My boyfriend and I are looking for new ways to entertain his 1 yo cat, Marvin, who is destroying his roommate's furniture, the carpet, and is in general pretty bored. He has lots of toys and we throw things for him to chase, play with him, etc. several times every day, he has a floor to ceiling scratching post with little platforms for him to climb (which my boyfriend had to modify because Marvin kept knocking it down and finally broke it in half, lol) and he also has 3 other scratching posts of different materials around the house.

We finally decided we need some new ideas to keep him entertained when he jumped through the screen out the window to chase an 80 lb dog. Other signs of boredom include:
Putting things in the toilet in attempt to make it flush (socks, packing peanuts, papers, anything)
unrolling and destroying any toilet paper or paper towel not kept in a locked cabinet
randomly running up and biting people on the foot or toe
running in loops around furniture (and by this I mean running over the top of the couch, flipping over and running upside down underneath the couch, and then going back over top of the couch, over and over again)
Attempting to attack the ceiling fan (no he hasn't made it up there yet)
General destruction of things that don't belong to us.

Google hasn't really come up with anything new we can use, but I know lots of VBers have indoor cats so maybe you guys can help us out.

Get another cat! :yes: I have 6, and they play and chase each other around frequently in addition to getting exercise during time I spend with them.

I would start by getting softpaws. www.softpaws.com. They are not expensive and will save the relationship with the roommate. I got little "mice" with catnip inside. They end up under furnature, but provide many hours of enjoyment for the excitable cat. My cat used to be really fun, he's getting older now and doesn't play so much anymore. I also liked the toys on a stick. You can buy them at any animal feed store (in the US). That is fun for both of us. It does require you being around though. My cat ignores it when it doesn't move around (I am not controling it). I agree that another cat would help also. They will chase and play with each other and that'll keep them out of mischief. It will however up you litter :flush: , vet :wall: , and food costs :hungry: .
Good Luck.
Let us know how it goes....

laser pointers are my cat's favorite toy, she wears herself out chasing that light. which reminds me, I gotta get new batteries.

I second the above recommendations though.

a second cat would be one of the best solutions. that boy needs a friend! and plus, it's not that much harder caring for two cats.

laser pointers are another great thing. all 4 of my cats go crazy for it. even my 100lb. dog chases it around everywhere.

I'd love to try soft paws but I really think he would have to be tranked for us to get them on. I've tried getting him used to people touching his feet, etc. and he freaks out and I've lost some skin every time. The vet even has to knock him almost out to do a routine physical. Thankfully the room mate is pretty laid back and as long as Marvin's not in his room he's cool.

I agree another cat would probably be the best thing for him, but Chance really can't afford it, Marvin kind of just fell into his lap (he was found at about 3 weeks old wondering around his parents yard, so Chance bottle fed him and kept him). The laser pointer could be very good though, I'll definitely pick one of those up soon, Marvin would love that.

i second the laser pointer, but make sure there's an on/off switch, rather than a button, otherwise your fingers will get cramped.

The batteries go quick on those things, too, so be prepped with backups (i'd say a every couple weeks or so)

Other ideas: something to hang on the wall that will fall away from the wall about a foot or so, and dangle (the closer it is to the wall, the less amusing)...

other ideas: if you are allowed to alter the house a bit, I've seen "kitty walkways" that loop around in rooms. ..you basically get some wood, carpet, put the carpet over the wood and connect to the wall...really, it's only good to do this if it's your own home. This gives the cat something to jump up to get to, and some "kitty space" and the ability to make some insane jumps around the house, relieving some of his energy from actual furniture.

my one fat lazy cat is the only one in the house, but she likes to play with ice. Give her a piece of ice on linoleum, and she's entertained until it's completely melted.

^_^

my himalayan kitty is entertained by crumpled up paper. She actually taught me that she can play fetch. I learned this at christmas, when i'd balled up all my wrapping paper after opening presents ^_^

My cats love to play fetch with superballs. Ping-pong balls are pretty good, too.

And yes to the laser pointers. Best cat toy ever!

Also, give the cat lots of physical attention and good kitty massages. This will fill him up with attention and it also releases some energy for him.

Diana-Kate

you can make food-toys too. Like get a milk carton (or soy milk carton ;) ) and punch some holes in it, put his dinner in it, and then hang it on a door so he can bat it around and get some yummies.

Also, cats get bored with toys quickly. Give him two or three and rotate them every couple of days so it's always "new"

Get a tennis ball and cut it open (this is harder than it sounds!) and cut a holes in it and stuff his dinner in it and let him bat it around. You can also do this for dogs. It's an el-cheapo buster ball. :D

also, if he's REALLY driving you nuts, you can get some Feliway spray (it's a synthetic hormone) and kind of spray it around when you want him to chill out a bit. It's supposed to sooooooothe the savage kitty beast. We use it at the shelter for the stressy cats.

you can make food-toys too. Like get a milk carton (or soy milk carton ;) ) and punch some holes in it, put his dinner in it, and then hang it on a door so he can bat it around and get some yummies.

Also, cats get bored with toys quickly. Give him two or three and rotate them every couple of days so it's always "new"

Get a tennis ball and cut it open (this is harder than it sounds!) and cut a holes in it and stuff his dinner in it and let him bat it around. You can also do this for dogs. It's an el-cheapo buster ball. :D

also, if he's REALLY driving you nuts, you can get some Feliway spray (it's a synthetic hormone) and kind of spray it around when you want him to chill out a bit. It's supposed to sooooooothe the savage kitty beast. We use it at the shelter for the stressy cats.

Those are some good ideas. I'm gonna have to try the milk carton thing with my dog.

running in loops around furniture (and by this I mean running over the top of the couch, flipping over and running upside down underneath the couch, and then going back over top of the couch, over and over again)


:lol: :lol:

I'm sad to say, I play with my cats a lot and Marta is still el destructo cat, but that's because she's evil. :evil:

Laser pointer. If it has a button, you can keep it pressed down with a rubber band. Target has some for $5 but the battery doesn't last long. There are some out there that take AA or AAA batteries instead of the small expensive ones. They're great for getting Fatty Fudgkins (my sisters fat cat, real name is eden) to exercise. I try to make them smack into a wall :D

Other than that, cats like pipe cleaners, toy mice (be careful, when they get wet, they stain, especially the purple ones), and the sticks with an inch wide stip of fleece on it, similar to what gymnasts use in floor exercises. You can make one real easily and cats love to attack it.

Most cats I know seem to settle down after a year or two and get fat.
HTH,
~Wonder :tame:

When my four cats aren't chasing each other, it's fun to watch all of them scramble at once after a laser dot, too.

One of them also plays fetch with those plastic seals from soymilk containers.

Other than that, cats like toy mice (be careful, when they get wet, they stain, especially the purple ones)

Thank you for that, I can guarantee that if we got Marvin a mouse he would dip it in the toilet and leave little stains all over the house! lol

Be careful with little toy mice. They can be a choking hazard.

I second (third, forth, fifth?) the suggestions of getting another cat and a laser pointer.

What about a cat tree? http://www.veggieboards.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=5639&catid=member&imageuser=356 My guys love theirs. They use it for sleeping, climbing, wrestling, scratching, and playing king of the mountain. :)

I also have a battery operated mouse ring. It whirls around and around in a loop and keeps the little ones busy, although my older cats don't pay much attention to it.

Laser pointer and second cat are both great ideas. I have three cats. Two are younger and they love to chase each other. They also love to sit on paper bags and high spots where they can hang out and watch the world go by. As the cat gets older, he/she will be calmer. But a playmate is a must.

The greatest cat toy ever is an old windscreen wiper blade on the end of a stick (just tape it on). You hold the stick and wave the wiper around - I think it's something about the way the wiper moves, and the fact that it's much less obvious that it's you moving it. Plus you can stand in one spot and get your cat runnig all over the room.

I used to have to "exercise" Munchie so that we could sleep at night. My mom called him ADD kitty. At first she thought I was crazy because if I was talking to her in the evening, she'd ask what I was doing, and I'd say I was exercising the cat so I could get some sleep tonight. Once we moved into her house, she understood. Haha.
The laser pointer was my toy of choice during those times. I'd run him all the way down the hall and back over and over again until he was exhausted. He also loves cat dancers, and "birds" which I also call "feathers on a string on a stick" -- it's like a fishing pole with weighted feathers that flutter around when you float it through the air. He loves his scratching post, scratching tower (floor to ceiling), these little plastic rings that he fetches, and anything catnip.
We had one other cat living at my apartment but she was old and didn't want to run around. At my parents house we had her and two other old cats who wanted nothing to do with Munchie. Once the oldest one died, we ended up with a kitten (Munchie was 2 at the time) and they got on like peas and carrots from day one. They keep eachother endlessly entertained. They get all riled up and run around like mad men. It's a lot of fun :)

also, if he's REALLY driving you nuts, you can get some Feliway spray (it's a synthetic hormone) and kind of spray it around when you want him to chill out a bit. It's supposed to sooooooothe the savage kitty beast. We use it at the shelter for the stressy cats.

*that's supposed to be pheremone... der der der