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29 Aug What Do Cats Like? (THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE)
What Do Cats Like? Hopefully by the end of this essential guide you’ll be much clearer on understanding what’s your cats really like.
It may not come as a surprise, but cats are highly intelligent creatures and very aware of the things that they like and don’t like. As a pet owner, most of the time you will be able to determine from your cat’s body language and actions what they like most.
Sleeping is normally top of the list! Most cats spend a remarkable amount of time sleeping. On average, a cat can spend up to 18 hours a day in the land of nod. However, this may not necessarily be your feline friends favourite activity..
Just like humans, what we thought was fun yesterday, your feline friend may find extremely boring today. You will quickly determine that the following list is interchangeable, but this is great start in discovering what your cat truly loves.
You have any other suggestions that we may have missed in this list, then please leave a comment below as we would love to hear your thoughts!
Bond With Their Owners
When we take a feline friend under our wing, regardless of what their age is, we become their parents. Most pet owners believe that their feline friends are an integral part of their families, and time must be set aside to bond with them just like a human child.
There are many ways that you can bond with your feline friend such as; interactive playing, grooming and of course, petting. It’s very rare for a cat not to become immediately attached quicker than you could ever imagine. In particular, older cats often feel a bond between them and their ‘parents’ immediately.
I honestly couldn’t tell you just how many times I have read about adoption stories that have resulted in a happy ending for both parties. It may be a cliche, but many will agree that it is love at first sight on most occasions.
Bonding with your feline friend is most definitely a two-way street. In my opinion, there is nothing more relaxing in the world than feeling a warm, content, and purring pussy lying next to us. It’s very little wonder, that cats are used as therapy within nursing homes and hospital. They have also been used very successfully within American prisons as well…
Playing With Your Cat
The vast majority of cats really love interacting with their mom and dad and playing with your feline friend is a fantastic way to help develop that unbreakable bond between you both.
Playing with your feline friends from a young age is essential for their development, and provides a truly pleasurable experience as part of daily domestic life. As your cat ages, it is likely that they will lose agility, but gentle playing is still highly encouraged and can be still be enjoyed by everyone.
There are several games which you can play with your feline friend. A very popular simple game, is simply throwing a ball for them to chase after and tap into their natural hunting instincts. By introducing ‘clicker’ rewards as well, over a period of months, you can help train your cat as well!
Cats love and companionship and human attention. Not only do they like gentle strokes as they drift off into a peaceful slumber. But, many cats also like to have a good scratch, especially underneath the chin. This is guaranteed to get a positive reaction from your feline friend!
Belly rubs are something that you have to trial gently with your cat, as some are very protective over their bellies and may react aggressively.
If your cat is fully domesticated and does not go outside, they will require additional stimulation and play. As a responsible pet owner, you must be aware of the important responsibilities that your cats mental and physical needs require.
A cat which has access to the outdoors will be able to occupy themselves as a climb trees, stalk prey, chase leaves and even make a few friends with other local cats.
The motivation of cats varies greatly, but there is no mistaking that’s providing opportunities for them to play will greatly benefit them in the long run. Furthermore, cats do love routine, so try and set aside a few minutes every day to bond with your feline friend with a quick game of catch the mouse!
You will quickly realised when your cat is most receptive to play. Make sure you keep all of their toys in one recognisable drawer, and watch their reaction when you go to open it in front of them. If they start bouncing around the room and vocalising their pleasure, then now is a good time for a good bonding session!
Modern cat toys are made to appeal to all of their senses — sound, sites, sense, taste and touch! When considering purchasing a toy for your feline friend, try and find a product that can take all of these boxes.
Catnip is a great product to help encourage active play. If the toy it’s not already filled with cat nip, then you can buy this separately and simply rub it on the toy instead. This is particularly important if your cat has poor vision or is blind.
Finding the perfect cat toy is really a matter of trial and error, but most cats will be more than happy playing with a mouse on the end of the stick, or a ball with a bell in the middle will generally be able to provide enough entertainment to keep your feline friend happy and content!
Cardboard boxes are also fantastic and cheap way of bonding with your feline friend. Try cutting out and entry and exit hole on the cardboard box, and dangle a mouse toy from the other side of the hole from where they are, and watch their reaction!
If you have have some cash to spare, then of course we have plenty of activity cat trees of all shapes and sizes on this website to suit all budgets as well!
Catnip
As mentioned briefly above, catnip is by far the most popular product on the market and it’s perfectly safe for your feline friend to enjoy this legal high. Many cat owners actually grow catnip themselves, but it is very easy to buy catnip already prepared from most pet shops. Or, of course, this website!
There is a wide variety of catnip products available on the market, I’m come in a variety of different strengths. Depending on how it is being applied, you may find that’s a catnip spray is more suitable as opposed to a dry rub.
Scratching Posts
A scratching post is an essential product that every cats needs! In fact, the ancestors of your feline friend actually lived in trees, and therefore needed to climb up and down regularly. It is for this very reason why cats have very sharp claws which gives them traction when climbing vertically.
Cats claws I just like humans nails and grow every day. A scratching post allows them to keep their clause perfectly maintained and also allows them to stretch the muscles as well.
We have written an in-depth resource on choosing the perfect cat scratching post. So, click on the link to find out more information!
Chewing on grass!
Surprisingly, a lot of cats simply love to chew on grass. The reason behind this is still not fully understood, but many people believe that your feline friends is trying to ingest certain vitamins and minerals, which acts as a mild irritant to their stomach’s and helps them to pass a hairball in the process…
The true answer this question still remains unclear. However, grazing on grass is something that comes completely naturally to your feline friend, not only to domesticated cats but for wild ones as well.
This is something that almost all cat owners ask themselves, and a question which nobody, including vets, have a clear answer to. However, one thing is certain – grazing is something that comes naturally, not just to domestic cats but also to feral and wild cats.
If your cat is an indoor cat, it is unlikely that they will have an opportunity you digest live prey. There are plenty of indoor cat grass products available on the market would you can buy to help assist your feline friends digestion. It’s highly likely that they will really appreciate having the opportunity to nibble on a blade of grass! Make sure of course, that the grass is free from any harmful pesticides before delivering your grass snack bar to your feline friend.
Heights
It’s now a well known fact that cats love to be high, some breeds enjoy this more than others, but my cats in particular are able to defy the laws of gravity and appear in the most astonishing places!
If your feline friend is like mine, then an indoor cat tree is the perfect product for them to satisfy there needs without causing any damage to your precious material possessions. Cat Trees come in a variety of sizes, from small compact scratching trees — right through to floor-to-ceiling activity play centres!
When cats go too high places, it gives them a much better observation point to survey their surroundings, and become much more aware of the activities happening around them. In the wild, a cat would go to a high point to be concealed in order to hunt prey…
Heights can also be a status symbol for your feline friend, the top perch in the wild is usually the warmest, so they will be quite literally the ‘top cat’. Those that control the top spot, tend to be the most dominant within the group…
Cats will never be happier than when they are up high, so high in fact that you will struggle to reach them. They simply love feeling superior!
Friends
As previously mentioned, cats love to have companionship. Especially, if they are left alone for hours on end whilst you’re at work. It may seem like an obvious solution, but if you have enough space and time, then why not consider getting two cats so that they can keep each other company whilst you are away!
Providing your feline friend is introduced to other animals at a young age, then it is much more likely that they will get along just fine. Cats left alone, can get just as bored as we can, so having a friend by their side to play with is guaranteed to make them a happy feline.
Every cat is different, and many will be more than happy keeping themselves to themselves as they eagerly await your arrival back home to give them a good chin scratch!
Treats
Now this is a complete no-brainer! Cats simply love treats. However, you really must be strong and not giving to the big beautiful eyes of your feline friend begging for a few more!
Giving your feline friend too many treats can results in them developing fussy eating habits, all getting fat. Cat food should make up 99% of your feline friends diet. Treats should only ever be given occasionally to reward good behaviour, or to just make them feel a bit happy!
There are plenty of treats that you can give your cat that don’t come from a packet. Things like yoghurt, tuna, scrambled eggs or a few slices of ham will go down a treat! (excuse the pun)
It’s important to try and keep their treats as healthy as possible, just like you would with a young child. Strangely, many cat owners have suggested that broccoli and cucumber is a personal favourite with their own feline friends. I can’t say I have tried it myself though to be honest!
Watching the world go by!
Whilst many cats would like to be outside hunting the wildlife, many indoor cats are more than content sitting by the window and watching the birds fly around outside. There are plenty of windowsill cat platforms available on the market where your cats can snuggle up and watch the world go by!
By the window will provide valuable visual enrichment for your feline friend, and will be a nice relaxing break from all the playing they have done in the day prior. According to a recent survey, almost 20% of cats were reported to have spent more than five hours a day just looking out of the window. They wouldn’t do it unless they truly liked it that’s for sure!
I hope that this guide has helped give you a few ideas as to what your likes. As we say though, all cats are different so it’s important that you try and understand the personality of your feline friend yourselves, and find out what makes them tick.
If you have any other suggestions, or any personal experiences of your own cats and what they like to do in their spare time. Then leave a comment below and we can always add to the list!