How Cat's Play?

Cat Play - How Cats Play

“We're owned by a pair of Siamese whose demands for toys and play are insatiable,” writes Kathy. “Therefore I'm up at all hours trying to devise and make new toy sensations. Flying Rat, Leather Feather, Woolly Slug and Crazy Banana are all now un-cool and don't open a little blue eye. What I'd like to ask is if you can give me a steer in terms of the actual parameters of cat play? Here's a short list of what I'd love to know.

Kitty Make Believe?

“How real is the game? Are they really stalking the shapeless lump of well-chewed fluff or are they humoring me?”

Amy answers, "Cat love knows no bounds so I wouldn’t rule out them humoring us clueless humans. Maybe they don’t want to hurt our feelings when we go to such lavish extremes to provide entertainment. Or maybe (cue the sneaky-scary music) the real game is getting humans to act like silly fools!

"In any event, my best answer is—a little of both. Cats know that lifeless fluff won’t put up a fight, and they do often seek out people to help them in their games. Kitty play mimics hunting behaviors. The feline stalk-and-pounce is triggered ultimately by motion. So a sound…ultrasonic squeaks of mice or startled humans…gets their attention, but the game doesn’t commence until it MOVES."