The hypercat

I am active and curious, I need to explore, climb and run. I tend to manage to keep busy! Managing the environment is the best way to avoid unpleasant surprises. Store food in closed places, secure cabinets, close the doors of rooms where you do not want my presence.

I need a stimulating environment. Add a lot of heights (cat trees, shelves, etc. ideally up to the ceiling), smells and objects to chew (cardboard, sticks of matatabi, etc.).

To learn more about snacking solutions, watch this capsule.

 

Play with me! The ideal is two periods of 10 to 15 minutes per day. Be careful not to make me play excessively and thus transform myself into an athlete with insatiable needs! Allow me to express the complete behavioral sequence of hunting as I would in nature: let me explore different movements and textures (fake fur, feathers, sisal, etc.) and above all let me grab and bite my toy to prevent me from developing frustration. End the session by giving me canned food, a piece of meat or my favorite treat to loop the sequence on the same way I would eat my prey.

To learn more about gaming techniques, you can refer to this capsule.

Feed me in an interactive bowl; several models exist: Intellikat, Stimulo, Slimcat, etc. This will keep me more active and stimulate me intellectually while avoiding that I eat too quickly. Add in some treats; finding a delicious treat once in a while will keep me motivated. You can also hide some everywhere in my environment so that I look for them! The canned food coated lick mat is also a good exercise!

 

Take me outside. Having access to an outdoor cattery is really interesting for me. The enrichment that is outide is rarely found in the house. I can stay safe while enjoying the sun, smells, and the sight of birds and insects. It is also possible to practice wearing a harness in order to go for a walk! That said, it would be important to introduce me to the harness using positive reinforcement in a very gradual way so that I learn to appreciate it. : If you cannot offer me a safe access to the outside, bring some elements found outside (grass, flowers, leaves, etc.) into my interior environment in order to enrich it.

 

Train me! Teach me tricks using my favourite treats or canned food. When I learn, I work mentally and expend energy at the same time! If I exhibit undesirable behaviors:

• • Lick me, objects or humans excessively
    solution: leave at my disposal a licking mat coated with canned food

• • Eat the plants (be careful, some are toxic!)
    solution: prevent access, cover the ground with aluminum paper or lage pebbles

• Make my claws on the furniture
  solution: cover the places damaged by claws, offer me a fairly tall cat tree, stable and placed in a place every frequented by family members and reward myself everytime I use it! Vary the textures (carpet, wood, sisal, etc.) and see what I prefer. This furniture will no longer be of interest to me afterwards!

The feline consent card will be useful to you. Ask me for permission before touching me and carefully observe my body language.