# Avoiding boredom: an indoor cat



## iUmka (Sep 18, 2014)

what do you do to stimulate your cats intellectually? I feel I am not providing enough stimulation for Wimsey (especially when I am at work).

Have you got any recommendations? any particular toys?games? etc.


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## iUmka (Sep 18, 2014)

actually, I have just found this https://www.petfinder.com/cats/cat-care/beating-boredom-cat/


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## Aubrie30 (Aug 10, 2014)

Catit senses toys are great, most cats love them

Catit Design Senses Cat Toy range: Free P&P on orders Â£29+ at zooplus!

Do you have a cat tree? They are great for exercise.


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## Guest (Oct 16, 2014)

I'd say one of Dexter's favourite toys is a balloon! It was my son's birthday recently and we had lots of balloons left over from his party. Dexter played with every single one bursting each after a little while.

He had that much fun with them I'm thinking of picking up another packet of them. Obviously make sure you remove the burst balloon so he doesn't eat it.

A tree is a must for an indoor cat though and you can also get cat shelving. I like the link you found and might try the scent marking idea myself.


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## Ragdollsfriend (Feb 13, 2014)

Well it's no easy when you have to work long hours. I try to make it up to my cats by playing with them with our Flying Frenzy mostly after work but sometimes in the mornings too.

I have 2 different hight scratching posts, one reaches up to my shoulder. I know they use this one a lot to scratch, stretch and to climb up to the top. Btw my cats are in their senior years so 8 and 13. 

They love their tunnel which is 1.5m long and made of rustling material. Daisy hides and jumps out whenever somebody walks past. The cats get on rather well so there is positive interaction between them 

Sometimes I bring little gifts from the great outdoors  leaves, etc. And of course they have access to window sills and so the 'cat tv' is on


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## georgypan (Mar 31, 2014)

Mine are mostly indoor cats although they are allowed limited outside time too. They aren't terribly interested in toys but their three-way tunnel is a perpetual favourite. They chase each other in and out of it and often play in it alone. That website is very interesting and I'm going to try some of those ideas too. I liked the tip about hiding toys and bringing them back out after a few weeks so I'm going to try that as well. 

So, the tunnel, the Flying Frenzy (one of them likes it, the other isn't bothered) and the Catit Senses Play Circuit with the light-up balls are favourites here.


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## Ely01 (May 14, 2014)

Oleg's top favourite is a long ribbon. 









I do hide it now and then to get a break cause he loves it so much when he has it he plays with it incessantly and asks good souls to dangle it for him or put it on his back for him to chase it around and have even more fun. He had it for a while last night.

However I don't leave the ribbon out when I'm out of the house, only when somebody's around.


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## georgypan (Mar 31, 2014)

Henry likes to sit on his cat tree beside the window and play with the toggle of the blinds. They both like chasing and pouncing from behind the curtains and when Bluebell isn't in the mood, Henry pounces on his own paws from behind the curtain! :confused1: Free things like that are just as much fun as expensive toys.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

The main thing about keeping an indoor cat stimulated and entertained is that you have to keep finding new interests for them. They need their toys updating regularly, and you have to start being inventive and design & make some of your own, because IMO there is very little on the market to actually stimulate their active minds for long. In fact the Catit Circuit is the only marketed toy my cats ever played with on their own. 

My two young cats (who are indoor but have an outdoor pen with tall climbing trees in) get bored very quickly with toys. Putting some toys away for a while helps a bit, but when I bring them out again weeks or months later, the cats' interest is even shorter lived than the first time around. 

At least my two have each other to play with. They get on very well, and chase each other around the house, playing in the tunnels together (I have 4 of the long crackly tunnels all joined together). But there are still all the other times when they are bored and need entertaining. If I had one young cat on their own I know I would find it much harder to keep them happy indoors.

My OH has made several long carpet covered poles and we have these fitted both horizontally and vertically on the stairwell, and on the landing for the youngsters to climb on. They get used all the time. In their own room we have a series of high shelves for them, so they can get all round the room without touching the ground. We have put blankets up there for them to sleep when they wish. They love it. 

For playtime we use Flying Frenzy, with a choice of attachments. We also have two large square silky see through scarves which the cats love to hide under and then pounce on the F/Frenzy mice. 

As I say it is a matter of keeping on being inventive and being prepared to give a lot of thought and time to keeping indoor cats happy. I have seen too many bored fed-up indoor cats who just sleep most of the time. 

Long term what I want is for my cats to go out in the garden, once we have made it safe for them.


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## oggers86 (Nov 14, 2011)

Chillminx: Do you have pics of your playground on the stairs? I am thinking about doing something similar so would love some ideas.


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## Soozi (Jun 28, 2013)

Liddy's favourite toys at the moment are plastic drinking straws! I put under a newspaper just so the end of the straw is visible keeps her entertained for ages.  x


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Yes, one of my girls likes those straws too!  She carries one around in her mouth, then puts it down and pats it around for ages!  Fascinating.


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## Torin. (May 18, 2014)

I do a lot with smells. Because people have such a pants sense of smell in comparison to many other pets, I think we often forget how important that sense is to them. And even if we do know it, we can still slip into forgetting to stimulate that part of the brain. So I consciously try and do as much with smell as I can. And it's probably something I could do better with, but it's always up there as The Thing, in the hope that I can exploit enrichment in that area as much as possible.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Sounds interesting Torin 

The only (non-food) scent I use regularly for the cats is powdered catnip, of which they each get a pinch, once a day. (They love it!) Very happy to have some new ideas of scents if you have any to share?


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## iUmka (Sep 18, 2014)

An update: we have (almost) completed the book-and-cat shelf in my study!

I will try to attach the images.


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## iUmka (Sep 18, 2014)

The only thing left is adding braces under the cat shelves - dowels do not seem to be strong enough, and I am afraid, once Wimsey gets a little bit heavier, the dowels will give up.

Wimsey seems to be enjoying exploring the shelf, and I am enjoying not having to store books on the floor.


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## Ragdollsfriend (Feb 13, 2014)

iUmka said:


> An update: we have (almost) completed the book-and-cat shelf in my study!
> 
> I will try to attach the images.


It looks fantastic. I plan to update my study early next year ... I really love what you've done with yours


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

oggers86 said:


> Chillminx: Do you have pics of your playground on the stairs? I am thinking about doing something similar so would love some ideas.


Oggers, we are having the stairwell, hall and landing painted atm, so have had to take down the poles temporarily. The plan is to put them back up again after, but not sure how keen my OH will be on spoiling the new paintwork! :lol: 
When/if we put them back up I will photograph them and send you the pic.


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