Introduction
The benefits of playing with your cat are hard to overstate.
For starters, playtime provides physical exercise and mental stimulation. This is crucial for indoor-only cats, who are especially prone to boredom and depression otherwise. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Playing with your cat is a great way to establish trust and strengthen your bond. It also helps satisfy their instinctual need to hunt, building confidence with every “kill”. For overly shy or insecure cats, this can be a total game-changer.
Finally, interactive playtime can even be a powerful tool for mitigating some of the most common behavioral problems. Many of these issues stem from boredom or excess energy, two things directly addressed by play. Do we have your attention yet?
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Is it Important to Play with Your Cat?
The short answer is, yes. Playing with your cat is so important that it’s one of the top three things you can do to help them thrive.
But don’t just take our word for it. A team of researchers in Australia recently concluded that cats have a better quality of life when we play with them. It should go without saying that this came as no surprise to us.
Assuming you have an indoor cat, live in a smaller space, or both, there is an even greater need for making playtime a fundamental, non-negotiable part of your daily routine.
That’s because playtime provides a constructive outlet for your kitty to expend some pent-up energy. This significantly decreases the likelihood of destructive behaviors such as aggression and inappropriate biting or chewing.
Play is a huge piece of the puzzle, but it’s not the whole picture. This indoor cat boredom fix kit shows how to structure your cat’s entire day.
What Happens if you Don’t Play with Your Cat?
Like most pets, cats require sufficient physical and mental stimulation for optimal health.
But they also have another crucial need that is potentially even more important and oft overlooked. Regardless of their breed, age, or disposition, all cats have a biological imperative to hunt.
Which means that we, as responsible cat guardians, have an obligation to help them fulfill this need. And the way we do that is through is through interactive play. Without it, they can become bored, destructive, annoying, restless, withdrawn, or even aggressive.
Eventually, insufficient playtime can cause obesity and many other stress-related health issues.
The Benefits of Playing with Your Cat
Playing with your cat is so important that it’s one of our three pillars of feline wellness (along with a biologically appropriate diet & routine wellness visits to the vet). The following are some of the main benefits from regularly playing with your cat.
Physical Exercise
Playing with your cat is the best way to ensure that they get sufficient physical exercise. For indoor and solo cats in particular, this is often the biggest factor that will determine whether or not they maintain a healthy weight.
Contrary to the popular misconception, cats are not built for laying around and sleeping all day. In the wild, they spend much of their time hunting for food. Our abrupt decision to bring them inside and call them ‘pets’ does not fundamentally change who they are.
Understanding this (and it’s implications) is key to understanding cats.
Mental Stimulation
Use it or lose it. Whether we’re talking about our pets or ourselves, atrophy is a real phenomenon. Similar to their need for physical exercise, cats also need to exercise their minds. And one of the best ways to help them do this, of course, is through play.
As you entice your kitty to crouch down low, hide, and stalk their “prey” you are simultaneously challenging their brains to do precisely what they were made for – hunt. We might call this “playing”, but for them it is not a game at all.
Furthermore, they will be expending a significant amount of energy just by zeroing in with such single-minded focus. It’s important to acknowledge this as your cats get older, since playtime will look much different with a 15-year-old cat than it would with a fiery little kitten.
Instinctual Fulfillment
In addition to the physical and mental benefits, playing with your cat satisfies an important evolutionary urge. Cats are hunters, first and foremost.
This is as true for the big cats living in the Congo as it is for the floofy Persian purring on your lap as you read this. For indoor cats, playtime is often their only means for scratching this instinctual “itch”.
And make no mistake, there is simply no substitute for our full participation here. No battery-operated mouse, plastic spring, or God forbid – iPad app, can give your cat the “genuine” thrill of the chase like you and I can.
Sure, there is a time and a place for these. Solo play toys can provide some entertainment, especially when you’re away at work or otherwise. But at the end of the day, only you can simulate the hunting experience well enough to meet your cat’s needs. Period. Full stop.
A Stronger Bond
Finally, playing with your cat is one of the best ways there is to strengthen your bond. This makes it a powerful tool for working with unfamiliar or overly shy cats, since it can help you establish rapport and build trust.
Many feral or seemingly “unfriendly” cats are merely expressing a lack of confidence when they hiss or feign aggression. And what better way to build a cat up than by providing him the opportunity to establish dominance over his (make-believe) prey?!
Observe a shy cat catching a toy mouse – you can immediately see her posture change as she transforms into the ‘raw cat’ she was always meant to be. It’s honestly a bit magical, and one of the most fulfilling parts of working with any less-than-extroverted kitties.
The benefits don’t end here, either, folks. But hopefully by now you get the point. Playing with your cat is more than a “nice to have” activity for when there’s time. It is crucial for their physical and mental well-being.
If you want to go deeper, here’s a complete guide on how to entertain an indoor cat beyond just play sessions.
Do Cats Appreciate When You Play with Them?
Most cats love to play with their humans, making playtime great for strengthening the connection you share. It’s also a perfect opportunity to get to know their individual personality and unique preferences.
Furthermore, by regularly playing with your cat, they’ll associate being with you as fun.
How Long Should You Play with Your Cat Every Day?
Since every cat is different, there is no one-size-fits-all approach.
Most cats will let you know when they’ve had enough, so unless you have kittens, you shouldn’t be concerned with playing “too much”. That said, if your cat ever starts panting or breathing heavily from their mouth, stop immediately and give them a chance to rest.
Aside from that, the goal for each session is to get their heart rate up and give them at least a couple chances to work through the first half of the raw cat rhythm. For my two cats, this usually takes around 10-15 minutes, and we play before each of their 3 daily meals.
Other cat health and behavior experts offer similar recommendations, with the total amount of time ranging from 20 to 60 minutes daily. Playtime should be split into multiple 10- to 15-minute segments, as cats are naturally active in short bursts.
Using the right tools makes a big difference. Here are the best cat enrichment toys for interactive play.
Conclusion
Playing with your cat is admittedly part art, part science. It will take some trial and error on your part, especially if you are new to cats. But recognize that you are making an investment in your cat’s well-being that will pay dividends for many years to come.
Far too many otherwise well-intentioned cat guardians fail to grasp the significance of playing with their cats. Others are either too lazy or too clueless (or both) to devote the time and effort necessary for establishing a daily routine that meets their cat’s needs.
Regardless of the reason, the outcome is ultimately the same: you are doing your cat, and most likely yourself, a major disservice. If you want your cat to have the longest, most satisfying life possible, then you must make playtime a top priority; there is no other way.
So what are you waiting for? Happy hunting!