Learning how to keep your cat healthy and fit when he or she seems to prefer lazing around all day can be a bit of a challenge. However, it’s a challenge you need to accept to ensure their well-being.
As they age, cats tend to move around less but eat more. This often leads to weight gain and then obesity, which affects more than half of all cats in the United States. Obese cats are more vulnerable to diabetes, high blood pressure, ligament problems, respiratory issues, heart and kidney diseases and even cancer. As well, their life spans are usually 2.5 years shorter than those of cats that maintain a healthy weight.
Feeding your cat nutritious food and keeping treats to a minimum can help, but it’s not enough; you have to encourage activity as well. Engage your cat in physical activities as early as you can. Arrange a daily routine that encourages him or her to use energy and exercise muscles to stay healthy and fit.
Take Your Pet on a Daily Health Stroll
If you can squeeze in the time, take your cat on a morning or evening walk. It’s one of the best forms of exercise for him or her. Just make sure to pick a quiet and safe place for your stroll, such as your neighborhood, a nearby park or any convenient place that doesn’t have a lot of heavy, loud traffic or unsupervised dogs roaming around.
Regular walks also present the perfect opportunity for leash training. Have your cat become comfortable wearing a harness that fits just right (you should be able to slip two fingers between the harness and his or her body). Give your cat as much time as they need to adjust to wearing a harness and let them play with the leash and drag it around. When they get used to wearing the harness and consider it to be harmless, attach it and go on your first walk together.
Play Hunting and Chasing Games with Your Kitty
The easiest way to get your feline friend moving is through interactive play. You can, for instance, stage a “hunting” game. Just hang a toy mouse or bird from a pole and then wiggle it in front of your cat. Before you know it, they’ll be leaping and doing back flips to catch their “prey”.
Do you have an old oven mitt? Try dangling it around and then lowering it so that it’s just within your cat’s reach. Chances are they’ll be jumping for and pouncing on it as soon as they can catch it. You can also have your cat run after the light beam of a laser pointer or get them to try catching a rolled-up paper ball attached to a string. Cats love a good chase, and chases make for great workouts.
Arrange Safe, Interesting Play Areas Inside and Out
Is it possible your cat isn’t more active because there isn’t enough space in your home or a safe place outside where he or she is free to run and jump? Add a cat fence to your existing fence so you can let them play in your yard without worrying that they might try to escape and wander off. You could also install an enclosure that connects to a window or cat door, or put up screens along your patio to provide a secure outdoor area where he or she can move around freely.
Making small adjustments in your home to having him or her enjoy favorite activities pays off, too. Cats love climbing to high places, so you should consider setting up a tall scratching post with a long staircase. Cats also love hiding; you could place open paper bags or cardboard boxes on the floor so your cat can sneak in and out of them and move from one hideaway to another.
Knowing how to keep your cat healthy and fit is just the first step—you need to be proactive about helping him or her stay active. With just a few minutes of physical activity each day, your feline pal will be healthier, more fit and will live longer, which means you will get to spend more time together.
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