Cat enrichment ideas?

[CatInTheSaddle]

As steward of two semi-indoor cats who have both firmly declined their usual jaunts in the garden on the grounds of it being too wet/too cold/too windy, what can I do to keep their brains occupied? Preferably contraptions that are easy to construct and don't involve buying anything (as specific purchases are always firmly ignored!)! They already have a toy rotation, and have enjoyed a Terry's Chocolate Orange box (luckily I got to eat the orange first ) with a few biscuits hidden inside, but I'd love some cunning ideas to keep them busy?

 

[Snow Falcon]

I believe Huffly Puffly constructed a magnificent cardboard box castle for hers.

 

[Snow Falcon]

I've just had a quick look for it but the pictures have gone. It was from 2021.

@HufflyPuffly cat fort pics?

 

[HappyHollyDays]

Scrunched up silver foil balls beats any commercial cat toy hands down. Having said that my little blind cat loved his ball run because he could bash it hard and being circular it came back to him.

 

[HufflyPuffly]

I've just had a quick look for it but the pictures have gone. It was from 2021.

@HufflyPuffly cat fort pics?

Hopefully these work.




Though to be honest they love any box or bag . I bought a giant cat tree and they played with the box for at least a week before using it!

 

[CatInTheSaddle]

Box fort might be beyond my capabilities but Christmas hols are coming up!

Tin foil is a great shout, they love clothing tags! Ball run was a success for one whole day... Then never played with again

 

[CatInTheSaddle]

Hopefully these work.
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Though to be honest they love any box or bag . I bought a giant cat tree and they played with the box for at least a week before using it!

Oh amazing! Is it parcel taped together? I've got a roll of duct tape under the stairs...

 

[HufflyPuffly]

Oh amazing! Is it parcel taped together? I've got a roll of duct tape under the stairs...

Yep just cut holes to make different layers and just taped boxes together! They loved it!

 

[Fjord]

Boxes! They love boxes.

 

[HollyWoozle]

Forage boxes are also fun, cardboard boxes with leaves etc and you can hide the odd biscuit or treat in there.

 

[HufflyPuffly]

Plus Christmas trees! They love trees and decorations! You might not like how they redecorate mind…

 

[CatInTheSaddle]

Boxes! They love boxes.

Ours have a good supply of boxes, but they seem to be a bit bored with current offering... Maybe time to switch them out?

 

[CatInTheSaddle]

Forage boxes are also fun, cardboard boxes with leaves etc and you can hide the odd biscuit or treat in there.

Ooh that's a good idea, Yenn loves furtling for things (as I and my baked goods have been painfully reminded of, more than once...)

 

[HufflyPuffly]

Ours have a good supply of boxes, but they seem to be a bit bored with current offering... Maybe time to switch them out?

Act like they’re not allowed them it normally does the trick .

I like to hide dreamies for them to find too.

 

[CatInTheSaddle]

Plus Christmas trees! They love trees and decorations! You might not like how they redecorate mind…

Can't believe I'm about to jinx this but we've had a tree two years running and this far they've shown absolutely no interest... I will no doubt wake up to chaos tomorrow morning now I've said that

 

[HufflyPuffly]

Can't believe I'm about to jinx this but we've had a tree two years running and this far they've shown absolutely no interest... I will no doubt wake up to chaos tomorrow morning now I've said that

Are you sure you have cats? Huffle has savaged the tree and curtains in the space of ten minutes tonight! She’s now sulking

 

[CatInTheSaddle]

Are you sure you have cats? Huffle has savaged the tree and curtains in the space of ten minutes tonight! She’s now sulking

Please tell Huffle I love her!
Our two are a bit odd by cat standards, I think. They're not very interested in environmental destruction, but they make up for it by being inveterate scroungers! Hence needing to keep them occupied...

 

[SEL]

We got some wine delivered in a box about a week ago. The cat has moved into the box - cheapest toy ever.

 

[HufflyPuffly]

Please tell Huffle I love her!
Our two are a bit odd by cat standards, I think. They're not very interested in environmental destruction, but they make up for it by being inveterate scroungers! Hence needing to keep them occupied...

Everyone who doesn’t have to deal with her nonsense loves Huffle .

 

[CatInTheSaddle]

Just in case anyone searches this, I will record our attempts so far at cat entertainment!
Tonight: cat shot glasses
(Not really shot glasses, actually some old and unloved tea light holders - washed first!)
Set up is very simple: a handful of dry biscuits placed in said tea light holders. Tea light holders are placed before the cats.
Success: 5/5 from the resident felines, enjoyed fishing the snacks out with their paws. A few face smushing attempts were made but they soon figured it out! Kept them occupied for a good ten minutes.
(Biscuit portion was taken from their overall ration, don't worry about their podge levels )

 

[Cloball]

I know you said no purchases but my cat loves those cardboard scratching trays you can get and we recently found one with added balls and holes which he's obsessed with which was £4.50. I watch him putting balls down holes and try to work out if this means he's more or less intelligent than a human baby he did add his own enrichment though im not sure whatbthat means about his intelligence

 

[Cloball]

Has to be the rectangular ones though as I got a circular one he only played with whenOH put a load of catnip down it.

 

[CatInTheSaddle]

I know you said no purchases but my cat loves those cardboard scratching trays you can get and we recently found one with added balls and holes which he's obsessed with which was £4.50. I watch him putting balls down holes and try to work out if this means he's more or less intelligent than a human baby he did add his own enrichment though im not sure whatbthat means about his intelligence View attachment 130615View attachment 130616

To be fair, the Yennig has at last trashed her previous rectangular scratching pad - she might get one of these as a belated Christmas present! Her sister has never cared much for scratch pads but who knows, maybe this will be an exception

 

[Cloball]

I recommend the ones with the added balls and holes I often hear him gallop in to play with it.

 

[pistolpete]

Mine had a Perspex fishing rod with a strip of fleece attached to it. Spent hours ramming it into the skirting board! Funny cat.

 

[Boulty]

Toilet roll pyramids (literally stack them laid down & secure together) with dry food inside the tubes that they can shove a paw in to reach can be fun. You could even just have single tubes with something inside (maybe wrapped in a bit of tissue paper or similar for extra challenge?) for them to bat about. Empty egg boxes with a bit of food inside for them to go fishing for? Ditto yoghurt pots (which are also suitable for wet food). If you google “ DIY cat puzzle feeding” you should get a ton of ideas come up!

If you’ve got the usual pre Xmas glut of cardboard boxes then leaving as many as you can bear out as a fun playground for a few days? Could even build them a fort if you’ve got enough big ones.

More rod toy play if you can manage it would encourage them to burn some energy off, especially if you’ve got more than 1 attachment. A spare dressing gown cord or strip of fleece tied to a cardboard tube (maybe cut a wrapping paper tube in half?) could also work.

 

[FinnishLapphund]

Just do anything you could do a whole lot faster if the cats didn't try to "help" you. I've just tried to sort through mine + my parents presents to my sister, her husband, and their 3 adult children, before we're going to wrap them up tomorrow. I also wrote up in our Gift book, what we've bought to who (so that we e.g. don't try to give someone a book we've already given them 2 years ago etc), and apparently all of what I did was done to entertain my cats, who tried to help as much as possible. They tried to help with inspecting things, helped with bags, lied on the Gift book, tried to go after my pen when I put it down to put away the gifts I had managed to write up...

I can also recommend putting something upside down which isn't usually upside down, on a place the cats didn't expect it. Like when I placed our foldable footbath bucket upside down to dry up after it had been used.

Fröjdis have found something in her bathtub

Is there something there?

Yes, it's me, Essy!

 

[Highmileagecob]

An empty paper feed bag keeps my cat occupied for ages. Just be careful about walking past the bag, forgetting there is likely to be a cat in it, as it becomes a perfect ambush point for ankles.

 

[CatInTheSaddle]

Toilet roll pyramids (literally stack them laid down & secure together) with dry food inside the tubes that they can shove a paw in to reach can be fun. You could even just have single tubes with something inside (maybe wrapped in a bit of tissue paper or similar for extra challenge?) for them to bat about. Empty egg boxes with a bit of food inside for them to go fishing for? Ditto yoghurt pots (which are also suitable for wet food). If you google “ DIY cat puzzle feeding” you should get a ton of ideas come up!

If you’ve got the usual pre Xmas glut of cardboard boxes then leaving as many as you can bear out as a fun playground for a few days? Could even build them a fort if you’ve got enough big ones.

More rod toy play if you can manage it would encourage them to burn some energy off, especially if you’ve got more than 1 attachment. A spare dressing gown cord or strip of fleece tied to a cardboard tube (maybe cut a wrapping paper tube in half?) could also work.

Ahh these are excellent! I see a crafty afternoon in my future they get a dash around play session in the morning and the evening but it's a bit hit or miss what's catching their attention at the moment. Might be time to bite the bullet and replace the feather toy (previous "bird" has been thoroughly crunched and no longer flies properly!). Wiggly worm is of some interest, and the Princess Cat adores Mr Rainbow String. The Yennig is convinced Mr Rainbow String is a snake and will hide whenever he shows his face. Will try a scrap of fleece!

 

[Crazy_cat_lady]

Everyone who doesn’t have to deal with her nonsense loves Huffle .

Ragdolls are very sassy and know they rule the house and are specialists at getting their own way

You can get cat activity boards and cat treat balls, used to have them when we had the alley Cat as he bolted his food. Tried princess ragdoll with them, far too lazy to bother when she knew she could just get them out a bowl - my mum's ragdoll was the same

Ours like sisal balls/mice which rattle

Have you tried catnip aka cat cannabis?