How can you Exercise your Cat? Try these 9 simple ways

We all know cats love to while away time napping, and making them to love exercising is another ball game altogether. The fact of the matter is you can get your lazy cat to exercise every day. Yes, you’ve heard it right, your cat might begin to love working-out just as much it’s fond of napping. It isn’t all that challenging to get your pet cat used to an active lifestyle and a fitter version of itself. With a mix of creativity and engaging toys, cat owners can get their kitties up, about and moving. Here are some interesting ways that will ensure a successful feline work out, with a little patience and perseverance from your side.

Get Home a Cat tree:

A cat tree/tower comes in a multi-level design and provides opportunities for the cat to jump up and down. Placing your kitty’s favorite cat treats at every level will encourage the cat to explore each plane.
Image: styletails

Having Two Cats Will Help:

Dr Jean Hofve, DVM, author and manager of LittleBigCat.com suggests adopting two cats at the same time. Dr. Hofve believes that the feline pair will get a good amount of workout through wrestling and chasing one another. According to him even elder cats enjoy indulging in a game of wrestle.
Image http://paws-and-effect.com

Having two or more cats together will also lessen their anxiety levels. Image-paws-and-effect.com

Chasing the Laser Beam Can Be Exciting for cats:

There is even an automatic version of laser cat toys in the market that will busy up your cat for hours even when you aren’t around in the house. The beam appears in amazing spherical patterns that the kitty will love to chase. A laser pointer will keep your cat all charged up, however it is wise to eventually place an actual toy at the spot where the laser points out the beam that the pet can catch and feel gratified after all that running and bouncing.

Simply chasing something and not being able to catch can leave the kitty frustrated and often obsessed with the whole activity. Image http://www.thegreenhead.com

Create a rink:

Dr. Susan Nelson, DVM, an associate professor of clinical sciences at Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in Manhattan suggests creating an enclosed space using a tub or cardboard box and placing a ball in it to offer something enjoyable and interactive to the pet cat.

The game is all about the ball flying off the rink and the feline participant leaping in the air after it. The whole deal is amalgamating exercise and some fun. Image-blog.cfa.org/

Interactive Wand Toys:

A wand toy is like a fishing rod with an amusing object tied to the line on the other end. It can be a stuffed mouse, a feather or a smiley face, just about anything that will catch your cat’s eye. An engaging way is to sway the CAT WAND TOY close to the floor or move it up and down the staircase to encourage chasing and hunting the dangling object. Along with a perfect work out the feline’s urge to hunt a prey is satiated as well.

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Treadmills are for cats too:

Dr. Jean Hofve recommends treadmills for cats and suggests acquainting them to a treadmill while they are still young. It is very important to supervise the cat while it runs on the treadmill. It’s best to start at a slow place and then work on the speed.

On average cats can run upto a speed of 30 miles per hour however it can vary and some cats might be slower. Image https://giphy.com/

Buy a Cat Harness Set and take your feline for a stroll:

It may take about a week’s time to get your domestic feline used to a harness and leash. There are some kitties that instantly get comfortable in a lead. In this case too young felines can be more easily tempted and trained to walk on a leash wearing a harness. The Cat harness must fit the upper back area aptly and be made of a soft cloth.

Image https://www.mnn.com

Shop for some Catnip toys:
Cat nip toys come in interesting shapes and sizes and are filled with a heady catnip mixture. This product is a great enticer for cats that go gaga over the strong smell of catnip. Balls filled with catnip will encourage activity in the form of kicking and chasing. Some shapes will give rise to grabbing and attacking behavior, arousing the wild side of your fur baby. Cat Product Brands such as Trixie and Pet brands use only organic catnip and natural materials to produce these cat toys.

Try out cat agility exercises:

An agility course will stimulate the animal both mentally and physically. Obstacles are created in the form of bars your cat will have to jump over. The use of tunnels and poles form an important part of the agility program. You can create an obstacle course right inside your home. Use a hoop that is aligned with the ground and place a cat treat or toy on one side. Encourage the house cat to step through the hoop over to the side of the treat. Gradually practice this exercise with the hoop and treats slightly raised and over time fix a height that will require the cat to jump across.Agility tunnels can also be made using paper, though you will have to slash the bottom end using scissors. Place it on the ground with a treat on the other end. The cat will have to cross this tunnel to reach its reward. Another plus of the agility course is the quality time you get to spend with your pet leading to better bonding.

Use your cat’s favorite treat to reward her for completing each hurdle. http://www.catagility.org/

It goes without saying that a regular workout routine enlists many benefits for your feline mate. The cat will be able to maintain an ideal weight, keeping obesity away. Muscles become stronger as well as organs such as heart. An active lifestyle prevents undesirable behaviors as there is no scope for boredom to exist and energies are spent in the right way. Let’s not forget to mention another pleasant culminating effect of these sessions is the bonding time between the owner and its pet.

Article Resource: http://www.everydayhealth.com/pet-health/ten-cat-exercises.aspx