AboutJessica Expertise The areas in which I have gained the most experience are cat health and feral cat management/rescue. I provide supportive care to chronically ill cats, hospice care to terminally ill cats and also am involved in trap-neuter-return efforts. My specialities lie in taming feral cats and in the allopathic treatment of cats with illnesses or special needs. I also have owned Siamese, Himalayans, Abyssinians, Russian Blues, Savannahs, Bengals, Peterbalds, Don Sphynx and Oriental Shorthairs and am well-versed in cat breeds as well as cat behavior and nutrition.
Experience I have 15 years of extensive experience with cats ranging from breeding to medical care. My daily routine consists of caring for cats with diabetes, thyroid disease, kidney failure, feline leukemia, feline AIDS as well as feral cats. I have experience with liver patients, heart patients, feline infectious peritonitis, cancer, recovery from amputation and trauma, congenital deformities and most every disease in between. I have assisted cats giving birth and hand-nursed kittens who were neglected by their mother from 2 days old through weaning.
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.
