Teach
Your Cat Aerobics: Cats Can Exercise
By
Steve Dale
Obesity
in cats could just be the most prevalent problem there is among
our pets. After all, according to the American Veterinary Medical
Association, there are 68.9 million cats in America, and as many
as forty per cent are too tubby.
Even
a mere three extra pounds on a 10-lb. cat is like forty pounds
on a person. There are various health risks that can affect overweight
cats, impacting quality of life, even mortality.
What’s
more, flabby felines become increasingly sedentary; this can be
a death sentence. If the litter box is several rooms away, especially
if the box is up or down a stair case, some of these cats just
stop making the trip. When cats begin to think outside their boxes,
owners begin think about dumping them at shelters. Of course,
that can be a death sentence.
It
turns out there’s a link between a lack of activity and
depression in cats. While, it’s true cats adore their legendary
catnaps, it’s also true that all cats are natural born hunters.
Even if it means “killing” a mouse toy or pouncing
on a little plastic ball, all cats are hard-wired to hunt.
When
that need isn’t being met, veterinary behaviorist Dr. Karen
Overall of Philadelphia, PA says it’s not out of the realm
to call these cats “depressed.” The problem is what
to do about it.
Certainly,
exercise burns calories. And over time, exercise can also presumably
improve a cat’s metabolism, just as it does in people who
begin an exercise routine. The trick is how do you get a cat to
exercise?
There
are two problems. For one thing, overweight cats have become increasingly
lethargic and out of shape. For another thing, they’re cats.
But here’s what you have going for you. These cats are motivated
by food.
Instead
of leaving your cat’s weight control food out all day, feed
about 70 per cent of kitty’s food twice daily. Be sure to
carefully measure. Hide the remaining 30 per cent in Play ‘N
Treat balls (available at pet stores). These are small plastic
balls with a hole in each. Pour some kibble into each ball. Teach
kitty to roll the balls around so food tumbles out a piece or
two at a time.
When
you leave the house, place two Play ‘N Treat balls in expected
places, such as near the food dish or where your cat regularly
hangs out. Then, begin to hide the balls in unexpected places
(Play N Treat balls should be kept out of reach of dogs). Kitty
will learn to “hunt” for the balls and the kibble
inside them. Not only is your cat exercising her body, she’s
exercising her mind as she searches.
Daily
play time is essential. Take an interactive cat toy, such as a
fishing pole-type pole with feathers or fabric at the end, and
pretend it’s a little bird. These tubby tabby’s aren’t
Olympic athletes, so don’t expect them to run in circles
like a svelte kitty. Just pawing at the toy is an impressive start.
Eventually, your cat – in the process of trimming down -
may be running circles, but that’ll take months of conditioning,
as well as being on a special low-cal diet.
If
you maintain you have no time for cat games; after all that’s
why you chose having a cat and not a dog, get yourself a goldfish.
It’s true cats don’t require nearly as much of a time
commitment as dog. But certainly, instead of reaching for the
remote when the TV commercials come on, you can reach for a cat
toy.
Of
course, you can’t be with your cat all the time, which is
why toys for independent play are also essential. The secret here
isn’t quantity, it’s quality. Instead of leaving out
the same 50 cat toys daily, rotate the toys every few days so
they become new and different. You can understand how killing
the same darn mouse toy day after day gets boring after a while.
Put that mouse toy away for a few days, and then when it reappears
– maybe in another room - to your cat, it’s an all
new mouse.
First,
determine what your cat’s favorite toys are. Since you can’t
ask, this will can only be done by trial and error.
Toys
can be created on the cheap. Take an old cardboard shoe box, and
tape it shut. Cut a mouse hole in the side so kitty can poke a
paw in. On Monday, leave catnip in there. Maybe surprise her with
a pair of ping-pong balls inside the shoe box on Tuesday, and
a mouse toy on Wednesday. On Thursday put the shoe box away and
replace it with an empty toilet tube role folded over at both
ends, and cut holes in the side. Put catnip, or weight control
kibble inside the tube.
Another
way to slim down your kitty might surprise even lifetime cat owners;
cats can be trained. Keep in mind what cats enjoy most is interaction
with their people. However, unlike dogs who gladly do volunteer
work for their people, cats want to be paid. So, have weight control
kibble near by as you train your cat. That’s right –
train your cat.
Most
overweight cats already know how to come when you call, even if
they think their name is the sound of the can opener or the refrigerator
door opening. Start, by saying kitty’s name as you simultaneously
use the can opener or open the fridge – and offer some kibble
when she comes running. Soon you’ll be able to just call
your kitty, and eventually you can even have the kids hide, playing
kitty hide ‘n seek. They call, and the cat gets kibble when
she finds them.
However,
you can do so much more. By using a clicker, you can pretty much
train your cat to do anything a dog can do. The possibilities
are endless. Cats can be trained to walk on a harness and leash
and taught to do tricks. “Not only is this great exercise,
and great fun for you and your cat – the end result will
be a tighter bond with your cat,” says behavioral biologist
Karen Pryror.
For
more on clicker training cats, check out www.clickertraining.com.
For
a free clicker, and for lots more tips on how to exercise your
cat, as well as free food coupons, call the IAMS Friends in Fitness
hotline, 800-863-4267. At www.iams.com,
you write about your flabby feline success stories, and submit
before and after pictures of your cat. If you call or email IAMS,
be sure to say you saw this story at wgnradio.com.
(Cats
who go on crash diets may suffer a potentially fatal disease.
All weight loss programs should be under veterinary supervision)
