Playing through Life
Whether young, adult or elderly, little cats will have their fun! But what is behind this relentless activity? Why do cats like to play all their lives? Is it just a nice pastime?
Playing is not just fun....
Of course, the main purpose is the physical training. Exercise maintains the joints flexible, the muscles supple and the bones mobile. Their playing and hunting instincts are also exploited (every cat has a strong prey instinct). In particular, pure indoor cats need to play to consume their excess energy and keep their senses in shape.
But play also has another important meaning. There are certain movement patterns and exercises that develop their hunting skills. Stalking, jumping, grabbing – cats need to learn these things. Playful kittens must gain a lot of experience before they can hunt later in life. They need to practice offense, defense, mating behavior and killing bites to prepare for the seriousness of life. Intense play is just the way to help intelligent animals like monkeys, dolphins and even cats develop their instincts and skills.
Early practice makes perfect...
Everyone is born with nothing in their head. Things are pretty much the same when it comes to cats. Kittens start to play at the age of three weeks. Social games are very important, especially in the early days, so they play with their siblings and mother. Starting from the seventh week of life, they discover object-based games.
All objects that move in the environment are the prey, whether it is Mother's tail, a fly or a drop of tap water. There are no suitable toys for kittens because they also see imaginary objects. These so-called idle games consist in grasping any invisible prey in the air and on the ground. Kittens are always skillful when it comes to combining individual movements. Cats train the following skills intensively when they play: hunt jumps and catching birds and fish buckets. A hunt jump is defined as the sneaking and the targeted jump. Birds are caught with a paw blow out of thin air. And as for the fish bucket, it is smashed to the ground and then lifted into the air.
Cats reach the climax in terms of play between the eighth and the sixteenth week of life. The frequency and duration of their play activities somewhat decreases from the fifth month of life on. The cause is still unknown. Probably it is due to the fact that kittens in the wild master all pursuits perfectly at this age. Felines remain playful their entire lives. Even senior cats suddenly become nimble fighters when they chase a ball.
One of the best games for cats is playing with another living being. This also applies the other way around. Many cat owners are looking forward to playing common games with their little feline. Cats are the most beautiful pastime. You can develop real clown qualities by playing with your cat. Maybe playing with them is so much fun because their zest for life is truly contagious. You should think about getting a second cat if you leave your cat alone very often and you do not have time for it every day. Then it will never get bored again.
The end of boredom...
You should always come up with new things as a cat owner. Play with your feline to prove it that you love it. Why not try ping-pong balls? They are a popular object of desire among felines. They are easy to roll and they jump. You can also make your cat very happy with an empty cardboard box. Cut a door into it and the box will be its house. Drain and empty plastic bags work, too! Just make sure you remove the handles. This mysterious cave will be inspected by curious explorers immediately. You can roll a ping pong ball inside if you want to increase the fun. Empty thread spools are also exciting toys for cats. You can also get your little tiger to play some games in the dark with the light of a flashlight. This is a lot of fun for it. Cats feel challenged to capture the dancing spot of light. Their imagination knows no boundaries.
Always make sure that a toy is not dangerous for your cat. But the toys from a pet shop if you are not sure. Avoid sharp or small objects that can be swallowed easily. You should also make sure that the toys cannot be chewed on easily. You should buy a special cat toy from a pet shop just to be safe. You might want to buy a toy that resembles a prey animal and makes the same noise.