Mental Stimulation for Cats

by Katie Farrell, Baypath’s Cat Programs Coordinator

What is Mental Stimulation: 

Mental stimulation includes any activity that stimulates or enriches the cat’s mind. Mental stimulation can help your cat be more content, and reduce unwanted behaviors. It will also help tire them out, which is great for young, active, indoor cats. Mental stimulation will keep cats alert and happy, while improving their health – both physically and mentally.

How can it Help:

Cats can become aggressive, destructive, overweight, or bored if they are not receiving enough enrichment.  Cats are inquisitive and are always looking for something to do. If they are not getting enough stimulation from us or the toys we leave out for them, they may start to get into trouble, or become over aroused. Arousal refers to the cat’s emotional state. When a cat is over aroused, they often become highly emotionally aroused. When this occurs, they can react to any stimuli, and their reaction may be aggressive. The aggression can be directed towards people, or they may become destructive in their environment.  For shy or fearful cats, mental stimulation can help them gain confidence and may allow them to come out of their shell sooner. When cats are stressed or don’t have an outlet for their energy, adding enrichment will help them.  In summary, enrichment will help build the bond between you and your cat which creates a happy household.  

Examples of Enrichment Activities:

Every cat is an individual, so each cat has their own preference on types of enrichment activities. Some cats do best with easier enrichment activities, while others need more challenging activities. While some types of enrichment can be purchased, you can also be creative and make enrichment activities at home with general household items. Here are some ideas to try with your cat or kitten!

• Boxes: 
  • Cat Amazing has interactive box puzzle feeders — https://catamazing.com/ 
    • You can also make your own! Pizza Boxes are great for cutting holes out and adding treats or toys
  • You can also use any box to hide toys, catnip, or hang toys from the top for interactive hunt-like play 
• Paper bags:
  • Some cats like to hide and play in paper bags. You can leave them empty or add catnip and toys to the back of the bag for play
• Paper or tissue paper: 
  • You can crumple it and to make a fun ball 
  • You can also add treats and catnip to the inside for a fun game! 
• Paper towel or toilet paper rolls: 
  • You can hide treats or food in the middle of the tube, then close the ends and cut holes in the middle. This creates a homemade puzzle feeder, similar to – PetSafe funkitty egg-cersizer treat dispensing toy 
• Cat obstacle courses: 
  • You can buy a cat tower, or make your own! 
  • To make your own you can stack boxes, milk crates, or other items on each other to build a climbing wall or course for them to explore 
    • You can add dangle toys or hide food/treats to make it more interactive 
• Bubbles: 
  • Cats like to watch and chase bubbles 
  • They even make catnip bubbles that you can purchase
• Wand toys:
  • Wand toys are great for redirecting unwanted behaviors
  • They mimic hunt for indoor cats
    • Always be sure to  let them catch the end of the wand for a fair and fun game! 
  • Using the wand toy every day well help satisfy and calm your cat
• Self-moving toys: 
  • These toys will keep going for your cats when you are not home, or don’t have time to play 
  • Some electronic toy examples include: Cat’s meow motorized chaser cat toy, Smartykat twirly top electronic ball
  • Some other cat favorites include: Catit design senses circuit toy, cat tunnels, Frisco cat tracks toy, turbo scratchers 
  • You can also search “feline interactive toys” on Chewy or Amazon for more examples 
• Food puzzles:
  • You can buy many different types or puzzles, including a ball feeders or mazes
  • Licki matts are great for wet food
  • You can make your own puzzle feeders with boxes
• Train your cats: 
  • Cats are extremely smart and will often learn tricks for food
  • Clicker training is helpful for cats – https://www.clickertraining.com/cat-training 
  • You can teach cats things like – sit, paw, down, stay, or even to ring a bell
    • Training is a fun bonding experience for owners and their cats!