Blog: 11 Cat-ivities To Keep You and Your Cat Happy During Quarantine

Finding a new normal for both of you: how to stay busy with your cat during the quarantine

Since our daily lives are now disrupted with the new social distancing and quarantining, our cats may wonder why we’re at home so much now. They must feel that even their routines are being disrupted! While this current situation is hopefully short-lived, finding ways to keep kitties busy and off your laptop can be challenging. I worked from home for 20 years and struggled with this with my cats. Depending on your cat’s personality, they may welcome or dislike your presence at home during the day. 

It’s important to keep a good balance for both of you. Humans thrive on routine, and a distracting cat can throw off our focus for the whole day. Similarly, some cats may feel like their personal time is being invaded if we’re constantly disturbing their nap times. I’ve compiled a top ten list of cat-ivities to keep them busy or distracted while you try to get that report in on time! 

1. Hide and seek with food. Most cats love treats. While we don’t want to disturb meal time with snacks, sometimes we must give in and spoil them. To keep your cat occupied for a few hours, set treats around rooms and hidden in furniture. It can be so amusing to watch them search for dessert! Even seeing kitty walking past and suddenly finding a treat to their surprise is funny. Just remember where you put them so you yourself aren’t surprised! 
2. Boxes….. What cat doesn’t like a box? The simple cardboard box, shoebox or even shopping bag can be endless entertainment for a cat. Cutting holes in the box can add to the mystery and trouble if you have 2 or more cats. If you have a lot of random boxes leftover from online shopping and bulk food buying, try stacking them on each other for a new cat maze! Word of advice though: Once I left a shopping bag on the kitchen floor and my cat found it at about 2 am. She somehow got the handle stuck around her neck and proceeded to tear through the house and across my bed trying to remove it. I had no idea what was going on! If you decide to give this cat-ivity a try, make sure you’re around to supervise and you clean up after you’re done!
3. Paper or aluminum foil balls. Cheap entertainment, but honestly such fun. Sometimes cats sense when you spend decent money on toys and therefore, refuse to use them at all. A simple paper ball wadded up and tossed can create a fun game of fetch or soccer for your cat. If you have spare twine or ribbon lying around, tie a bunch of the foil balls to a broomstick and set it up between two chairs. Your cat will love batting at the balls and tearing them down! But, be sure to find where they stash them (usually under the couch) so you don’t wake up to the sound of crunching foil. 
4. Cat TV or cat videos on YouTube. This provides the hotel guests at the cat spa with endless entertainment. There have been anxious nervous kitties trying to settle in and I put on a live webcam of a bird feeder or squirrel cam and suddenly, the cat is mesmerized and meowing at the TV. I laugh when even the fanciest of indoor cats are suddenly meowing or pawing at the screen like an accomplished hunter.
5. Groom your cat. This can range from simply brushing to being really brave and giving them a full-on bath. They may not like the bath, so be sure to be gentle and use warm water. Usually afterwards (if you can survive it) your cat will thank you and their coat will shine like a new diamond. And a plus for you: you’ll have a squeaky clean quarantine cuddle buddy!
6. Ribbon or cat toy on a string. If you don’t have the cat toy, try using a simple ribbon to get some good jumps and twists and turns from your cat who you never knew was that acrobatic. The false sense of tiring them out after a few minutes can turn into a longer game as it seems they build endurance instantly and will keep playing even when worn out. I found that tying the cat toy on a string to my stair railing or kitchen drawer pull can be enough to keep them busy for a while. 
7. Cat agility training. Yes, this is a real thing! Watching some videos is the best way to get started. There’s a video I posted on my FB of two cats ringing a bell and getting treats in return. This may be a more simple way to start training than jumping into the full agility training. That video is beyond hilarious and makes you realize that cats can be trained! Since this will be a new activity for most cats, be patients and keep training sessions short and upbeat. Who knows, by the end of quarantine you might have your own cat butler bringing you the newspaper in bed! 
8. Sort photos of your cat from kitten to now. I’m old school so I have photo albums of my dear old cats, Guenivere and even Maddie. It is really interesting how you can start to see them grow up and mature and age as humans do. This is something we never think to do usually while they are healthy and active but we really should and appreciate them even more and give them a little bit more kisses even when they knock our pens off the desk. 
9. Catnip! Who doesn’t love to give their cat some catnip and watch the antics? There are many new brands and kinds of catnip out there so try some new ones and video the reactions. You may have a new viral cat video right there in your living room! It’ll also be a fun keepsake video to watch whenever you’re feeling blue.  
10. Bird Feeder outside a window. While the cat videos are fun for the cat to watch, a real bird feeder can be even more entertaining. My favorite is a hummingbird feeder since cats seem to be caught off guard by the bird’s distinctive hum. They can’t seem to understand what the sound is and why is this little thing hovering and then gone? My sweet Maddie used to squeak at them and I never saw another cat do that before. After I told some friends, I found out that many cats do the same. Make a video of your cats reactions and sounds they make and get some good laughs. 
11. Try out new cat-friendly products. I carry several cat products at Rock the Cat Spa, and I love trying them out to see if they might make Daphne’s life even better. First, my vet suggested Quiet Small Moments for me to help a cat adjust or prepare for grooming. It’s a product consisting of chamomile, tryptophan (turkey dinner and naptime!) and melatonin and can help kitty relax. Also, Feliway synthetic pheromone helps reduce stress and again, relax. You know how kitty rubs all over you or the wall or edge of the refrigerator? When he does that, he is claiming that or you as his own property and this helps him remember that this place is his and along comes happy memories. These pheromones are sprayed into a room and can bring some tranquility to the space. 

After all these tips and tricks, sometimes just letting them curl up on your lap while you work and take a catnap is the best and most relaxing thing for both of you. A sleeping cat is such therapy and relaxation but just don’t catnap with yours and miss that 3pm conference call!
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Also, we’d love to see what ideas you come up with! Please feel free to tag us on Instagram or Facebook, or comment below to show your quarantine cativities! 

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