Indoor Games for Your Cat

Exercise for cats is good and necessary not only for their body, but also for their brain. Since indoor cats don’t spend time outside prowling around it is important to help them get regular exercise at home. And playing games with your cat is of course a great way to bond with him or her as well. To keep your cat healthy, try out some of the indoor games for cats we have listed here.

Chase the feather and other wand toys:

This is both of my cats’ favorite game. One of them prefers the wand with a short, smooth feather boa at the end and the other prefers the one with a handful of realistic feathers on the end. When exercising your cat, you really want to give the toy life like it is a real-life bird or other type of prey. Let your cat grab the toy and then reward her with a treat for catching her prey.

Hide and seek:

This is a fun game for kitties to play at their own pace. In general, it is good to have at least a cat tree or two for your cats to get some exercise on their own. However, you can make it even more fun if you hide some treats or catnip on the trees. You can also hide them under the bed, on the couch, or anywhere your cat regularly likes to spend time inside. That big Amazon box you’re holding onto because Fluffy loves it so much is another good place to hide some treats.

Laser pointer:

The other day I moved my phone in a certain way and one of my cats ran up the wall after the reflected light I had accidentally caused. You could do this, or you could invest in a laser pointer. Make sure to get a pet specific one because some lasers are bad for kitties (and humans) eyes. If this is your favorite game, reward your cat with a treat when you’re done playing so that she feels like she accomplished something, and isn’t left frustrated.

TV Games:

Not all cats are responsive to the tv. However, if your cat is, do a quick search of games for cats on the YouTube app. They have games like mouse chasing, fishing, or following a pretend rope on the screen. Make sure to reward your cat with a treat when they’re done to reward them for catching their prey or what have you.

Have you tried any of these games with your cats or do you plan to? Do you know any other good ones? Shoot us a comment or message on Facebook or Instagram @chicagolandcatsitters and let us know what your cats’ favorite indoor games are!