Play-Time – Alone or with a Buddy? – “Both please!”

Play-time for cats falls into two types…

Firstly, there is Self-Directed Play, meaning the cat will entertain themselves with available toys and other objects around them. Often this strong desire to play can make them quite reactive to stimuli such as sound and movement, and they may look very alert, running around and sometimes vocalising. In some cats, this manifests itself as ‘the mad half hour’ – this includes adult cats as well as kittens! Because they can be a little unpredictable during these bouts of excitement, try to avoid contact with young children during these periods.

The second type of play is Interactive Play. For most cats, the most enjoyable games are hunting-type games, which allow a cat to show natural behaviours and follow their instincts.

For more information on toys that are suitable and popular for each type of play, see ‘Toys for Cats’