Toys Make the Cat

Your cat is nature's most amazing hunter.  Toys fulfill his need to go out and catch his own meals. 

MetPet.com Staff Writer

         

Cats, even our fuzzy and fluffy supposedly domesticated pets, are some of nature's most amazingly adept hunters.  They are watchful, silent, patient and deadly.  During our long association with cats, we have relied on their ability to protect our food stores and our health from hungry and sometimes diseased rodents.  They have never lost their desire and their ability to hunt even though they have us to feed them. 

When we bring cats into our home we separate them from their primary identity of hunter.  Even if they never learned the proper way to hunt from their mothers, there is still a deep-seated longing within all cats for the chase.  If that desire doesn't find an outlet, cats can become bored, listless, lethargic, despondent and generally unhealthy. 

Some cats find outlets for their energy and anxiety by attacking people's ankles or peeing around the house.  They may climb the drapes or shred the couch or simply become overweight, dull and age before their time. 

The solution to these problems is the introduction of a lively array of toys into the house.  So how do you select the right toys for your cats?  There is some trial and error in cat toys because the usefulness of toys depends on you, your cat, your home environment and many other factors. 

You can start off with some of our classic toys and see which ones work for you.  You can store ones which do not work and bring them out again in a few months for another try.  A different person in the household, a different room, a different time of day can all make a difference in how your cat plays with a toy.  Trying different things is part of the fun in selecting cat toys!

Over time you and your cat will become more skilled in play and then you can move on to bigger or smaller or harder to catch toys to keep up the interest.  MetPet.com has a never ending roster of new and interesting toys so you will never run out of something new!