Why Exercise is Important for Your Feline Friend

Important for Your Feline Friend: Around the world, obesity rates are rising. More so with these Coronavirus pandemic stay-at-home restrictions, which has seen gyms around the world close for a period of time while the virus is being fought in several countries. A significant amount of time is spent chilling and slouching and not just for us, for our pets too. Incidentally, the effects of obesity are the same for humans and animals alike. Therefore, it is imperative to incorporate an exercise regime in our lives and those of our pets. The good thing is, you can exercise together! Let’s look at the benefits of exercising your feline friend.

Benefits of Exercising Your Cat

Obesity brings with it a set of complications, increasing the chances of diseases like diabetes, arthritis, ligament damage, breathing difficulties, liver problems, and high blood pressure, among others. Ensuring your cat maintains a healthy weight is advantageous to both you and your pet, avoiding unnecessary visits to the vet and expenses.

Cats have been known the world over for selecting the coziest of resting places, catching a snooze randomly at any time of day. However, despite this reputation, they enjoy stretching their legs immensely. Cat owners realize that getting the cat to exercise is not a task as it doesn’t take much time or energy.

Reducing food intake would be the simplest form of reducing obesity. However, it is advisable to seek direction from your vet for the safest practices. Increasing exercise is the next best method, and creating a daily exercise routine is beneficial for your cat. Cats are natural sprinters, as predators, and have bursts of activity. Create an environment that serves its need to exert themselves a couple of times a day.

Cat Exercise Tips

Sometimes it can prove to be a challenge to get your feline to exercise, especially if your feline friend is currently overweight. However, there are several ways to get your cat to exercise and keep it healthy and free from disease. The exercises should be fun and engaging. Learn much more about how to exercise your cat and enjoy a healthy, happy pet.

Let’s look at a few tips that can make your cat active, and as a result, improve its muscle strength, avoid disease, and maintain a healthy weight.

Use a laser, feather wand, or fishing pole to get your cat to move around the room as it attempts to catch it. If using a laser, be careful not to direct the laser into its eyes.
Use a remote-controlled mouse to get your cat to run and chase, occasionally allowing it to catch it for that sense of fulfilment on the cats’ part.
Try a cat tower. Cats love to climb. Having an attractively coloured cat tower with a warm basket at the top or some other sort of incentive will have your cat climbing and exercising throughout the day.
It’s not only hamsters that enjoy a wheel; cats do too. Under close supervision, get your cat on a wheel or treadmill. This increases muscle strength and improves blood flow.