How do i get my indoor cat to get more exercise?

Start playing with her more. Reduce the food a bit. Crunchies are good to have down for between meals. Cats will sleep most of the day and normally hunt and play at night. Time to invest in catnip. The toys on a string tied to a stick are real appealing to my 5 boys. Even the reserved one will play with that. Also a laser pointer might help her to 'hunt' a bit. Good luck. She is worth it and a part of your family now!!

How about getting your cat a scratch post with some toys hanging from it so she can play with it. My cat is a lazy cat but she loves to play with her toys and it gives her exercise and pleasure at the same time.

I have to indoor kitties so I know that they can get pretty lazy. Keep in mind though, that indoor cats are generally healthier than outdoor cats because there is less for them to get into. As for keeping your indoor cat healthy, have you tried sponge balls? My cats (especially the male) really seem to enjoy these and they run after them together from time to time.

well well she becoming more of lethargic well it suits her race also,,,but wat u can doo just hide her food in ur home whn its time to feed her and make her smell and find her fav. fish food or watever u feed and do show her that u takin away food from her to anywhere soon she'll start followin u and will enjoy playin also,,make her sleep in sunlight as that will help her gain energy and warmness,,,ger fake mouses for her which runs by key and make her run round.

Maybe get your cat a scratch post with some toys, or toys that you can hang from a door handle. My cat is like a dog, she loves to chase after balls and jump on them. It satisfies her hunting instinct AND keeps her fit. She is an indoor cat because she's a shelter cat and she'd been there a long time. The staff said we couldn't let her outside because she doesn't have the skills necessary to survive outdoors. She has no concept of danger. Cats tend to sleep a lot anyway, especially during the day. They hunt at night in the wild and so they're more of a nocturnal creature. Our cat sleeps a lot during the day, but late evening she comes alive and races round the house and attacking her toys. We've had many a good laugh at her when she jumps on her balls and meows fiercely at them. She definitely has a good imagination! LOL.

We had this problem with Zombi. She enjoyed chasing paper balls and sometimes a laser pointer, but it wasn't enough and she was relying totally on us to get her moving. That was until we bought a cat climber, £20 in Lidl's and as tall as me. It has 4 different height platforms, several scratching posts, a ramp and dangling toys. She's a whole new kitkat since we bought it. She's always playing on it and has lost some of her tubby bum already. She's also shown an awful lot more confidence and is less cowardly than before. Definitely worth it if you can find the space.

We use a laser poiner to get our cat to exercise. She doesn't really care for toys or chasing string, but she loves to chase that little dot all over the house. We got the idea from my brother in law who also does this with his two cats.

My indoor cat gets excercise when I play with im. I bought him a toy chili pepper on a pole, connected with a string, and he loves to bat that around for hours. Also, when he gets really excited, he just RUNS around my apartment. I think he gets a lot of excercise on his own. LOL Just give yours some catnip, and she'll bounce off the walls for hours. Guarenteed she'll get a lot of excercise that way.

My Columbus is like that. To get him going, I dangle a string toy in front of him and he responds by leaping at it. Unfortunately, that's the only toy he likes to play with. Otherwise, he'll just eat, sleep and crap all day. My Waffles, on the other hand, doesn't like the string toy, and runs away from it. She prefers to chase little toy balls around and seems to get much-needed exercise that way. She's a chunkier cat than Columbus is. When she gets too bored or tired, she goes back to sleep, lol. Toys like those may help, but a lot depends on a given cat. You can also try empty paper rolls and crushed newspaper balls. Good luck!

I have the same problem with my cat. He has been outside before, but now I'm in an upstairs apartment, and he can never go out. He meows at the door alot, wanting to go out, but I just can't let him out, as there are wild looking cats out there that I know he'd fight with. As for exercise, I play fetch with him. He loves to run and retrieve a toy that I'll throw for him. I'll do it over and over, too. He does sleep more, now, and I worry about that. I actually get the sense he's bored sometimes..he'll just sit and stare at me sometimes, for the longest time. If I could actually find someone that could take him who live out in the country, or who lived in a much bigger place (my place is so small, he can't even run around hardly at all), I'd have him go to those people. I just want him to be happy. We've been together for about eight years now..lived in lots of different places. I won't be here forever of course, but try to explain that to him. I don't think your cat will become unhealthy...he might gain a little weight, like mine has. But mine is healthy and alert so far. Call your Vet and ask him/her, see what they think. My daughter suggested that I get a cat leash and take him outside like that. But he still couldn't really run around freely. At least he could eat grass...my cat loves eating grass.

There are cat play gyms that are out that are pretty cheap.You can buy all sorts of toys but I would keep rotating them. Cats are like kids,they get bored easy and I read in a couple of cat articles to keep changing the cat's toys so they won't stop using it.I have a small plastic box that I keep my Moose's toys in. I take a few out and after a few days i will put them back and get some others out Also i really hope that you decide to keep the cat in the house.It's so dangerous for them out there with cars and people who get their kicks out of hurting innocent animals.Another thing is that you have to worry about your cat eating something that could make him sick or worse.Good luck with your new kitty

tie a piece of meat withe a rope and tie it with an automotive toy and let your cat run after it it will be very and more than active beleive me just do it

One of my mams cats love chasing her mouse toy on a string we got her, we run it behind it and she chases you all over the house for it. She has a habit of jumping on your back to try and pounce on it thou

I wouldn't let her out of-doors. We went to petsmart the other day, and one of the ladys there was very imformitive. To make a long story short, letting cats out doors can be deadly. The simple answer? Play with her! Encourage her to get excersize. Since she is a cat, she most likely won't feel the need to do it on her own.

get those rubber mice on a string or those with wheels and windups, and wtach your cat run round after it. -JCM-

why can you get him a trend mill for cats, if such a thing exists? :-) a yarn would be an alternative or even raise it with another cat. good luck!

get your kitty a play n treat ball. she'll chase it around the house getting exersize along with her treats. http://www.cattoys.com/plntrba2pk.html

When I was a young boy, I had a lovely little cat. One day by chance, my table tennis ball was dropped in front him. If you were there, you would be surprised to see how that little cat responded. He enjoyed playing with that ping-pong ball so much, it was worth seeing. So, just get him a ping-pong ball and play with him. Both you as well as the cat will enjoy it very much and your problem will also be solved.

These are all really great tips but I was concerned about the letting her go outside. I do have a cousin that puts her cat on a leash and lets her run around out side for awhile. But, my vet warned me about letting my cat out because we have a lot of barn cats where I live and they carry alot of desease. If you are going to let her out check that she has all her shots. My vet advised against getting all of them if she wasn't going to go out so we are careful not to let her out. Just a thought and enjoy your new family member. Caroline

We've got a cat like that who rarely goes outside and is getting quite fat so we shut her outside a few times a day only for about half an hour and she seems to be getting more used to being outside and is losing weight!