Indoor Cats

Although cats can seem to sleep a lot there are times when they need mental stimulation and exercise. Here are some tips for keeping your cat amused.

• Your cat will love to munch on some grass. Keep a small pot of grass in an accessible location and your cat will be more content.
• Make foil balls and hide them around the house.
• Scratching post - Your cat needs to scratch to maintain the health of its claws. Indoor cats nails can get quite long if they do not have somewhere to scratch. When your cat gets a check up, ask the vet to check it's claws. You can clip their nails yourself but make sure you research and ask your vet for advice on how to do this. You need special clippers and need to be extremely careful not to cut them too short!
• Cloth bags, cardboard boxes – Cats often like to climb in enclosed areas. Place boxes and cloth bags around with treats and toys in them.
• Food balls – These are hollow balls with holes in them. You fill the balls up with dry food and when your cat rolls the ball bits of food come out. This is a great way to make your cat exercise and work for it's meal!
• You can buy other environment enrichment products for cats at the RSPCA or pet shops.

Scratching the furniture?

Make sure you do have somewhere for them to scratch. If they scratch in the wrong place say AH, AH or NO in an angry voice, then gently place them where they should be scratching. Always reward them if you catch them scratching in the right place. If after a few weeks they continue to scratch or climb curtains often a quick squirt of water (water only!) with a  spray bottle will deter them.