Useful Ways to Keep Your Cat Active in Winter

Staying Winter Fit

Cold weather and short days make it is easy for both us and our pets to get a bit lazy in wintertime. Nevertheless, it's important to stay active to maintain a healthy body condition and optimal health, even when the outdoor temperature drops. Here are a few tips to help you and your cat stay busy this winter.

1. Make Mealtime Stimulating
Your cat can easily become overweight if all they do is eat a big meal and then go to sleep all day. You can avoid this by hiding small portions of food around the house in bowls or in feeding toys. A cat’s metabolism works best when eating multiple small meals a day. Feeding in this way will also increase your cat’s daily physical activity and hone their hunting instinct. Additionally, studies have shown that pets enjoy their food more when they have to work for it.

2. Make Treat Time Fun, Too!
Play a game of hide and seek with a catnip toy or their favorite cat treats. Start easy by showing them the toy and then placing it in a location where they can see it. When your cat gets the toy give a treat and start again. As they begin to understand the game you can make the toy more difficult to find.

3. Let Loose with Aerobics
There are a wide variety of cat toys — from feathers to balls to pretty much anything dangling from a string — that can get your cat off of the couch and moving around. Find one that you two really enjoy and make her bounce and pounce around.

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