How much time for playing?

[bluecat]

Mary started to play with a a half squished ping pong ball shes had for ages tonight just out of the blue   
She never normally plays with any thing it disappeared under the PC desk and by the the time i retrieved it for her she lost interst 

[tiga]

I have thought about that issue with the harnesses - both them being nervy and getting a taste for the outside. I am nowhere near trying the harnesses on them yet, although I think one of them would be fine, he's a lot less nervy. They are only nervy when I move too quickly or if I'm wearing shoes.

I live in an apartment complex so I thought that if I could get them used to the harnesses we could go for walks inside the apartment complex - up the stairs for a fitness regime. And visiting friends in other apartments. Then may venture to the outside gardens. Not sure yet.

One of the boys (riley) is a right piggy eater too and often pushes the Digby out of the way, so I will have to make sure he gets plenty of exercise so he doesn't end up a porker!

Thanks

[Millys Mum]

Be careful putting nervy cats on harnesses   
If they are happy indoors why rock the boat! Worse thing is for a cat getting walked deciding it needs outdoor access when it cant have it all the time 

[dolcetta46]

Oliver is an indoor boy too plus a piggy eater, so I also take care that he exercises as much as possible.  He usually responds well but recently he picked up a really annoying habit, when I try to get him to move, swinging the toy above and around him, he would just look at me like mad, lazily following and swatting at it halfheartedly as if to humour me, then walk away.  So I give up and settle down to the puter, immediately he starts screaming, then scaling up the furniture trying to get to the toy I just put away.  (He always watches with eagle eyes where I put the toy!)  He usually gets very active though after midnight, that's when he starts doing all those acrobatic stunts.  It's the real fun time but I am a bit concerned about the super noise sensitive and grumpy signora downstairs, as when he runs about probably it sounds like a bull run of Pamplona from where she is...

[tigerbaby]

Since Jameson goes outside every day he is usually knackered in the evenings. However I always encourage a playing session in the evening, with either his favorite mouse toy, or piece of string... He also absolutely adores it when I put things under a plastic bag and he'll jump on top of it and try to catch it. We play for about half an hour, and then he is bored and will curl up to sleep.

When I'm outside in the garden though, we can play for hours on end. He prefers playing outdoors and always shows off by jumping up on fences/ shed roof/ trees, and he'll show me his hiding places and adores it when I throw lumps of earth for him to catch.

[clarenmax]

It depends on the day with Max, some days he'll want to play for ages, other days he's not really bothered at all with some of his toys.

He's got so much stuff always lying around, squeaky mice, wiggly waggler, I think he amuses himself a lot throughout the day when I'm at work, so when I come home he wants more cuddles than playtime.

However, his feather stick will always get a reaction, no matter how tied he is 

[J (Indoorcatsuk)]

Like Susanne, I think a laser light or torch is brilliant it's also good if you're pooped yourself because it takes no effort.

[bluecat]

Depends Mary looses intrest after 10 min or so bought her a play gym she just sleeps under it     

Purnip bones go down well though the only thing shell play with herself   

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

I play with my boys for about 2-3 hours each evening.  About half of that is spend with something like da bird or the laser, and with them running around a lot, and the rest of the time I just pick up something on the floor and wave it around or something to get them playing.  or throw a ball or something.  In addition to that I leave lots of cardboard boxes around and Mosi spends a lot of time amusing himelf with them (perfect excuse for not getting around to chucking stuff!  The pile of small boxes under the sink?  They're there for Mosi, of course!  ).  I find that moving things around makes them more interesting.  A box at one end of the living room may become boring after a while, but move it to the bedroom and it's suddenly interesting again! 

[Ellie]

My four are indoor cats and they love boxes  I get large ones from work, cut holes in them and watch them dive in and out  Also if you cut a hole in the top you can dangle a string toy through and they are like Jack-in-the-boxes 

Another favourite is a hankie box turned upside down with a pingball/rolled up paper ball in it. They chase it all over the floor 

Widget is scared of toys with bells but Rascal loves them. I have never timed playing with them 

By the sound of it you are doing great 

[tiga]

They are indoor cats. I live right in the middle of Brighton so going out isn't an option. They have never been out and don't show much interest. I am going to get my balcony cat proofed so they can go out there and I have bought harnesses to see if they like them. Haven't tried them yet.

[Lily]

I'd say you're about right, I play with my cat for about an hour a day on and off.  She mostly likes cuddles but will let me know when she wants to play either by being a complete nusiance and sitting on top of my keyboard or going mad for 5 minutes.

Are you going to let them out eventually?  If so they'll get most of their stimulation outside so might not want to play when they come indoors.  If you don't let them out then playtime is essential but your times are fine.

[Rosella moggy]

You seem to be doing fab. Whilst Da Bird and other toys are wonderful and the time you spend playing with them is important, Billy's favourite toys to play on his own in addition are a rolled up (already checked) lottery ticket and a ping pong ball. TBH he has about 5 of each on the go at the moment and esp likes it if they are thrown up the stairs.  He has a whole box of other toys that haven't been used. I think toys with bells can be a bit scary for some cats at first. 

[tiga]

I have two indoor cats and I am a bit paranoid about them getting bored. How much time is a good amount for playing with them so they get enough exercise and stimulation?

They are about 1-2 years old but have had very little human interaction in that they were rescued from a small flat with 21 other cats. They weren't hurt, but neglected and stuck in small room. They are very friendly but 1 is still quite skittish if I walk towards him too suddenly. They love cuddling and being groomed etc but don't really get balls or treat balls yet.

I have the Da Bird from this online shop which they are absolutely mad for and a few of other line toys. I usually play with them for 20-30 minutes before work and an hour or so at night (not all at once). Is this enough? What else can I do to stimulate them? They have a few cat trees and I hide treats around the house for them.

Thanks