How To Keep Your Cat Entertained During Lockdown

The coronavirus outbreak may have forced millions of people to stay home and self-isolate, but it has also had a significant impact on the lives and livelihoods of Britain’s seven million cats, limiting their ability to freely exercise outside. 

While this may be frustrating, it’s incredibly important to keep your cats safe inside for now – especially following the recent news that they can be susceptible to picking up and carrying the COVID-19 virus.

If, however, you’re concerned about the impact the change will have on your cat’s wellbeing, then don’t worry – we’re here to help. Join us as we run through a few helpful tips on how to keep your cat entertained during their time in lockdown. 

1. Set Up A Litter Tray.

First things first, you’re going to need to set up a litter tray. After all, the chances are that your cat will be used to ‘doing their business’ outdoors so, while they’re unable to do so, they’ll need an indoor toilet to use whenever nature calls. 

Choose a nice, quiet area of your home and then set a litter tray up there, adding in a suitable amount of soft cat litter for them to dig. 

In an ideal world, you’ll need one tray per cat, since cats aren’t particularly known for their love of sharing. 

2. Get A Scratch Post.

If you haven’t got one already, buying a scratch post for your cat could be a great investment for now and in the future. This is because it will keep both your clothes and furniture safe from your cat’s sharp claws. 

When it comes to buying the right post, you should get one that’s both tall enough for your cat to stretch out on and strong enough not to fall over under their weight. 

While you won’t be able to get to the pet store right now yourself, there are hundreds of great scratch posts available to order online. 

3. Create Hiding Places.

It’s important to be careful when changing your cat’s routine – handling it in the wrong way could cause them to feel stressed and anxious. 

To avoid this from happening, set up some quiet areas around the home where they can hide away and feel safe. 

Whether it be a cardboard box with a blanket inside or a basket placed on top of your wardrobe, cats enjoy spending their time up high so allow them to escape whenever they need. 

4. Invest In A Pheromone Diffuser.

When it comes to relaxing, cats aren’t all that different to humans really – they enjoy a nice lie-down in a quiet environment surrounded by pleasant aromas. 

To provide your moggy with these nice smells, pheromone diffusers can be a fantastic way of putting their mind at ease during their time in lockdown. 

These diffusers work by releasing calming cat-only pheromones that only your cat will be able to detect, keeping them calm whenever they’re starting to feel a little stressed out. 

5. Puzzle Their Dinner Time.In order to ensure your cat stays mentally stimulated while in self-isolation, why not give them a puzzle to do? And no, unless your cat has opposable thumbs, I don’t mean the crossword or word search kind. 

Puzzle/enrichment feeders are a great way to keep your cat mentally engaged during feeding times. These work by making your moggy work for their food, providing them with a challenge to solve in order to access the treats inside. 

While there may be many different types of these feeds available to buy online, if you are bored of self-isolating now as well, why not kill two birds with one stone and create one yourself? 

6. Buy Them A Toy.

While on the subject of buying cat products, keeping a cat’s brain engaged over this period is imperative to their mental and physical health. 

It’s in a cat’s nature to stalk, pounce and catch ‘prey’ after all, so since they can no longer do this for themselves outdoors, you’ll need to provide them with a way to hunt indoors instead. 

Fishing rod toys, such as mice or birds dangling from a string, are an ideal way to not only keep your cat entertained but also keep your hands safe from their sharp claws and teeth.