Play With a Kitten

Playing with a kitten is important. Kittens need to play for exercise and to prevent boredom. Playing with your kitten can also help your kitten bond with you. Play a variety of games with your kitten, using a variety of fun toys. Encourage your kitten to be gentle when playing, discouraging behaviors like biting. Make sure the toys you pick are safe. You don't want your kitten to play with anything potentially harmful.

Steps

Playing Games with Your Kitten

  1. Use a ping pong ball. You don't need to stock up on fancy cat toys to have fun. You may have something your cat would love just lying around the house. If you have any ping pong balls, or similar types of balls, your kitten will love playing with these.[1]
    • Bounce a ping pong ball against the wall and allow your kitten to chase it. Ping pong balls bounce easily, so they'll move around fast. This is sure to attract a kitten's attention.
  2. Play with ribbon or string. A ribbon or a string is a simple toy kittens will love. Kittens love pretending to stalk prey, so dragging a ribbon or string across the ground is sure to entertain them. You can remove a shoe string or cut off a piece of ribbon to play with your cat.[1]
    • You can also tie a small plush toy at the end of a string or ribbon and drag it across the floor.
  3. Hide a stuffed toy under a blanket. Place a small plush toy under a blanket. Wiggle it around so your kitten thinks it's a mouse or other animal. Your kitten will pounce on the toy and get plenty of fun playing a game like this.[1]
    • However, make sure it's an old blanket if your kitten is not declawed. Kitten claws can seriously damage fabrics.
    • You may not want to play this game if you let your kitten sleep in your bed. This may encourage your kitten to pounce on your feet while you're trying to sleep.
  4. Let your kitten play in a paper bag. If you get home from the grocery store, place a paper bag on the ground. Many kittens love playing in paper bags. You can take a small toy and poke the sides of the paper bag with it. This will give your cat something to play with inside the paper bag.[1]
    • You can also set down a paper bag while playing with a ribbon or string with your cat. The kitten will use the paper bag as a hiding spot from which to jump out at their pray.
  5. Provide your kitten with plush toys. Kittens love play hunting. In the wild, play is a form of practice for hunting later in life. Your kitten will love having small plush toys to stalk. Choose toys big enough for your kitten to carry in its mouth.[2]
    • You can throw these toys around for your kitten like a ping pong ball. However, plush toys are also great as your kitten will play with them on its own. This can help keep your kitten entertained while you're out of the house.
    • Some plush toys are filled with catnip. This can make your kitten extra playful.
  6. Use trial and error to figure out what your kitten likes. Every kitten has different preferences when it comes to toys. If your kitten doesn't like a certain toy, don't try to force it. Buy a variety of types of toys for your kitten and see what it takes to.[3]

Teaching Your Kitten to Play Nice

  1. Correct bad behaviors gently. Kittens often do not understand boundaries. When young, they may view you as a kitten. They may bite your hand or another body part during play. You should never scold or punish a kitten for this behavior. It's likely to make a kitten nervous. Instead, gently correct the behavior.[4]
    • When a kitten bites you, gently say, "No." Then, pull your hand away.
    • Provide your kitten with a toy to chew on instead.
  2. Praise positive behavior. In addition to correcting bad behavior, praise your kitten for behaving. If your kitten has been pouncing on your feet when you walk by, and refrains from doing it one day, say something like, "Good kitten!" If your kitten sits in your lap without biting or clawing, pet and praise your kitten.[4]
  3. Ignore your kitten when it misbehaves. If a kitten continues to misbehave after being corrected, ignore the behavior Kittens often act out because they want attention. For a kitten, any response, even a negative one, may be a positive one. Therefore, simply ignoring biting until a kitten stops is often effective.[4]
  4. Do not let your kitten play with your hands or fingers. Many people play wrestle with their kitten, or allow their kitten to paw at their finger. This sends a message that biting and scratching are appropriate behaviors. This can become more of a problem as your kitten grows.[4]

Keeping Your Kitten Safe

  1. Put fishing pole toys away when you're not using them. Fishing pole toys are sold at many department and pet stores. While they can provide hours of fun for a kitten, they should not be used if your kitten is unsupervised. These tend to have a lot of small parts. Put them away when your not there to supervise your kitten.[2]
    • If you use strings and ribbons like fishing pole toys, these should also be put away. While ribbons and strings are generally safe for supervised play, they can actually be deadly if swallowed.
  2. Do not leave bags in areas where they could get stepped on. It can be fun to let your kitten play in a paper bag. However, don't leave a paper bag out where it could be stepped on. Someone could easily step on your kitten inside the paper bag. Much like other toys, it's generally best to put paper bags away altogether when your not there to supervise.[2]
  3. Make sure toys aren't small enough to be swallowed. Kittens may swallow their toys by mistake when playing. Therefore, you should not get your kitten any toys that are small enough to be easily swallowed. Stick to toys bigger than your kitten's mouth for safety.[2]
  4. Avoid leaving toys with batteries out. Battery operated toys can be fun for your cat. However, you may be inclined to leave them out when you're gone so your kitten can play with them in your absence. Battery-operated toys should be put away when you're not present. Cats could potentially get into the batteries, which can be harmful if chewed on or swallowed.[2]

Tips

  • Using catnip toys usually attracts kitty and keeps the game going longer.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 https://pethelpful.com/cats/easygamesforcats
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 http://www.vetstreet.com/our-pet-experts/toys-that-are-safe-for-your-kitten?page=2
  3. ↑ http://icatcare.org/advice/playing-your-cat
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/cats/tips/kitten_play.html
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