How to play with the cat in the house: from the tigraffi to the location of the furniture, the ideas to create spaces suitable for cats
The advice of dr. Alberto Perini to enrich the environment according to our feline. «He lives in one of his world but also loves to have fun and interact with us. The important thing is to do it correctly «
Agile predators and elegant felines, Cats living in our homes can face boredom and frustrationbetween four walls that do not allow them to adequately satisfy the desires and motivations of the species and the race. Expressing behaviors related to predation, exploring spaces, spending time in a stimulating environment are all activities that can improve the physical and psychological condition of these animals And prevent situations that, in the long run, would worsen our relationship with them.
The Environmental enrichments These are all those strategies and tools that promote the perceptual, cognitive and social stimulation of animals forced into confined spaces. What are the most suitable for cats living with us? Alberto Perinibehavioral veterinarian, suggests numerous solutions to make the days of our feline companions richer.
Move vertically, observe and control
We often hear that the cat is an independent animal. Instead, Perini clarifies that, although it is different from a dog in terms of interaction methods, Even a feline will enjoy playing with us: «You can take a Ball of Stagnolapull it on it, make him chase and grab. There are some cats who even learn to bring it back. Or they can Use chopsticks equipped with a wire to which a small puppet is hanging that acts as a prey. The latter must be adapted to the size of the cat, since if too large it frightens it, if too small it may not be correctly perceived ».
The game sessions must be frequent and short. For example, they could last about 5 minutes and be separated by an hour’s break. In addition, not all the moments of the day are good to have fun with our cat: Better to choose the early hours of the morning and in the evening.
Expand the animal’s point of view, give it access to the windows to look outside a panorama as varied as possible, and allow him to explore the house vertically They will be other fundamental steps to improve his well -being.
The vet explains: «I can have a very large house that, however, the cat can only take advantage of the ground level and only in part, since they are designed for humans, with objects and ornaments that prevent them from moving in a vertical direction. In these cases, It takes something that helps him to go up. The more a cat is high, the more peaceful and serene feels. So it will be in a position in which it has control of the situation, especially in the presence of other cats that can somehow create problems for him ». The advice is, therefore, to free the surfaces of furniture, shelves, and add tigraffi that develop in height on the walls.
Do you prefer the sofa to the Tiragraffi? Question of position
It often happens to listen to the complaints of owners who wonder why their cat prefer to destroy the sofa, instead of taking care of their claws on the surface of the brand new tiragraffi. «First of all we have to ask ourselves: What exactly is a tiragraffe for? Cats use tiragraffes for shorten and sharpen your nailsbut it is not their only function. – says Perini – It also serves to leave particular smells, signs of their presence: in this way they communicate « this is mine, from here I went ». It is a message that reassures the cat; Wanting to use a more humanizing language, we would say that he corroborates self -esteem. For the feline it is important to leave trace of oneself in places of passage, near the border points». The tiragraffi, however, can also be very bulky and it is at this point that we opt for the wrong choice: we place them where they do not bother us, often far from the passing areas, what are the ideal positions if we were to meet the ethological needs of the cat.
The pleasure of exploring: having fun in a box
There are other ways to make our home a welcoming and stimulating environment for cats, small changes that can make a difference in their daily lives. With some precautions our rooms will become Places to explore, with traces to follow and some surprises that break the routine without intimidating the animal. “They can be small changes like Move some furniture, a flower pot, a chair, a small sideboardso that the cat can try a new experience every time you go around the house.
Let’s not forget that Cats like boxes – adds Alberto Perini – let’s take one, but over two or three points and fill it with the cat blanket or, every now and then, with some crunchy. He will move with pleasure inside the container and every time there will be a small surprise. You can also use multiple boxes, move them, put them in the other, make them disappear and reappear. In this way, for the cat it will always be new discovery ».
Exploration and inspection help to fight boredom and improve the daily life of our cats. Another activity to stimulate physically and cognitively a cat is to achieve an olfactory pathfor example by hiding the croccantini under the corner of the carpet, above an armchair, just behind a piece of furniture that he can reach.
Each cat has its own history and motivations
Those suggested are some of the possible environmental enrichments to ensure the psychophysical well -being of a cat. We must be aware that these animals have needs that differ not only compared to other species – with different evolutionary paths and domestication -, but also depending on the breed to which they belong and their personal history: We are in front of individuals with their own genetic heritage and a personal wealth of experiences. An adult cat will have different needs than a puppy, an Abyssinian will need more space and a more active life than a British Shorthair, and therefore you will have to be very careful for compatibility if you want to give a new feline company to the home cat.
Perini concludes: « The cat in itself is an alien: He lives in his world, based on his way of perceiving what surrounds him. We always look at cats with human eyes. Instead, to understand them, we should try to put us as much as possible in their shoes, observing them with a more « cat » look.
/s3/static.nrc.nl/images/gn4/stripped/data131081476-6d6db2.jpg|https://images.nrc.nl/y6sYCxeOlllm465-bHxbtbAKOcc=/1920x/filters:no_upscale()/s3/static.nrc.nl/images/gn4/stripped/data131081476-6d6db2.jpg|https://images.nrc.nl/CxSqgWcwo1USVIyDOUMke6gVZ8Q=/5760x/filters:no_upscale()/s3/static.nrc.nl/images/gn4/stripped/data131081476-6d6db2.jpg "Converted Catholic JD Vance visits Vatican that his worldview certainly does not share")
