When we hear the word cat, we may envision a fluffy, soft, quietly purring ball of sweetness napping on a window sill. While this may be how cats spend some of their time, we must remember that they are unique and wonderful companions with instinctual needs that must be met every day. Read on for five ways to focus your cat’s instincts.
1. Prey Drive
Most of us cat owners know that our cats are sometimes more intrigued with the box the toys come in than the toys themselves! Interactive toys, though, are sure to get your cat’s attention and be a big hit with even the laziest cat!
Indoor life can have its mundane moments, especially for an active cat that is a natural-born hunter. While our indoor cats have never needed to spend their days in the wild, stalking and catching prey, that instinct is still there. Interactive toys specifically satisfy all the needs of mental, physical, and social enrichment and can help relieve stress for cats that are experiencing stress in their environment.
Cats can become bored with the same old toys day after day (just like us, their pet parents!).
2. Scratching
In order to cohabitate with our cats, it’s important to understand why they may engage in what we consider to be a negative activity and then provide them with an alternative activity that is acceptable to them. Cats are born with the instinct to scratch objects for a variety of reasons.
- Cats have scent glands in their paws. Scratching deposits the cat’s scent onto an object and leaves a territorial message for other cats.
- Scratching helps to remove the outer layer from the cat’s nails.
- Scratching can release a “feel good” hormone for cats when stretching their claws, feet, and body.
- Cats also scratch to “blow off steam” from excitement or stress.
Finding good scratching toys or posts can help your cat’s natural instincts to scratch and save your furniture!
3. GROOMING
In order to cohabitate with our cats, it’s important to understand why they may engage in what we consider to be a negative activity and then provide them with an alternative activity that is acceptable to them. Cats are born with the instinct to scratch objects for a variety of reasons.
- Cats have scent glands in their paws. Scratching deposits the cat’s scent onto an object and leaves a territorial message for other cats.
- Scratching helps to remove the outer layer from the cat’s nails.
- Scratching can release a “feel good” hormone for cats when stretching their claws, feet, and body.
- Cats also scratch to “blow off steam” from excitement or stress.
Finding good scratching toys or posts can help your cat’s natural instincts to scratch and save your furniture!
4. SCENT WORK
Ah, those cute little kitty noses. While their cuteness is definitely something to obsess over, they are also very sensitive. A cat’s nose has 200 million scent receptors. When compared to humans, a cat’s nose is 14 times more sensitive! Because of the power of their nose, cats are able to greatly benefit from fun scent-based activities.
The best place to start with scent enrichment is to simply open the windows. How easy, right?! Fresh air is not something that a lot of indoor cats get to experience but fresh air brings in so many new scents into their surroundings. For this reason, we love catios! Catios provide indoor cats with a fun safe way for them to get a smell for the outdoors.
Another great option is to provide your cat with scent-based cat toys with added catnip.
5. CLIMBING
Cat’s love to climb! Cats are built to climb and jump and instinct plays a huge role in this cat habit. Their claws allow them to climb skillfully and the rest of their body is built with strong muscles to enable them to jump up to distances several times their own length!
Many of us do not want our cats jumping in certain areas but since cats are more comfortable in high areas it can be challenging to keep them down.
So this means we should be giving our cats areas where they can freely jump. This can be something as easy as a cat tree! Cat trees give our cats varied heights and the ability to see the room from high spaces.
How a cat subscription can enhance your kittys lifestyle
Your feline needs to exercise their instincts in order to remain healthy and happy. This is where the KONG Club app helps become you and your cat’s very best friend!
With the KONG Club app, you get 1:1 vet-led guidance and pet coaching for every stage of your cat’s life – right in your pocket with our KONG Club Mobile app!
