a reply to: nOraKat

I understand that your situation is different with an indoor cat. We have a cat flap and due to that, we have gone from 2 cats to 6 (yes I know, don't say it.) They mostly amuse themselves by going out and doing what cats do, however they still need stimulation at times and we still have to play with our cats regularly despite them being outdoor cats.

I had an indoor/outdoor cat too.. he was also a hunter (birds and cicadas), and prob had some girlfriends, so I think he had plenty of stimulation when he went out. When he came in to my house, he was just happy to be hanging out with me and didn't have to play with him much, except maybe wrestle with this stuffed doll I had.

Laser pens are great, they love 'em.

My cats loved them for the first few years, now I use it and they just look at my hand moving around with the pointer. I think they figured it out. Now they will chase it for like a minute or so then ignore it.

Lastly, we have a couple of cats who like to keep themselves to themselves but having a "friend" to play with is great.

I actually have 2 cats. They play around sometimes and groom each other, but often I find them crying out - either out of boredom or to call for attention. One will just sit in front of me and stare at me whenever I do something that does not involve him. It can be tough sometimes.

Our last cat Barry (RIP) brought things from other people's houses - yes he was a thief but he would have recommended KONG toys as he stole at least 3 different kinds of those.

That's funny (that he took toys from other people's houses). Thanks, I'll check em out.

Good luck with finding something that your cat likes.

Thanks for your advice.

a reply to: DAVID64
I actually have 2 cats. I thought of getting another kitty to make things more interesting, but then I thought once that kitten gets older, I'll have 3 cats crying out, out of boredom. Kittens seem to be able to amuse themselves easier and will play with everything. Older cats are not so easily amused. I guess that's the same with humans.

a reply to: Malynn
Thanks for the advice. My cats used to love those when they were younger but don't touch them anymore.

originally posted by: Malynn
It sounds stupid but milk jug rings. From when you open a gallon. Mine go crazy for those. And balls of crunched up tinfoil. They play with those over expensive toys all the time.

My cat is the same way. He'll "make" his own toy out of some piece of plastic that mysteriously "fell" from the recycling bin and we can hear him chasing it all throughout the house at 4 am. He never touched the $20 ball-running-on-the-track toy we bought him but loves a good ol' scratchy wad of tinfoil on the kitchen floor. Also, a nice, crunchy spider is always appreciated. (Don't look at me -- I'm not the supplier!)

a reply to: Maxatoria
Interesting idea, might consider that.

Have you tried one of those toys loaded with catnip and containing a electronic gizmo inside that makes a genuine mouse squeak when tossed around? All my cats went crazy on this toy, even the old lady that hardly ever plays anymore... Here's a link to one manufacturer.

May I suggest getting a Christmas Tree

All the advice I would have given has already been posted except for tin foil balls, especially little ones. Just roll up small balls of aluminum foil. LOL! My cats used to love those! I did have one cat though who just had no interest in toys. Cats are like people and have different interests and personalities.

My cat LOVES this scratcher. It's called the SmartyKat Pulp Friction Catnip Infused Scratcher. It has a loop to hang it on the door but she prefers it on the ground. Not sure of its entertainment value, but she visits it several times throughout the day to scratch it's living daylights out.



Also she loves the long tube she can run through, and I attached it to a box with holes which she uses to rope me in to hide-n-seek.

When she starts going stir crazy I make her a tent using chairs and blankets.

Lol, yes I probably need kids.

a reply to: berenike
Lolz!

I love my cats. You can buy all the expensive toys that you want... they'll still want to play with the paper bags, boxes.... the free stuff.... hmm....ok, ZEN cat masters are trying to tell me something?

To the OP, you owe me a new TV!

I turned on the video and my cat, who was calmly sitting next to me, suddenly rushed the TV and began crying at it, then he started scratching at the screen. I let him scratch to his heart's content as I totally forget these flat TVs don't have a glass screen and now I have scratches all over. Lucky for me it's a cheap TV and the scratches are only visible when it's turned off. Well worth it to give my kitty some excitement, he seems to be extra bored and a bit depressed this winter so I was hoping this would cheer him up a bit.

Towards the end I got the feeling he was becoming frustrated as he couldn't get to the birds, and I felt like I was teasing him so I turned it off. Now he is watching the cursor on the screen as I type this post so maybe I should put the vid back on.

Thanks for sharing! My cat is usually pretty unimpressed with all the videos cats are supposed to love but that one really got him excited.

I've honestly never had this issue with any cats we've ever had. We get them toys, but our current (and only) cat doesn't necessarily play with his toys so much as he has a couple of "loveys" he snuggles with. A cheap $1 rat-like furry toy from the dollar store, and a catnip toy that he snuggles with whether or not it's catnipped out. I had a cat years ago that also did that with beanie babies, lol. Carried her little red cow everywhere she went, it was her security lovey.

We get funny looks from people because we're "talker" pet parents, and maybe that has something to do with them not having boredom issues? I don't mean baby-talking to them, but talking to them like they're humans. One very old cat that passed on earlier this year definitely communicated back in certain tones, mews, chirps and trills. I swear we could get a general idea of "Yeah, sounds good!" or "Eh, if you think so" and the like from him. We figure that since he spent over 20 years listening to the language, he probably did understand a great deal of it more than people give animals credit for.
We're also very hands-on, we pet them frequently. It's calming & reassuring for both. If you can't think of them offhand, spend enough time petting them to find that sweet spot that turns them into purring freight trains (gently rubbing the very tips of the ears, scratching the outer base in front of the ear, and armpits are definite sweet spots for mine that makes his day to have tended to)

I'd actually try spending more time with the kitty, talking included, and see if general loneliness is at fault. We'd be bummed and bored if we though no one spent enough time with us, too, wouldn't we?

a reply to: Nyiah

I actually never had a problem with any cats (and I've had cats all my life) till this particular one. He's very needy and I think he infected the other one. I'll spend time petting him and he likes to sit on my lap, but once I do something on my own he'll start crying.

I feel sorry sometimes for domestic cats. In their natural environment, they're out and about, looking for mates, hunting or hanging out exploring, experiencing the outdoors. My cat on the other hand, is reduced to playing with strings or staring out the window. I think psychologically, they desire to do all those things. Instead, he is just stuck at home, frustrated.

Being an outdoor cat can be rough also. I used to feed one, and I think over territorial disputes, used to come by often with injuries. Sometimes limping or with blood on his fur, or his flesh exposed from fighting with other animals. He also had to endure harsh winters and sometimes I found him sitting in several feet of snow, waiting for me to feed him.