Sophie's World

Sometimes the hardest thing about having a cat in the house is keeping her entertained. Cats are very intelligent creatures. I attribute it to their close proximity to their ancestral counterparts. They are keenly aware of their surroundings. Here are some ways to keep cats amused and off of your curtains.

Rotate toys.
A toy is soon forgotten. When you rotate toys, it’s like there’s a new toy in the house. I like to rotate every two weeks.

Interact with your pet and their toys.
Any toy has endless possibilities for new games. Cats thrive on interaction with their owners. Your participation makes the play more enjoyable for your pet. You’ll be surprised at how your pet makes new games her favorite pastime.

Catnip makes any toy more fun.
Not all cats react to catnip. Younger cats won’t bat an eye at catnip. However, if your cat enjoys the occasional treat, make that old toy more fun with some catnip. I like to keep a small supply in a ziplock bag. I then take one of Sophie’s toys and shake it in the bag of catnip. Bruising the catnip releases new oils that enhance its effects.

First off, I’ll admit it. Sophie is spoiled. Cat toys can be found everywhere in the house. In our home, Sophie is tops. She is also very intelligent, easily getting bored with toys. It’s always a challenge, keeping her entertained.

I don’t mind, of course. Cats need mental stimulation. That’s why I bought her the Kitty Play Tunnel. It harkens back to the days when as kids, we created forts from sheets. For Sophie, it is a kitty funhouse. It took her a day or two to figure out what to do with it. Now, she loves darting in and out of it.

We’ve invented our own little games to play with her, poking a feather wand in and out of an entrance, encouraging her to lunge after it. She hangs out in her tunnel, bringing her treats in with her. I love it because she entertains herself. That’s much appreciated when I’m trying to fix dinner, and Sophie wants to play games. You can attach additional tunnels for more play options. I’m sure when it’s said and done, my living room will be Sophie’s personal kitty maze.

Kitty Play Tunnel

Sophie, I have to admit, is a very smart cat. She is observant, picking up on our habits quickly. She knows a play day from a work day from a boating day. The last two usually mean a late dinner for which we know her displeasure.

While vacations are fun, I hate leaving Sophie behind. I know that she’s best at home. The stress of travel can make being together a chore. A new toy in development offers a promising solution.

Petcare Robot is being developed as a webcam/remote control toy. You can interact with your pet as if you’re there, teasing and playing with a robot-control ball sure to keep her occupied for hours. The webcam allows you to keep an eye on your pet, even at night thanks to an infrared light. To me, this seems like the perfect compromise if travel is in your plans.

Let’s face it: sometimes our pets do gain weight–too much weight. Just as in people, obesity in pets takes years off their lives. Anything an owner can do to help slim down Fluffy will add years to their time together. Enter Slim Cat.

Slim Cat is a unique toy/feeder that not only encourages weight loss by play, but also stimulates your cat mentally. It challenges your cat. The concept behind it is simple. Fill the ball with a bit of your pet’s dry kibble. When your cat scoots the ball around, food drops out. The more play, the more Fluffy is rewarded with more food.

Of course, there is a learning curve. At first, the holes can be set to the large size to give your cat time to figure out what the ball does. Once your cat has mastered it, you can make it more difficult by decreasing the hole size and thereby increasing your cat’s activity to get rewarded.

We tried this with Sophie. She caught on fairly quickly to the concept. We feed her both dry and canned food. The dry goes in the ball. She pushes it around, claiming her reward. I think she prefers snacking throughout the day. From an owner’s perspective, I must all tell you that it is a bit messy though Sophie is getting better about cleaning up after herself. This is one toy I know she won’t get bored with.

It’s that time of year again. One day there was snow on the ground and only the squirrels racing around. Now, the backyard is filled with honking Canada geese. Sophie just can’t get enough of it.

The geese are either returning resident birds or migrants used to being near people. They get quite close to the house. Of course, this drives Sophie nuts. Honestly, it’s as if she has the entire cat products section at PetSmart all to herself.

She’ll crouch down, ears flat against her head, ready to do battle. She speaks a different language when the geese are around. She’ll chirp and meow in such an odd way. My theory is she’s trying to lure them to her. It’s different with squirrels. She’ll assume the posture, but doesn’t make a peep.

Finally, after a boring few months of snow and cold, the Canada geese and the ducks are back. The backyard TV is on. Photo by wsweet321