The best bonding experience: playtime

Dalia wrote this from many years of watching cats. We tidied the typos; the opinions are all hers.

Your cat sleeps all the time? That's what cats do when there is nothing else to do. Not even a fly to hunt!

Why play matters

Playing with your cat has a number of healthy advantages. Activity keeps them fit. It's good for the muscles, including that big one: the heart.

Sometimes human laziness is the reason for an overweight cat, not the diet. Before you cut your cat's food because they're putting on weight, ask yourself: maybe, just maybe, it's because they get no exercise at all. Otherwise you create a doubly frustrating experience: on top of zero playtime, now no treats either! (If your cat really is overweight, your vet can help you plan the food side safely.)

Bored cats aren't just lazy cats

Cats are very similar to us, and they can get depressed. So your cat isn't only putting on weight, which is the visible tip of the iceberg. They might be slowly drifting into a low, flat state, and you don't see it.

People laugh at the "lazy loaf" on social media. But if that cat could speak, maybe it would say something like: my days are all the same; sleeping feels like a good escape.

I often wonder how many illnesses started with boredom. It's not an easy thing to measure when the patient doesn't speak our language. But cats aren't books on a shelf.

Imitate nature

Outside, your cat would take lazy naps, but would also be active. Even a spayed, well-fed and well-cared-for cat would have roughly equal amounts of resting time and active time. Here we're speaking from many years of experience and observation.

That's why catification at home is so important. With cats, always try to imitate nature. Then no expensive toys are needed:

• A tunnel. Buy one, or make one if you're handy.
• A simple stick with something hanging from a thread. That's plenty.
• And then: play.

Play with your cat!

It's a stress repellent. It makes you connect. Becoming your cat's game partner is a winning bonding move.

Benefits for all

Get to know your furkid. Observe them and have fun. You'll find yourself smiling like a silly person. It will raise your stamina, and their mood will align with yours. It's a free laughing session. More than one furkid? Great: multiply the fun.

Unleash your inner child.

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More ideas for indoor cats: keeping an indoor cat happy. And if play sometimes turns into ankle attacks: why does my cat bite me?