Best way to keep cat from being bored?

Right first up ... trawl the 'net for lots of info about cats!

And Yes, do leave the tv or radio on as it is as much company for them as it is for us!

As for toys, many toys are best played with under supervision, so be sure to choose ones that are safe. Cats vary tremendously in what they like to play with, but things like little spongey balls always seem to go down well. Don't leave your cat alone with string or stringy toys as it could strangle itself. Some cats love to 'fight' mats, so you might want to get a cheap carpet offcut for that purpose.

You can also try hiding treats in places your cat has to work at to get to ... in small drawers, under things, in a box with a hole in it ... use your imagination!!

Get a scratch post with dangly things (these are safe), and perhaps his/her own cat tree with different levels.

Make sure you play with your cat when you are home, though, and it won't be likely to have that much energy when you're out and will quite happily spend most of that time sleeping!

Oh boy, there are a million things you can do for your cat, ranging from FREE to very expensive. Here are some of the more popular, cheaper choices!

1) Set a birdfeeder outside a windo the cat can perch by. The activity will entertain him for hours.

2) If the cat is confined to one room leaving a TV or radio talkshow on quietly will quell some boredom. If the cat has free reign, he will most likely ignore it.

3) Catnip toys. These range from homemade to elite toys. One simple way is to take an old sock and fill it with a nontoxic (cotton) filling, while also sprinkling a handful of catnip. You can then either tie or sew the sock shut. In order to release the aroma that cats love, just rub the sock between your hands a few times.

4) Mylar/Stick toys are also a favorite of cats, and these can be purchased at any pet store or target/wlamart. I would reccomend these be used under supervision only though.

5) If your cat has claws, a "Cat Tree" is always fun. These are expensive, but can be made at home relatively cheaply with the right materials. I suggest looking online or in stores to get ideas. They normally range in height fom about 3' to 9' tall.

Hope this helps!

I recommend you get a video camera and set it up in a hallway or other common area of your home, then set it to record (on long play) while you are away. That way you will see if they are really bored or if they are just screwing with you. The only reason I mention this is because I noticed one day by accident that my cat, who can usually be found sleeping on a sunny spot, on a window sill or in a pile of clothes, waits until my wife and I leave for work then she comes out into the hallway and runs back and forth as fast as she can, bouncing off the walls and making all kinds of noise. If I didn't know better I would have sworn we had a heard of cattle running through the upstairs of our house. -Chris

I leave my TV on for my cat, just so it has a little bit of company...but I think that for the most part they like to sleep a lot and then when you get home from work you can liven them up and play with them. There are a lot of really fun and creative toys to keep your cat entertained. www.CatChannel.com just had an article that talked about all of the fun toys on the market for cats.

My cat likes to carry around those milk rings that come on new gallons of milk. She will take one of them shove it under a door. Then she would repeat this with all of them. And then cry till you open the door for her to get them back. We have a joke that we think she counts them at night when were sleeping. :) So yeah milk rings are good. It keeps our cat entertained all day long.

P.S-Most cats will completely ignore store bought toys. We learned this the hard expensive way.

Turns out my cat loves to play with shoelaces. So I play with her for ten minutes before I head off to work, and then when I get home again. She also likes these little furry mice that you can buy at the pet store. She bats them around, etc.

You know I have a cat too and the best way I don't keep her bord is that you should buy a ball that has a bell in it or a mouse.

One of my cats loves to play with pens and pencils, he carries them around in his mouth, bats them around and hides them under things so he get ‘hunt’ them, however I don’t really like him playing with pens and pencils in case he hurts himself on them.

The best substitute I have found is green beans, sounds mad but they are pen shaped and soft enough so not to hurt him, plus when he is done playing he has a tasty snack.

i have a 1 yr old cat. and she LOVES to play with twist ties..its her favorite thing. she never seems to play with store bought toys except for her ball with the bell in it. shoelaces also work. just tie on end to a chair and it'll have hours of fun..hah. cats are easy to please

my brother has kittens and he made them the thing that has a scrach post and a ball to tackle on a string and two places to sit on sorry i didnt explan it good