World Cat Day 2024: 5 enrichment activities for high-energy cats

Just like humans, cats can get tired of the same old toys. Introducing variety keeps their environment fresh and exciting, and as all cat owners know, they love squeezing into boxes they don’t quite fit into.

Utilising old cardboard to create a small maze is a low-cost, quick and easy way to keep them entertained.

Cut the top of the cardboard box using scissors. Draw some circles for windows and holes along the sides to give your cats a place to peek out. Use longer strips of cardboard to create a tunnel, glue together and place into the box, throw in some cat nap and watch your cats go wild!

Here’s something other great ideas on how to make homemade toys for your cat.

Simple craft items such as masking tape, feathers and ribbon all make great toys for your kitty to play with to keep them occupied.

One great idea one of our fosterers had was to fill an old plastic bottle with bells or old buttons and cover it with it sock – the cat loves the challenge of getting to the buttons and it does a great job at stimulating their brain.

Pro tip: Include your cat in the process of making the toy so that they can also interact with you during this time!

Introduce a variety of scents and textures to your cat’s environment. Cat-safe herbs like catnip, silvervine, or valerian root can be sprinkled on toys or scratching posts. Textured surfaces, such a  a soft fleece blankets, provide tactile stimulation.

Rotate the scents and textures regularly to keep your cat intrigued. Encouraging animals to use their sense of smell is also a great way to reduce stress and anxiety.

A scratch pole provides numerous benefits for a cat, enhancing both their physical and mental well-being.

It offers a designated spot for cats to engage in their natural scratching behaviour, which is crucial for maintaining healthy claws by removing the outer nail sheath. This activity also stretches and strengthens their muscles, promoting overall physical fitness.

Additionally, scratching poles help reduce stress and anxiety in cats, offering them a safe outlet for releasing pent-up energy and marking their territory through scent glands in their paws.

Ensure your scratching post is rigid, tall enough for cats to reach if they stretch at full length, and offers opportunities for your cat to scratch the post both vertically and horizontally.

Another great benefit of scratch posts – they can protect household furniture and carpets from damage, a win-win for cat-owners!

Cats are typically tactile by nature and enjoy lots of fuss and grooming. One of their favourite activities is hunting around the house finding different textures to curl up, make ‘fishies’ with or scratch away at – such as on door mats, blankets and bath mats. A great way to enrich our kitties to ensure they have access to lots of different textures around the house that they can brush up against.

To keep your cats interested, it can be a good idea to frequently rotate different textures for them to experience – whether it’s a satin sheet, paper bag, wicker basket or cotton towel.

Meanwhile, nail brushes and damp toothbrushes resemble the texture of their tongue so a few minutes of stroking them with these materials feels like their very own at-home spa day.