How to Keep Your Cat Entertained While You’re at Work

What Should You Do With Your Cat Before Leaving for Work?

A little preparation before you leave can be more useful than simply scattering toys around the house.

If your cat enjoys play, try a short interactive session before work using a wand or fishing-rod-style toy. Encourage stalking, chasing and pouncing, and allow your cat to catch the toy regularly.

Then make sure the basics are covered:

There is no need to exhaust your cat before you leave. Many cats naturally alternate short periods of activity with much longer periods of rest.

1. Leave Toys That Are Safe for Independent Play

Not every cat toy should be left out while nobody is supervising.

For independent play, choose durable toys that are too large to swallow and do not have loose string, elastic, feathers or small detachable components.

2. Turn Part of Breakfast Into a Food Puzzle

Food enrichment is particularly useful when you are away because it gives your cat an activity that does not require a person to operate it.

Instead of putting the entire meal into a bowl, you can place part of your cat's normal food allowance in a suitable puzzle feeder.

Start with something easy. Your cat should quickly understand how to obtain the food rather than spending the day frustrated by an impossible puzzle.

For inexpensive ideas, see our guide to making five simple DIY food puzzles for cats .

3. Give Your Cat Somewhere High to Spend the Day

One of the best ways to make an indoor environment more interesting is to make use of vertical space.

Cats often enjoy resting above floor level, where they can observe household activity and choose a place away from busy walkways.

A stable cat tree can provide climbing, scratching, sleeping and observation space in one structure.

Shelves and window platforms can work too, provided they are securely installed and appropriate for your cat's size and mobility.

4. Create a Safe Window-Watching Spot

A suitable window can provide constantly changing visual stimulation while you are away.

Your cat may watch birds, pedestrians, leaves, insects and general outdoor activity from a comfortable indoor perch.

Position a stable bed, platform or cat tree near a secure window if your cat enjoys watching outside.

Also watch your cat's reaction. If a neighbouring cat regularly appears outside and causes staring, pacing, growling or agitation, that particular view may be stressful rather than entertaining.

5. Give Them Several Appropriate Scratching Areas

Scratching provides an activity your cat can choose whenever they want, including while you are away.

Different cats have different preferences. Some like tall vertical scratching posts that allow a full-body stretch, while others prefer horizontal cardboard scratchers.

Place scratching surfaces near areas where your cat already spends time rather than hiding them somewhere inconvenient.

You can browse our cat scratching posts or read more about why cats scratch furniture .

6. Provide Places to Hide and Sleep Undisturbed

Entertainment is only part of a good indoor environment. Cats also need places where absolutely nothing is expected of them.

Provide several comfortable resting areas and at least one quiet hiding place.

Your cat does not need to be doing something every minute you are at work. Sleeping peacefully is also part of a normal feline day.

7. Rotate Activities Rather Than Leaving Everything Out

Novelty can make familiar objects interesting again.

Instead of leaving every safe toy available permanently, keep some stored away and rotate them.

For example, your cat might have a ball-track toy one day, a cardboard exploration box another day and a different food puzzle later in the week.

This does not require constantly buying new products. Changing which existing items are available can be enough.

8. Consider a Timed or Automatic Feeder

A suitable automatic feeder can break up the day by delivering part of your cat's normal food at a different time.

This can be particularly useful for cats that naturally prefer several smaller meals or for households where the working day means there is a long gap between breakfast and dinner.

Test the feeder while you are home before relying on it. Your cat should understand how it works, and you should know that the mechanism opens reliably.

What About Cat TV, Videos and Apps?

Some cats show interest in moving images of birds, insects or small animals on screens, while others completely ignore them.

If your cat enjoys visual media, it can provide occasional variety, but it should be considered an optional extra rather than a replacement for climbing, scratching, play and food-based enrichment.

Make sure televisions, tablets and cables are secure before leaving your cat alone around them.

What Should You Do With Your Cat When You Get Home?

Independent enrichment is useful, but it does not replace interaction with you.

Once you are home, provide activities that are unsuitable to leave out unattended.

Follow your individual cat's preference. Arriving home does not necessarily mean they want to be picked up immediately.

What Toys Should You NOT Leave Out While You're at Work?

Cats Protection specifically advises against leaving cats alone with toys that can be shredded and eaten or that could cause entanglement.

Store interactive wand toys away after your before-work play session and bring them back out once you are home.

How Long Can You Leave a Cat Alone While You Work?

There is no single number that suits every cat.

Age, health, personality, medication requirements, feeding routine and whether the cat is accustomed to being alone all matter.

A healthy adult cat accustomed to a normal working-day routine has very different needs from a young kitten, elderly cat or cat with a health condition.

This article focuses on enrichment rather than setting a universal time limit. For the full subject, see our guide: how long can you safely leave your cat alone?

Should You Get Another Cat to Keep Yours Company While You Work?

Do not get a second cat simply to provide entertainment for the first.

Some cats form close relationships with other cats. Others prefer having access to their own territory and resources and may find a new housemate stressful.

If you genuinely want another cat and your existing cat is likely to cope well with feline company, introductions should still be gradual.

A second cat is another animal with their own needs — not an enrichment device.

If You Have More Than One Cat

Make sure enrichment does not create competition.

If the only interesting window, scratching post, high platform or food puzzle is controlled by one confident cat, it may not provide much enrichment for the other.

Important resources should be distributed around the home so one cat cannot easily block another cat's access to everything they need.

How Can You Tell If Your Cat Is Struggling While You're Away?

Some cats cope with a working-day routine extremely well. Others find changes in routine or prolonged absence more difficult.

Possible signs of a problem can include:

If the main problem appears to be a lack of stimulation rather than distress specifically associated with your absence, see our broader guide: Is My Cat Bored? Signs and Ways to Keep Them Entertained .

A Simple Workday Routine for an Indoor Cat