How to Exercise an Indoor Cat

Your cat prince or princess lives in safe happiness within the warm sanctuary of your home. Day-to-day living does not involve tremendous output of calories. She's bathing in the den instead of swinging on vines through trees. He looks out the window from the couch by day, relocating to the foot of your bed by night. But exercise is just as important for your cat's health as it is for yours. Here's what you can do to get the juices moving, and keep that feline figure trim.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Scratching post/elevated cat bed/cat "hotel". They all come covered with indoor-outdoor carpet
• Cloth mice and birds stuffed with catnip
• String
• A long, smooth stick
• 5 Colored feathers

1. Set up the carpet-covered scratching post, hotel, or elevated bed in a corner of your bedroom or living room. Introduce your cat to it. Let her claw and climb to her heart's content. It's great exercise for your friend. Not to mention a saving grace for your upholstered chairs and couches.
2. Tie one end of the string to the long, smooth stick. Tie the other end of the string around the cluster of colored feathers. Hold the other end of the stick, like it's a fishing pole. Wave it back and forth in front of your cat. Most likely, you have a captive audience. Initially mesmerized by the moving colors, your cat soon leaps and bounds at them. Athletics are taking place.
3. Toss the catnip-stuffed mice and birds around the various rooms in your home. Watch pussums roll, chase, swoon and nearly break into song with ecstasy.

Tips & Warnings

• Alternate tying the string around the catnip toys as well as the feathers. Then you can wave the mice and birds for kitty to bat about too.
• Be careful not to leave string lying around where cats can nibble on it anytime they want. Cats like to chew on string when they can get it. But it's not good for them.