Many of us are spending more time at home than we normally would, and you may be wondering if and how this may affect your feline friends. Below we have put together some useful hints and tips to help you create the perfect home environment, with some child-friendly activities included to keep both your children and cats occupied, all year round, but particularly during\u00a0the\u00a0summer months.<\/p>\n
While many cats are adaptable to changing environments, it\u2019s\u00a0important to keep your cat\u2019s routine as normal as possible. Take a look at some of our advice and top tips for supporting you and your cat.<\/p>\n
1) A SAFE PLACE<\/strong><\/p>\n While\u00a0there may be a lot of movement in the house and a little busier than normal, it\u2019s important that your cat has somewhere quiet and secluded to rest, sleep, escape and most importantly feel secure in. Our feline friends are most likely to be set in their own routine and ways. Us\u00a0humans\u00a0are spending more\u00a0time at home, and\u00a0subsequently,\u00a0your cat is forced to adapt its routine and share their core territory, which some may find a little stressful.<\/p>\n TOP TIPS<\/strong><\/p>\n We\u2019ve put a list of places together, where your cat may like to escape to \u2013 so you can ensure you have a few places prepared and clear, ready for them to retreat to, including:<\/p>\n INVOLVE THE CHILDREN<\/strong><\/p>\n If you have children in the house, why not make\u00a0a\u00a0hide-out activity for them to get involved in, including:<\/p>\n It\u2019s also important to teach children to leave and not disturb the cat when it\u2019s hiding or sleeping. However, if the cat seeks attention\u00a0then\u00a0give it, but don\u2019t seek and disturb your cat, as if it’s not on a cat\u2019s terms,\u00a0they are likely to feel trapped, and as a result, may become stressed.<\/p>\n 2) PLAYTIME AND PREDATORY BEHAVIOUR<\/strong><\/p>\n While\u00a0you\u2019re at home, your cat may enjoy playing with you; not only will both you and your cat enjoy this time, you may also learn about your cat\u2019s personality, and it may also help build a strong bond between you and them. Kittens and cats need to play and for times when you are busy, cats can entertain themselves, however it\u2019s important that they have interactive games, or toys.<\/p>\n Playtime will develop their social and communication skills and improve their physical development and co-ordination, it also relieves boredom, and provides an outlet for your cat\u2019s predatory instincts, which will prevent behaviour problems and also ensure your cat is getting exercise. Indoor exercise is particularly important for cats without outdoor access.<\/p>\n Below are some ideas to help keep your cat entertained:<\/p>\n Food Foraging<\/strong><\/p>\n Problem-solving toys and puzzle feeders allow cats to use their senses to forage for food or play with to release\u00a0food. If your cat is new to puzzles, you may need to make them relatively easy to begin with and over\u00a0time make the puzzles harder.<\/p>\n INVOLVE THE CHILDREN<\/strong><\/p>\n If you\u2019ve got children at home, why not get them to make some puzzles, using toilet roll tubes, cereal boxes, egg boxes, yoghurt boxes and let their imaginations run wild.<\/p>\n TOP TIPS<\/strong><\/p>\n Interactive\/object play<\/strong><\/p>\n Interactive play and object play are short and intense predatory games and will also burn some of their energy off too.<\/p>\n INVOLVE THE CHILDREN<\/strong><\/p>\n Make your own fishing rod for interactive play, or a furry feathery catnip toy. Be creative, give old or unused objects a new life.<\/p>\n TOP TIPS<\/strong><\/p>\n Exploring<\/strong><\/p>\n Cats are naturally curious, so why not look at your house through the eyes of a curious cat and make sure there are plenty of\u00a0different\u00a0things for them to explore.<\/p>\n INVOLVE THE CHILDREN<\/strong><\/p>\n Take a plain box to the next level: Cardboard Box Castle!<\/p>\n TOP TIPS<\/strong><\/p>\n 3) MULTIPLE AND SEPARATE KEY RESOURCES<\/strong><\/p>\n Key resources are essential necessities that cats need to be happy and healthy in the home, including food, water, toileting areas, scratching areas, play areas and as mentioned above, safe resting and sleeping areas. If you have multiple cats,\u00a0it\u2019s important to ensure they have their own \u2018key resources\u2019 in separate areas of the house. Also, you should never be disturbed\u00a0while\u00a0making use of them \u2013 except for playtime of course.<\/p>\n TOP TIPS<\/strong><\/p>\n Food is an essential provision, however it\u2019s important to consider that it\u2019s\u00a0provided in a cat-friendly way. There are a variety of different bowls available, including glass, ceramic, plastic and stainless steel. However, if your cat wears a collar, a constant clinking noise on the side of\u00a0a\u00a0stainless bowl could be very off-putting.<\/p>\n Naturally,\u00a0cats look for food and their water separately. Therefore, locating their water bowl away from their feed will promote hydration, and finding water can be extremely rewarding. It\u2019s\u00a0also important to have one water container per cat in the household \u2013 away from food, the bowl should also be big enough so that your cat can drink from its bowl without\u00a0their\u00a0whiskers touching the sides.\u00a0 They also\u00a0like their bowl full to the top so they can lap without putting their heads down.<\/p>\n It\u2019s\u00a0essential to have a\u00a0litter\u00a0tray if your\u00a0cat is housebound, but also highly recommended even if your cat is free to explore outside too. When considering the location of your cat\u2019s litter tray(s) they should be situated in a discreet corner, away from their food and water, and\u00a0away from busy thoroughfares, and away from areas in the house that a cat might find stressful \u2013 i.e. Near a busy door.<\/p>\n 4) RESPECT THE CAT\u2019S SENSE OF SMELL<\/strong><\/p>\n A domestic cat\u2019s sense of smell is about twenty times stronger than ours! Cats rely heavily on their sense of smell as they use scents to gather information, but also communicate.<\/p>\n TOP TIPS<\/strong><\/p>\n To support your cat\u2019s wellbeing around the house, you should avoid\u00a0strong-smelling cleaning products, scented candles or room sprays. However, if you are able to provide scratching and facial rubbing areas and consider taking off your outdoor footwear when you enter your home it will elevate any new challenging smells in the house. It\u2019s also important to provide places for appropriate scent marking, aka feline communication.<\/p>\n You could consider using pheromone products such as plug-ins as they may help to give your cat a sense of security and calm.<\/p>\n 5) POSITIVE, CONSISTENT AND PREDICTABLE HUMAN-CAT SOCIAL INTERACTION<\/strong><\/p>\n Consistent and positive handling of your cat from a young age promotes positive behaviours such as reduced fear and stress, but also initiates a strong human bond. As companion animals, cats benefit from friendly, regular and predictable social interaction with humans.<\/p>\n Ways to recognise if your cat is receptive include:<\/p>\n And remember\u2026 cats like:<\/p>\n TOP TIPS<\/strong><\/p>\n If you\u2019re working from home, below are some top tips of how to support your cat:<\/p>\n The measures above are for\u00a0all year\u00a0round and\u00a0will ensure you have a happy and healthy cat.<\/p>\n Information source: Vicky Halls RVN\u00a0<\/em>DipCouns<\/em>\u00a0Reg. MBACP (<\/em>iCatCare<\/em>\/ISFM)<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Many of us are spending more time at home than we normally would, and you may be wondering if and… <\/p>\n\n
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