par Caroline Crevier-Chabot
Dogs have agility, flyball, scent work, treibball, obedience, canicross, and more! But what about cats? Even though dog sports are more organized than cat sports, that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun doing activities with our feline friends. Here are five cat activities you can do at home.
Agility
Agility training involves completing an obstacle course. The course can be adapted to each cat according to their physical abilities. Some common obstacles are:
- Jump over a beam
- Jump through a hoop
- Up and down an A-frame
- Walk along a Cat walk
- Tunnel
- See-saw
- Weave poles
You can use your furniture to create obstacle courses. You can also create simple obstacles from everyday objects. For example, your cat can walk on the back of the sofa (cat walk), jump over painter’s tape installed in a door frame, go through a “tunnel” made of two chairs or stools placed side by side and covered with a sheet, jump through your arms and weave around bottles.
Here are some home examples of cat agility:
And an example of a competition circuit, because yes, there are agility competitions for cats!
How do I proceed?
You can lure your cat with treats or using a wand toy. The important thing is to have fun! Remember to adapt the course to your cat’s physical condition and age to avoid injuries.
See Meloman and Miley at the dog agility center:
Interactive Play
Interactive play allows your cat to replicate hunting behaviors essential to their well-being. Playing with your cat every day provides physical activity, releases happiness hormones (endorphins), and helps them feel like a true cat, as cats are designed to hunt at every opportunity.
Want to learn more about the need to play? Check out our video on typical species behaviors.
What toys to use?
Cat toys that resemble prey animals are the best. Take a look at these or use them as inspiration to create your own toys.
How to play with my cat?
The toy’s movement should mimic the natural movement of prey.
You can use cat tunnels, papers, table legs and other household items to make the game more interesting and varied.
Walking on leash
Giving your cat access to the outdoors expands their world and provides stimulating experiences. To learn the basics of walking your cat on a leash, watch our video on the subject.
Scent Games
Cats use their noses too! Scent games aren’t limited to dogs.
Start with very smelly food to make it easier and place the saucers so they are very obvious. You can then gradually make the course more difficult.
Hannah Fushihara even has an online course on nose work with cats! https://www.noseworkcats.com/
Watch Miley search for the liquid treats among a variety of objects:
Miley and Meloman are looking for saucers in the garden and Léa, a cat of a timid nature, is playing a scent game.
Cat training
Yes, training cats is a thing, and it’s fun for us both! Check out our article.
Conclusion
There are many ways to have a great time with your cat by sharing an activity that is bound to make you smile!