How To Keep Your Cats Happy

I can only think Happy Cat Month means different things to different cats. Happiness could mean something as simple as a new catnip toy. But even the gift of a small toy has bigger ramifications. Simply giving a cat a new toy will initiate some fun and games that will ultimately improve both your feline’s mental and physical wellbeing. And your bond when you interact together.

Cats need such stimulation on a daily basis. A happy cat is one that gets lots of attention in the form of games as well as human attention. Often they are left alone for long hours, which result in loneliness and boredom. Think of it in human terms, how do you feel if you are home alone with nothing to do and no one to talk to for long spells?

A great way to keep your cat happy is to give her a nice tall kitty condo and place it near a window so that she can be entertained by what goes on outside whether she’s looking out onto a garden or a street.

Apart from the entertainment value, a tall condo has many other features that keep cats happy and healthy. All felines need some private space and a condo will certainly provide that.

Cats also love vertical space that gives them somewhere high up to sit and look down on everyone and the general activity in the household. The advantage of a tall kitty condo is that they work well even in a restricted space because they don’t have a very big footprint in terms of ground space.

So apart from privacy and a high vertical viewpoint, a tall cat tree or condo usually also has provision for a scratching zone. Scratching is an innate feline behavior. Cats scratch for a number of reasons, to exercise their muscles and toes, to shed old nail sheaths and also as a form of relaxation to relief stress and anxiety and they also scratch to mark their territory.

Recently writer and broadcaster Max Cryer published a book called “The Cat’s Out Of The Bag: The Truth and Lies about Cats”. It’s a book that celebrates cats and he details various cat behaviors and abilities such as how they always manage to land on their feet. He also outlines the origins of words and expressions that are part of every cat lover’s lexicon.

It’s a fun light-hearted read with some interesting feline-related information that leads to a better understanding of our feline friends and, which in terms of our own personal family felines, can only improve out relationships leading to happier and healthier cats.