# Need play ideas for lazy cat



## GingerZ (Jul 26, 2010)

I have lazy cat. When I try to play with her, she might chase the ball/mouse/laser pointer 1-2 times across the room, but then she prefers to sit and watch/stalk it. I can't get her moving for any extended length of time.

I've tried a variety of toys, including The Cat Dancer, with no luck. She would just rather watch than chase.

I am rebooting my efforts to get her to lose weight, but she has the metabolism of a slug, and she acts like one too.

Help?


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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

My girls both like curling ribbon swished back and forth across the floor. They hear the slight rustling and they try to chomp on the part that's in the air. They also like anything moving under a cover of some sort. I fold a towel over and move a wand toy under it. Their eyes get as big as saucers and they pounce on it and try to pull up the towel. Of course, that's not necessarily a whole lot of moving around, but it's something. 

If you feed kibble, I roll once piece at a time across the wood floor in the kitchen, and Margaux, who's pretty lazy, loves to run after it, "catch" it, and eat it. Celia isn't interested, but she's a cat who eats to live, whereas Margaux is a cat who lives to eat.


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## yingying (Jul 19, 2011)

Have you tried Da Bird? It's a great toy. My cats reaaaaally enjoy it


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## OSCARSMOM (Jul 6, 2012)

My Oscar could be your cat's sister LOL! His idea of exercise is laying on his side next to the turbo track while I whip the ball around and he slowly swipes at it with one paw! He will get moving a little bit more if I pull his wand toy under a piece of paper; he might even pounce!

So, we "go hunting". When it is time for him to eat I take his food bowl and he follows me. We do several laps around the dining room table and then out to the front windows and "jog" back into the kitchen where I put his bowl down for him to eat. He is highly food motivated so I found that this works.

I used to have him chase kibble but decided it was too dangerous for him to eat things that fell on the floor. I was taking care of my elderly mother at the time and she sometimes dropped pills on the floor. If you don't have that type of issue, it is a great way to get them to move.


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## kit-e-kat (Aug 4, 2012)

Have you tried the balls that you fill with kibble? My aunts cat loved food so she bought that, I think you would have to fill it out of the kibble he gets part of his meals as it will be the same if he uses it, he would probably burn off one by the time he got the next!
M aunts cat was slow to get the hang of it but after us pushing it about for her a few times she got the idea on how to do it, keep a eye on I'm though her other cat cracked a way to get the food without moving by keeping it next to a wall...

Crafty ninja kitty...


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## cinderflower (Apr 22, 2012)

kit-e-kat said:


> Have you tried the balls that you fill with kibble? My aunts cat loved food so she bought that, I think you would have to fill it out of the kibble he gets part of his meals as it will be the same if he uses it, he would probably burn off one by the time he got the next!
> M aunts cat was slow to get the hang of it but after us pushing it about for her a few times she got the idea on how to do it, keep a eye on I'm though her other cat cracked a way to get the food without moving by keeping it next to a wall...
> 
> Crafty ninja kitty...


i bought two of the balls and one toy with a rattle inside it kind of like a top that you put food in. every single one of my cats figured out how to make all the food fall out at once. only my youngest will play with the top thing and he just lays there and fishes the food out of the hole, he doesn't make it spin around at all lol.

cat dancer makes a toy called the cat charmer which is a long string on the end, also da bird like ying ying says is always a hit (they will jump and fly through the air for it) and also any toy that has object sensor like the roomba, i had a ball that did it, it would change direction when it hit the wall, that kind of thing seems to make them more curious because it's like a living thing. plus walk around with his food like oscar's mom says, that's a really good idea. :crazy


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## GingerZ (Jul 26, 2010)

> So, we "go hunting". When it is time for him to eat I take his food bowl and he follows me. We do several laps around the dining room table and then out to the front windows and "jog" back into the kitchen where I put his bowl down for him to eat. He is highly food motivated so I found that this works.


This one made me laugh. We used to live in a bigger place with two floors. Ginger was fed upstairs from where we spent most of our time. Sometimes at dinner time I would walk toward the stairs multiple times to see how many times I could get her to run upstairs before she realized I wasn't going to follow her. I just thought I was being mean, but I guess she was getting exercise too. :wink: I think we will have to start "hunting" here too.

Thanks for the other ideas too! I will give them a try!


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## GingerZ (Jul 26, 2010)

We just played "toss the kibble." Worked really well, but she got tired after less than 10 pieces. So sad. Oh well, I guess that's why we need to do this more!


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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

Think of it like working out - she's got to build up stamina.  

I tap a piece on the floor then slide it back and forth a little before letting it skitter. When Margaux could still see, the minute she heard the sliding noise, her pupils would get huge and she'd assume pounce position. Being lazy though, she'd try to cut it off before it got very far by sticking a paw out. Well, then the kibble would carom off her paw and around the room like a pinball. Now *that* was fun to watch - much insane running to retrieve a tiny piece of kibble. I never told her that I didn't think the effort was worth the reward.

Now that she's blind, she has to move slowly and carefully, and sometimes she can't find the kibble when it's literally under her nose.  But she still enjoys the chase.


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## Victoriax (Feb 25, 2012)

I would recommend Da Bird & Neko flies teaser wand toy's 

they are both fantastic interactive toy's with changeable attachments all 4 of my cat's LOVE them.


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## dlowan (Jul 13, 2012)

My cats are active, but I'd second Da Bird....it really turns on the hunting instincts and gets my cats running and leaping around in a way that nothing else has. They come and beg for play sessions and try to get it out from the cupboard I keep it in.


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## lovetimesfour (Dec 1, 2010)

What are you feeding her? Diet plays a very large part in a cat's activity level. If she is eating a kibble full of corn and other grains, very carb heavy, she is not getting adequate nutrition, so she has no energy to play.

Cats love routine. Have set times for interactive play sessions. One in the morning before you leave for the day. One when you get home, before supper (hers and yours) one before bed. Once this routine is established she will begin to look forward to it, and since it is part of her routine, she will be more likely to play.

Give her a cardboard Box Fort and a Paper Bag Fort.

Try Catch The Bump Under The Rug (or newspaper) Games. Slowly pull a string-on-a-stick toy under the newspaper for her to stalk and pounce on. Or if she prefers, put the stick part under the rug and wiggle it enticingly. This game does not cause her to expend a lot of energy, but it does stimulate her mentally, which is half the battle, and it is _some_ exercise, and some is better than none.

Put a bird feeder outside a window. This will engage her mentally also and keep her awake and stimulated.

When you play Games, drag the toy slowly. Don't wiggle it in front of her face. Many cats hate that. Cats are hunters, they want to stalk and pounce.

Have two kinds of boxes. One on it's side with the flaps hanging down for a nice Box Fort. The other upright. Get her interest and toss a toy into the upright box for her to chase down, by jumping in the box. You can also toss (or roll) toys into the Paper Bag Fort.

Try various throw toys. Not just jingly balls and quiet balls (many cats prefer quiet ones, other cats prefer ones that make a noise). Try crumpled paper balls (small ones and large ones), juice bottle rings, plastic bottle caps, bouncy balls.....

Watch her very carefully during Game times. She will tell you how she wants to play things.

I have one cat who lived on her own outside for a very long time. She wasn't very motivated to play, it took me a very long time to finally understand what her favorite Game is. I finally figured it out. 

She likes to be patted with a fly swatter (gently of course) on my bed. After a fly swatter session she becomes very energized, racing around the house and joining in the other two cats' Games (usually by ambushing them, but at least she's joining in).

Rotate toys and Games. Once you find something she likes to do, play it often, but then stop and try some other Game for a few days before returning to her favorite.

Don't ever give up!


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## maggie23 (Mar 10, 2012)

i love getting the kitty to follow you around as well to get a pre-meal walk in. i do something like this, too, to get a little more exercise out of our angel. i do it a little backward, though. i actually follow HER around. well, okay, so i'm "chasing" her really. she doesn't like to be picked up, so i bend down a little and make like i'm gonna pick her up and she starts walking away and all i do is just keep following her around so she has to keep trotting to get away from me. it's not like i'm scaring her, though. it's more like she just keeps looking back at me saying "cut it out, will ya!" when she's had enough, she sits down on her blanket and just looks at me. she knows i won't bother her there. so if yours doesn't follow you around enough, you could always try it the other way around, too.

also, have you tried the red laser light thing? seems like all cats get excited by that one.


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

For Prince, who doesn't like any kind of play or toy, not even DaBird anymore, someone gave me a wonderful idea on another thread and it really works: I bring smallish cardboard boxes from the supermarket, preferably those that already have holes on the sides for vegetables to breathe, and I make furry toys or ribbons poke out of the holes. He loves that. Also: I keep changing the boxes so they're motivated to explore the new box by jumping in and out of it. Huge boxes, small boxes. Dragging toys under cover as explained above works for Prince too.


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## Ragdoll_Joy (Jul 13, 2012)

Yup, I second the box! Joy does the same thing... lay and stalk! Even with Da Bird! She will jump at it 3-4 times then just lay and watch it! She loves pouncing into any box she can get her paws on though!! It's great!!!


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## misaac (Aug 9, 2012)

There is another type of toy you could try that is similar to Da Bird. It involves a bungee-type string with a base that can be fastened to a fixed point and a ball or feather at the other end. You set it up with the end dangling above the ground and when the cat grabs or bats it, the elastic in the string causes it to bounce around unpredictably and keeps the cat's interest.

Catnip on toys can excite a cat and make him/her feel more playful.


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## orrymain (Dec 9, 2011)

I also recommend Da Bird. Orry loves this toy and he leaps into the air pretty high trying to catch it. He can play for a long time if we continue but usually we get tired before he does and it mysteriously disappears and then he starts running around trying to find it.


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## Geek_Chick82 (Mar 21, 2009)

My lazy cat's favourite toy is a hanging mouse on an elastic that attached to the doorway. It has a bell attached and he goes crazy when I swing it back and forth. He won't play for long, but will play often. He rarely plays with it himself, he likes me swinging it and bouncing around for him 

Other toys he discovered were the miniature hard plastic bulbs on my Christmas tree. He likes them because of their odd shape- when they bounce, they bounce in all directions, rather than straight like a pink-pong ball. They're hard, plain plastic and they're too bit to swallow, so I let him bat them around. There are a half-dozen under the couch right now


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## lovetimesfour (Dec 1, 2010)

Just one caution. Any string toys, but *especially toys with elastic string *should never be left out for a cat to play with unattended. Always put them away unless you are right there either playing with the cat, or at least watching the cat play.

Elastic tightens and could cause serious harm, even death, to a cat very quickly.

Always put string toys away, including the kind designed to hang off a wall or doorway, when you are not there to keep watch.


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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

My lazy cat has never been interested in furry mice, balls, Da Bird, Cat Dancer, the laser pointer, the squeaky mouse suspended from the door, the peek-a-boo box, etc. But she does like toys that you bat across the floor, which no stores seem to carry anymore. I found 2 of her favorites, Kookie Kurlies and Crazy Spinners, here: Just Cat Toys |The Cat Connection 

Maybe yours would like them too?


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## mainecoonmama (May 24, 2012)

I just bought da bird on wednesday, mostly to tire out Kieran. Archie will play fetch nearly as long as youll throw the mousie. Kieran is a ball of kitten speed. Winston mostly bats toys to make them go away. Imagine my surprise when Winston made a bee line for da bird and then started doing somersaults trying to get it! Also, all of them love batting around those plastic easter eggs ( my mother is just as much a grandmother with them as she is with my nephew,I came home one day to find all three chasing eggs on the hard wood!) and clean empty pill bottles. I soak them in hot water and remove anything unsafe and then they become prime prey


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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

mainecoonmama said:


> winston mostly bats toys to make them go away.


lol!!!


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## dlowan (Jul 13, 2012)

Go Winston!


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## misaac (Aug 9, 2012)

mainecoonmama said:


> I came home one day to find all three chasing eggs on the hard wood!) and clean empty pill bottles. I soak them in hot water and remove anything unsafe and then they become prime prey


 
Hmm, pill bottles sound like an interesting idea - I'm always looking for new and safe toys for our kittens, and a pill bottle with a penny (or something else to make a rattling sound) in it could really grab their attention.


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## mainecoonmama (May 24, 2012)

misaac said:


> Hmm, pill bottles sound like an interesting idea - I'm always looking for new and safe toys for our kittens, and a pill bottle with a penny (or something else to make a rattling sound) in it could really grab their attention.


Be careful with what you put in it, these were rx bottles and they still managed to knock the tops off. Though an empty bottle seemed just as exciting 

And yes, Winston is my super enthused boy.....but only about lounging and a good can of chow <3


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## JRFuerst (Aug 15, 2012)

Catnip.

My 6-year old tabby male is HUGE and lazy as ****. When I give him catnip he zooms around like crazy, it is insane, and entertaining. 

Well, I also notice that his laziness subsides after he just pooped in the litter box. He gets a good burst of energy for 20-30 minutes including meowing at the wall and getting dilated pupils. I'm laughing just typing this. 

So my suggestions are catnip, and get him to poop more, that'll give him energy


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