What Things Do Cats Love the Most? Simple Ways to Make Your Cat Happier

Cats are obligate carnivores with strong hunting instincts. They are active and playful with acute senses. They are exceptional human companions. What do cats love to do? Most cat owners, especially first-timers, are unaware of their cats’ likes and dislikes. Your feline companions love cozy naps, playful sessions, scratching, climbing on high places, outdoor monitoring, and affection with their adopters. But they are highly sensitive to a changed environment.

Generally, cats feel happy in a safe environment. Cat owners can make their pets content through feline enrichment that allows cats to express their natural behaviors. This blog discusses how to keep your cat happy with a list of activities. 

What Do Cats Love the Most?

Most cats enjoy cozy sleeping spots, predictable routines, and surfaces to scratch. Cats feel confident and healthier when they meet their basic needs (fresh food and water). They like gentle affection on their terms. They love to watch everything from high places, and they love to climb, play, and watch.

Simply upgrade your cat’s existing environment to fulfill their instincts and prevent stress and boredom in them. Cats have their own personality. But they thrive when pet owners support their instincts. Let’s go through some ways to keep your cat happier at home. 

1. Inborn-Hunter Cats Like Hunting

Cats are natural predators, even if they stay inside. Cats of all sizes and types pounce, chase, and stalk naturally. You can offer some interactive toys that imitate prey.

• Battery-operated moving toys
• Feather teasers and rolling balls
• Small plush mice and wand toys

Playing actively with these toys twice a day for 15 minutes can reduce boredom and annoying behaviors in pets. 

2. High Places Make Cats Feel Secure

Cats love to watch everything around while sitting in a high place. Be it a cardboard box or a bookshelf, cats mount on elevated spaces. It is a regular behavior, not a random one. Sitting in high positions allows your feline friends to observe their surroundings. Sitting at a raised point, they feel safe from potential threats. So, offer them some of the following climbing options.

• Cat trees and window perches
• Multi-level scratching posts
• Wall-mounted shelves

You can also add a vertical space that directly suits feline enrichment. 

3. Window Watching Is Their Sightseeing

You can see many indoor cats sticking to windows and spending long hours looking outside. This tendency gives cats valuable mental stimulation. They keep on watching birds, insects, small mammals, and human beings.

You can opt for a comfortable window perch. This elevated platform can give your pets a reason to feel relaxed and satisfy their curiosity. This move also prevents your cats from leaving the house. 

4. Scratching Is an Instinctual Behavior

Scratching is a need, not a bad behavior, and it is another great way to keep kittens healthy and happy. It allows cats to shed their dull claw husks naturally. This frequent activity is also vital to stretching felines’ muscles. It is a great stress buster.

Cats often scratch to stretch their muscles and mark territory. So, introduce the following scratching options to your feline buddy:

• Corrugated cardboard
• Natural wood and sisal ropes     

Some cats also enjoy carpet posts. If you place scratching posts near pets’ sleeping areas, they are more likely to use scratching items. 

5. Comfortable Sleeping Spots Matter

Everyone likes comfortable sleeping, and so does your feline mate. Good sleep is not about resting on fancy beds. It is about the spot where kittens can sleep for 14 hours or even longer.

A good resting spot should be away from heavy foot traffic. It should be warm, quiet, and slightly elevated. When it comes to pet beds, folded blankets and cardboard boxes emerge as the best options over expensive beds. Sunny windowsills are another great addition to bedding for pets. Apart from these top five, there are other ways you can try to make cats feel glad. These include:

6. Introduce catnip and silvervine to control their emotions and behavior.

7. Encourage natural hunting behaviors in pets with food games and puzzle toys.

8. Predictable routines help cats feel safe.

9. Cats enjoy gentle strokes around their bodies.

10. Hydrate cats with fresh water in the right place.

11. Experience the world largely through scent. 

Conclusion

All the above-mentioned activities can help keep your cat relaxed in an indoor, urban home in big Indian cities. Give your pets a natural environment where they can express their characters. 

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