Why “fingers under the blanket” or “bed mice” is a bad idea….

I was recently sent a link to “Totally ludicrous products for cat owners”:

http://www.dontpokthebear.com/totally-ludicrous-products-cat-owners/

While I agree there is really no need for a giant Croc cat bed, a denim dress or indeed a collar that lights up when your cat purrs, the one that actually made me feel the need to write this blog was number 7 – the “whack a mole game.” The line following it is the reason: “Because it’s 2013 and fingers under a blanket just won’t cut it any more.”

Here’s why; teaching a cat from any age that parts of the body are something to play with is a bad idea, especially from kittenhood because it sets precedence that feet attacks are acceptable. However, your kitten or cat won’t discriminate between whether the foot is moving because you’re purposely doing so under your duvet for their entertainment or because you happen to be walking to your refrigerator and are moving past them. Your cat or kitten won’t see how you reaching to pick something up is in any way separate from you moving your hands in front of them to give them “prey” to catch. And this usually means they won’t manage to see the difference if a child does things near them either.

Basically, this teaches a cat that it’s acceptable to attack moving human body parts. If this is something of little concern to you, and you’re happy to be permanently sporting scratches and war wounds from your cat play time then it’s not really an issue, but if  you’d rather your cat recognised the difference between humans  and actual toys, then it will very much become one.

There’s a wide range of wonderful toys available for cats today; toys that encourage mental stimulation, mimic the hunting experience, even toys made specifically to be “hugged” by your cat and kicked mercilessly by their back legs. A lot of the toys you could probably make for a fraction of the cost from things in your home or out and about.

The point to the blog is this; fingers under a blanket should never really “cut it” for cat play time. Unless you relish the prospect of a fully grown cat at some point latching on to your arm and kicking it an awful lot. The articles flippant comment illustrated to me how so many cats come to be perceived as unpredictable, volatile animals when in fact they’re acting purely on what they were taught is acceptable in their home. It’s important to remember, a large step to living in harmony with your cat is learning to understand why they do something.

Carrie illustrating that even older cats can enjoy modern, interactive cat toys.