Entertaining Kitty:How to Keep Your Cat Happy While You're Not at Home

Whether you have one cat or more than one, they have a tendency to get bored hanging around the house all day, especially while you're at work. So they find a way to entertain themselves. There's nothing like coming home from a hectic day at work to find the toilet paper unraveled throughout the house or your new curtains shredded from top to bottom. What's even worse, is if your cat starts getting a bit rounder in the middle because he's had nothing to do all day and his only interest in life is in the food bowl.

The best way to direct that energy is to create an environment that will be fun and interesting for your kitty. To do that, you need to set up activities that will keep him busy while you're gone and allow him to get the exercise he needs. Here are some ideas that I have used over the years to entertain my cats all day and they really seem to enjoy themselves. I haven't found any toilet paper strewn around the house since they have their own activities to occupy themselves.

Brown Bag It

Believe it or not, many cats enjoy just playing with something as simple as a brown paper grocery bag. Yes, some supermarkets still offer paper. Instead of just laying the bag on the floor, let's spruce it up a bit. Cut a hole in the bottom of the bag. Then tie a wad of paper to a piece of short string and tape the string to the paper bag so that the paper wad dangles in front of hole. If you're worried about your kitty swallowing the string, then just toss the wad of paper or a toy in the bag. He'll have just as much fun batting it around inside the bag.

Peek-a-Boo

Another great way for your kitty to entertain himself is with a peek-a-boo play box. Cut square and/or round holes in a cardboard box. Make sure the holes are either big enough for your kitty to enter and exit easily or small enough that he cannot push his head through. You don't want him to get stuck in any of the holes. Now fill the box with balls that can be knocked around. You could also throw some wadded up paper in the box or perhaps a couple of kitty toys. Oh what fun they'll have.

Kitty Condo

If you want something more permanent you could buy a scratching post for your kitty. They come in various shapes and sizes, but if you want to get really creative, you could build a kitty condo for your frisky feline. If you're handy around the house, it should be no problem. The advantage of building your own kitty condo is that you can customize it to fit your cats needs. If, for example, you have an older cat that isn't as nimble as he use to be, you can attach a ladder or a ramp from one level to another. You can carpet it to match your interior and add sisal-covered scratching posts. Make sure the structure is stable. It should have a broad enough horizontal base so it won't tip over. You could secure it to the floor if you feel it's safer.

Now for Safety

Whatever you create to entertain kitty, safety must always come first. So as cute as it might be, don't buy a cat toy that has small parts that your cat can chew off and swallow. If it's something you just can't pass up, then remove the small parts. Kitty won't miss it. Also, it is unwise to leave kitty alone with a string toy because he can swallow the string and it can cause great harm, then you'll have to take fluffy to the vet. Not fun.

These are just a few ways to entertain kitty. I'll bet when you use your imagination, you can think of other ways to protect your drapes from the ravages of feline mischief. But always remember, kitty is part of the family, keep him safe and happy.