Exercise is not only crucial for humans, but it is equally essential for your pets. Yes, even your tiny little cat. Daily exercise is essential for your animal’s overall health, including keeping them fit and in good shape. If not, like humans, obesity can take over your pet’s body and get them caught up in the middle of numerous health dangers.
So we all know obesity is not favorable for the human body; the same is the case with cats. Exercise is needed to keep obesity and severe health issues at bay in cats and other pet animals.
Why is Exercising Important for Your Cat?
Exercise or any activity that keeps a cat’s body in constant movement is beneficial for their health as it helps shed off any extra energy or weight of the animal. Physical fitness and playtime – or any other kind of exercise, are also deemed beneficial for a cat’s mental well-being by keeping boredom and depression at bay. If these issues are not countered early on, they can result in numerous other behavioral and health problems.
Animals, specifically cats and dogs, are full of energy that needs to be dealt with. If not, these added energy and weight issues can turn into more significant health problems. Here are some benefits of exercise for cats:
# Exercise Keeps Cats Fit and Healthy
Weight gain in cats can cause serious health issues, which is the case with humans. Obesity often becomes the root cause of respiratory and joint issues in animals. Hence, exercise coupled with a healthy diet can be the best way to help keep cats fit and healthy and shed any extra weight off them. You can take the help of your pet’s vet for an exercise and diet plan or start conducting outdoor activities with them yourself. Anything can help.
# Exercise Keeps Cats in a Good Shape
Exercise is used to deal with many health problems in cats. Taking your cat on walks every day can help keep its circulatory and digestive systems in check. Besides this, outdoor activities, exercise, or playtime have also been proved beneficial for keeping your cat’s bones healthy, building up muscle, and limiting their blood pressure. As well as, daily walks can help keep your furry animal’s urinary function in check, waving off any constipation or infection issues.
# Exercise Keeps Cat’s Behavioural Needs in Check
Physical exercises are also needed to keep your cat’s mental well-being in check. Daily walks, outdoor activities, and playtime also help wave off the boredom in your cat. When animals like cats and dogs are left alone or unattended in houses without walks or playtime, they often become increasingly frustrated. This can result in more behavioral problems like anger, frustration, chewing and destroying furniture, and severe barking.
How to Make Your Cat Exercise?
Making your cat exercise is not a complex matter. By exercise, we don’t mean laying out an exercising mat and making your pet do pushups on it. But for animals, any playtime, outdoor activity, or even walking can count as exercise. Following is a list of ways you can ensure a daily dosage of exercise for your cats:
# 10-15 Minutes Long Playtime
Something as trivial as 10 to 15 minutes of playtime with cats every day can go a long way in keeping them healthy, happy, and fit. You can make them hatch, run after you, or even give them a toy to play with, as it all accounts for weaning off added energy. More than 10 to 15 minutes of playtime can tire them, so put away the toys and give them some love and cuddles for being good boys.
# Get Your Cats Toys They Like
If you notice, cats or animals are extremely moody animals. They will only play and engage with cat toys that they like. Most commonly, cats love to play with string and father toys. But still, keep a close eye on their activity and playtime to notice the kind of toys they are fond of. Get them these toys, and they will never be bored of playtime.
# Hikes Are Great Outdoor Activities
Some pets have an immense amount of energy, and any kind of indoor playtime or activity does not account for all of that energy. Long outdoor activities for cats or dogs of such kind are ideally suited.
Activities like playtime with other cats or dogs in the nearby park, training activities, long walk, or even hikes can help. The best way is to put your cat on a leash and take them on a long hike up a mountain. This will be both adventurous and tiring for the cat, but it can surely utilize all its energy. However, you can only do this if you are an adventure lover. Otherwise, long strolls or walks can also help exercise your cat.
# Laser Toys
Have you ever tried laser pointers for your cat? Then it can be a game-changer for sure. These activities are good because they won’t make you tired but keep your cat engaged in endless activity throughout the day. It can be entertaining for you and your cat, and endless laser chasing around the house is an excellent way to exercise for the cat. Although, make sure the laser is not directly shone in the cat or any other living thing’s eyes.
Conclusion
Do you take your cat on long walks? Or do you make them do outdoor activities? Do you take them on hikes or put them through anything that makes their bodies exercise? If not, then now is your time to change that.
The importance of exercise for cats can not be ignored at any cost, as it can’t be neglected in humans. So now is about time to turn it into a habit to make your cat exercise in different ways and help them keep serious health issues at bay.
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