If only we can bring our beloved cat to work. Or if your cat can behave accordingly and doesn’t end up making a mess of everything while you are working from home. But temporary separation has to happen because you know, we as hoomans need to work to earn a living, feed the cat and get cat-related stuff. All these require money. So, what can we do when we have to leave our cat alone at home? Besides, lonely cats would suffer from boredom being home alone when their owner is not around. That being said, here are the 6 ways to keep your cat entertained while you’re at work.
1) Get a Cat Furniture
Cat owners can surely relate to this familiar scenario: Your fur kid ends up destroying your furniture. It can be anything from couches to pillows. The reason? Well, they are plenty of them namely, cats need to keep their claws sharpened and healthy. Cat scratching also means the kitty is marking its “territory”. It may have been a cat’s common behaviour but no owners would be happy seeing their cat scratching their furniture.
Fortunately, you can avoid this matter by getting a scratching post and a cat tree. The former allows your cat to, well, scratch the post. The latter comes in handy to keep your cat entertained, given the cat tree’s multi-level structure. Not to mention the height enables the cat to climb and stretch its body too. Some cat trees even come with built-in toys to play with.
2) Puzzle Toys to Keep Your Cat Mentally Stimulated
Mental stimulation helps to prevent your cat from getting bored. And most of all, it keeps the cat busy both mentally and physically. So, it’s worth getting puzzle toys that are designed for cats. For instance, you can get the one that hides the kibbles or treats, allowing your cat to find them by “solving” the puzzle. Such a puzzle toy would encourage your cat to be more proactive while exercising its brain as well. While these puzzle toys are available at pet supply stores, you can also DIY your own using the likes of empty toilet paper rolls or egg cartons.
3) Make Use of Your Cardboard Boxes
Got a few empty cardboard boxes from your online deliveries? Instead of flattening them for future use, say if you are planning to move to another place someday, why not use these boxes to entertain your cat? You see, cats love boxes because they provide a sense of security, safety and comfort. Boxes are also like confined or enclosed spaces for cats to treat them like a den, relieve stress and even help to regulate their body temperatures. So, let your cat play with the empty cardboard boxes or you can build a “tunnel” by combining a few of the boxes. Or stack them like a “fort” with cut holes. All these help to keep your cat happy and distracted.
4) Keep Your Cat Entertained With Cat-Specific YouTube Channels
Did you know YouTube channels have a few videos specially made for your fur kid? They are free to stream too. These channels not only provide entertainment but also a good sense of enrichment, particularly if your cat becomes attentive to what it sees on the screen. Some of the examples include here and here. Playing music also works for cats too. And no, we don’t mean any kind of music like you hoomans would normally listen to. But rather music that is made specifically to soothe and calm your cat down while you’re not around.
5) Let Your Cat Play a Mobile Game
By mobile games, we don’t mean let your cat go crazy with popular titles like Genshin Impact and Call of Duty: Mobile that (most) hoomans love to play. No, they are mobile games specially designed to keep your cat busy pawing at your phone or tablet screen. Among the recommended titles worth installing for your cat include Cat Alone 2 (Android, iOS), Mouse for Cats (Android, iOS) and Cat Fishing 2 (Android, iOS).
6) Get Your Cat a Companion
Just like how companionship matters for hoomans out there, the same also goes for cats too. Imagine if you are constantly busy in your room working from home or when you’re out to work for hours, your cat can get bored and feels isolated. If you are ready to shoulder more responsibility and don’t have a budget constraint, consider adopting another cat. An additional cat means your current fur kid has a new playmate they can get together and have fun with. But before you make such a decision, it’s best to evaluate whether your cat feels comfortable or stressed with having another feline friend around your home.
