ForestWind Siberian Cats

Exercising a cat can be as easy as tying a toy to a fishing pole and waving it around, or flicking a laser pointer around the room and have the cat chase it. But, if you want to get a bit fancier with your play and exercise times together...

 Can a Siberian Cat Learn Agility?

Many Siberians enjoy learning Agility.  Yes, felines are naturally agile, but in this case "Agility" means enticing a cat to run through, around, over and under a series of obstacles in a course.

You can create a feline agility course at home by setting up a series of obstacles and balances in an open area of your home.

Using a favourite teaser, get your Siberian to begin chasing it. Then lead her up and onto, or over, the first obstacle. As she becomes proficient at chasing the teaser onto or over the obstacle, slowly add more steps to the chase. She will quickly understand to chase the teaser up and over, around, and under, various obstacles in the course.

Do Siberians play fetch?

You bet!  Through experience, learn which small, light toys your Siberian will elect to chase and bat about rather than pounce on and kick or bite.  Having determined this, be sure that there is enough 'give' in the toy for her to grasp in her mouth to carry. Then the fun begins! Throw the toy a small way from you. Then when she goes to it, shake or rattle another toy in your hand to get her to come back to you. It may take several days or a week for her to begin to get the hang of it.

While many pet training books urge the use of food treats as training devices, it is best to avoid them when possible. Instead, substitute healthy food that she would normally be getting as part of one of her meals. Use calorie replacement, so if you are offering freeze dried chicken puffs as a training tool, slightly reduce the amount of food offered at that meal. Be sure not to overly reduce the meal, and to also take into consideration the caloric effect of a lot of exercise.

Or …

“One of the best ways to get a cat to exercise is to get a kitten,” Dr. Graves, DMV says. “Kittens are a pain in the neck. I can’t tell you how many times an owner has a cat losing weight, and they come in, and we can’t figure out why. Then I find out they got a kitten four months ago and, well, that’s the reason. Cats do well in groups. They play more; they tend to eat better.”

ForestWind Diiana and ForestWind Daniil, December 7, 2011