How to Keep an Indoor Cat Entertained

What's the daily routine of your cat? Eat, sleep, look out of the window, use the litter box, eat, sleep and then look out of the window some more?
If that sounds about right, are you worried that your indoor-only cat doesn't get the excitement or exercise that it needs?
If, like many people, you live in a flat, or just have a cat too precious to let out, it may be lacking the exercise that it needs to be healthy. Thankfully, there are ways in which you can supplement, as such, this indoor lifestyle.

One way in which you can help your cat is by buying specially formulated food, generally dried, to add to your cats diet. There are many companies that have a specialist food type for cat that don't go outside. It has more of the nutrients it needs, giving it a better digestive system and helping maintain healthy teeth, gums, claws etc. This may seem slightly extravagant for a pet, but your cat may be missing out on things that it can only get by being outside.

There are also things you can buy to imitate the great outdoors. You can get special grass in small trays for your cat to play and chew on. This generally helps the digestive system also by adding fibre to their diet and helping to protect against hairballs.

Something else that may prove useful are the little treats that you can by that contain vitamins and minerals. There are some that contains vitamins to give them more energy to make them more playful around the house. You can combine these treats with specially made balls with small holes in. These give your cat the incentive to play with the ball - it will learn that to get a treat, the ball has to be moved, therefore providing more exercise for your beloved pet!

One thing you must get for a cat, whether it be an indoor cat or an outdoor cat, is a scratching post. This is definitely essential for an indoor cat. Not only will this post provide your car something to play with, it will also protect your furniture by ensuring it uses the post instead of scratching the arms of your chair etc.
This also helps to strengthen the claws and to grind them down.

If you have the time, there are ways you can play with your cat to make sure it gets some exercise. You can buy balls to play with or small furry mice that move when wound up. If you find that your cat is not playing with the toys that you have provided, try getting some catnip spray. Cats seem to love this smell and it makes them playful.
There are so many toys available for cats, it's just a matter of finding ones for your budget. You can get large playpens for cats that are multi-layered, but these can prove to be a little expensive. It is fairly simple to make one of these yourself, with the aid of some rope, old carpet and a few bits of wood! The rope could be tightly wound around a cylindrical piece of wood to act as a scratching post, the wood can be arranged in different layers and covered in the carpet. You need to make sure, however, that it is stable and won't collapse when your cat jumps on it!

If you have indoor cats, it may be a good idea, if you can handle it, to get two, preferably of the same sex unless you want kittens! Male cats, especially when from the same litter, will play with each other for hours on end, running around the house etc. They shouldn't fight if they are brothers.

The way to keep an indoor cat entertained is to use your imagination! They love things that move, so simple wind up toys are great. They also like to jump around, normally on the kitchen sides, so provide toys with different levels or let them jump on the sofa, window ledge etc.

As long as you provide your pet with ways to keep moving, they will get the exercise needed to maintain a long and healthy life!