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Does Your Cat Need Exercise?
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by: Russell
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Word Count: 490
Your cat needs exercise and stimulation in order to lead a happy, satisfied and healthy life. It's up to us to provide them with what they need for that to occur.
Unless you cat's energy can be channeled in a a positive way, he or she may become destructive. After all, he never has to worry about where his next meal is coming from, so there is no need for any real hunting or stalking. The frustrated cat that has excess energy to burn will chew your plants, scratch your furniture, tear your carpets and climb the curtains.
He may even go berserk for half an hour, running manically back and forth across the room or around the perimeter, doing the “wall of death” - strange behavior for a cat, normally so lazy a creature! Some cats develop the annoying habit of sucking wool, usually a sign of premature weaning. In order to prevent these problems from occurring, ensure that your cat is always mentally stimulated and has plenty of opportunity for exercise.
Stimulating your cat:
Toys provide a practical outlet through which cats can exhaust themselves. They need not imitate prey specifically, but should encourage activities such as scratching, chasing and batting. Toys that move are often favored as they arouse the cats curiosity. Scratching posts, balls of many different materials, batting toys are all items that will help your cat be stimulated. In addition, a scratching post can help to prevent your cat from scratching at your furniture in as well as help them remove loose claws.
Training your cat:
Although we seldom notice it, cats are constantly training themselves. If, for example, your cat raids the garbage can successfully, he learns that this is a rewarding action. However, rewards such as food or affection do not work well when training cats out of bad habits. Surprise, NEVER involving pain, is the best way to overcome most of your feline friend's behavioral problems. A water sprayer, noisemakers and aluminum foil are all used to help your cat see the error of his ways!
I once had a cat that I just could not keep out of the soil in my indoor potted plants. What I did to keep him out was to place regular adhesive tape – sticky side up – across the dirt. My cat did not like the feel of the sticky tape and my plant was forever more safe! There are many “tricks” like this that you can use to train your cat. Aluminum foil spread in places where your cat goes potty outside the litter box will help train your cat to stop using that spot. They hate the feel and sound of it as they step on in. A water sprayer kept close by your side can be used to effectively stop your cat in it's tracks as is surprises them and helps redirect whatever trouble they are into!
About the Author
By: Anne P. Jackson
Are you ready to see to it that your kitten or cat has all the exercise and stimulation that they will need for a happy and healthy life? For more resources on training your cat and attending to all of there needs, visit Doctor Do Little.com.
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