Find creative ways to get your finicky feline to play
I often encourage feline fanciers to stimulate play with their animals and make old toys new again by reapplying catnip or putting them away for a while; then when they reappear, they are new.
You should not have to work very hard to get your feline to play with interactional toys. If your feline is disinterested in anything you buy, they just might not respond to conventional store bought toys. What can you find for them to play with that will be safe?
Use your imagination and enter your feline's state of mind. If you watch your feline's behavior, you will come up with some ideas. Don't our felines always want something to play with they shouldn't? Our response to their behavior is key. An object is always more interesting if we are saying no. Now the object is a must-have. Look for creative ways to make the item safe, or only allow access when you can supervise.
I have a feline that always helps me when I put away groceries. There are two things she asks for when this happens - twist-ties and paper bag handles.
She watches me untwist ties from the bags I get in the fruit and vegetable department. She tries to grab them and run away with them. She is even smart enough to know where they are kept and tries to open the kitchen drawers and cabinets to get at them.
She enjoys the ties so much, I allow her to play with them when I have time to watch so I can make sure she does not run off and hide the twists for later play. Ultimately, she would chew all of the paper off, exposing the wire, if I let her have it for an extended period of time.
If I come home with paper-handled shopping bags her world is complete. The handles are cut off and she proudly claims her prize by carrying them off to her toy box. Flat handled paper is safer because it does not unravel like twisted handles.
Forget crinkled or fuzzy store bought toys for my paper obsessed feline. She prefers wadded notepaper balls. She will fetch nothing else, and loves the texture and sound. This is a harmless toy to leave out as long as you check the condition of the paper daily.
She hauls these paper wads around and proudly puts them in her toy box so she does not have to share. The rest of my felines think she is crazy because they love the expensive store bought toys.
If your feline does not like conventional toys, keep experimenting. You will find something they like that is safe and brings out their inner kitten.
If you want to provide a special toy and don't mind the price range, YEOWWW brand catnip toys will send even the laziest feline into playing frenzy. Even my paper-crazed feline plays like a kitten with these toys.
The price range on these is from $6-$8. When your feline gets through playing with YEOWWW catnip, make sure you have a super Kitty Kong available to divert aggression away from the rest of your felines.
Yes, they are that crazy with YEOWWW. Just sit back and enjoy the show.
• The Buddy Foundation, 65 W. Seegers Road, Arlington Heights, is an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization. Call (847) 290-5806 or visit www.thebuddyfoundation.org.