AboutJessica Expertise I have bred Siamese cats and have years of experience caring for homeless, feral, orphaned, and terminally ill cats. I am knowledgeable in cat behavior, health, history, troubleshooting, breeds, coat patterns and colors, and trivia.
Experience I have extensive experience with cats ranging from breeding to at-home medical care to rescuing homeless cats and placing them in homes. I have assisted cats giving birth and hand-nursed kittens who were neglected by their mother from 2 days old through weaning. I have given supportive care to cats suffering from diabetes, terminal cancer, feline leukemia, feline infectious peritonits, and kidney, liver, and heart failure. I have been through chemotherapy with two of my cats who had lymphoma and have also been through many cutting edge surgeries with my special needs cats.
Question Hi jessica i wish u could find a solution for me... when my sister got our first cat he was like 2 or 3 months old.. my mom forced us to put him in the upper room alone because she's scared of cats( we used to put him when we go to sleep)but at that time he was so playful and jumpy ..and my sister was the only one who plays with him..( i used to freak out from cats in that period of time ).. Now, he's much older..like a year..and i got used to him but when i play with him he doesnt respond like i throw the ball he doesn't go up and run behind it.. =S and he only sits around doing nothing just eat and drink and sleep! i want my old cat back!! please help how can i make him more playful.
sorry if it was too long..thank u so much..
Answer Hi, Mark. The first thing I would recommend you do is to get your kitty to a vet, because laziness can be due to an illness. He could be diabetic, have heart problems, or all sorts of things.
Is your kitty fat? Fat cats don't usually play as much as if they were fit. If your cat is chubby, you should put him on a special diet for overweight cats, and only feed him what the label says to feed him every day.
I would suggest to buy some catnip-treated toys for him. Catnip makes most cats very active and playful, at least for a short time. He'll be more likely to play with catnip toys than with others.
You might also want to try interactive toys, where you tempt the kitty to play using motion. There are lots of toys like that made for cats, but something as simple as waving a ribbon around will work. Just make sure never to leave the ribbon out when you're not playing with it. Cats can strangle themselves or eat the ribbon, and that can be deadly.
