By Anita Kelsey
Claws
In-between taking over the planet and snoozing our mogs demand we supply them with first class entertainment. Here’s my 8 top mog tips for the perfect entertainment to ensure your cat remains stimulated & doesn’t jump ship to live with the neighbour.
CATNIP. I’m constantly surprised at how many owners never supply catnip for their cats. Any Catnip toy is a fun treat, which harmlessly ‘intoxicates’ your cat between 5 and 15 minutes and is completely safe. The main constituent of catnip is nepetalactone which is an oil contained in the leaves. It is believed cats react to the nepetalactone because it resembles a chemical in tomcat urine. This is a much-needed experience, especially for an indoor cat and is also a wonderful way to get overweight sedentary cats to kick up their heels a little. A little kitty crack is good for world dominance.
DA BIRD FEATHER TEASER (hunting toy) Cats are natural hunters and their natural instinct is to kill things, so any toys that stimulate this type of behaviour is highly stimulating for the indoor or outdoor cat. Toy mice, bugs, spiders or feathers on a wire or string make excellent toys. The ‘Da’ Bird range has a variety of add-ons with different critters such as bugs, spiders and mice. Play with them by half hiding them under paper, rugs boxes and watch as they enjoy the hunting process. Real fur toys (sourced ethically) by the Frenzy range are always an excellent source of hunting toys.
LASERS This type of toy is a wonderful addition to the hunting toy collection. Play with your cat for short bursts of 5/10 minutes and they will go nuts trying to catch the light. Because it’s frustrating for the cat that the light can never be caught it should not be played with for long periods of time. Never shine the light directly into the cat’s eyes. Sessions should be finished off with a hunting type game where your cat can actually catch its prey, followed by a tasty meaty snack. Alright for some!!
CAT DVD Check out the wonderful Cat Dreams DVD. Especially, but not exclusively, designed for the indoor cat this DVD features singing birds, fish swimming back and forth and various other critters that your cat would love to get hold of and rip to shreds! It may seem crazy but hey, we are cat people! Mine definitely act as if its cat porn. Actually, it probably is!
GRASS is essential and your cats will love having the opportunity to eat it. They also love to rub against grass too. It’s easy to grow and you can buy special grass cubes for cats from any pet store or on the Internet. You can also get creative and buy a grass square from a garden store to have in the home.
PERCHES To create the illusion of the outdoors you should provide a ‘tree’ or two and when I say ‘tree’, I really mean an elevated place for a cat to climb and perch – not a real oat tree in the living room!! Many cats feel more secure off of the ground and like to sit up high and look down on their domain. The elevated space can be a cat tower/climber or even a space on a high shelf - with ornaments removed of course! Cat climbers also double up as great places for a cat to keep its nail in perfect condition as well as a place they can deposit their scent.
SCRATCHING POSTS Cats usually keep their claws in good shape by having access to tree trunks or fence posts. As well as keeping their claws trim, cats naturally scratch to leave their scent and exercise the muscles in their paws so it’s a basic and natural need. The indoor cat will scratch your furniture and carpets if a scratching post is not provided. Most cat trees have numerous scratch posts within their design and there are designs of every shape and size that can fit in discretely into any décor. Make sure you get nice tall ones for the adult cat as a lot of cat owners buy scratchers for kittens that are too small for adult cats.
CARDBOARD BOXES. You can’t go wrong with a cheap good old-fashioned cardboard box. Our mogs can’t get enough for them. It gives them a feeling of safety and security and is another item they can easily leave their scent on. A cardboard box will always be chosen over your most expensive piece of cat furniture. Several boxes scattered around the home are ideal for multi cat households.
Claws by Anita Kelsey, out September 7th, RRP £9.99