How to Make Your Cat Feel Less Lonely at Home?
Methods to Solve the Problem of a Lonely Cat
I have always wondered if cats can feel the emotion of “loneliness.” As solitary animals, isn’t loneliness their normal state? Shouldn’t they enjoy being alone?
Cats are raised by humans, confined to such a small territory at home. Compared to their wild ancestors, perhaps the most unsuitable thing for them is not loneliness, but rather boredom.
Therefore, whether it’s loneliness or boredom, the core objective is to keep the cat busy, give them something to do. If they have their own goals and pursuits, the time spent waiting for their owners at home won’t feel so long.
There are many ways to entertain a cat:
1. Puzzle Feeder
The most interesting thing for pets is eating, and a puzzle feeder can make “eating” more challenging, requiring them to spend more time and effort. This actually brings them closer to their wild instincts.
The delicious food is right there, visible and smelling good, but it takes a little effort and brainpower to eat it bit by bit.
The original intention of the puzzle feeder is to help pets lose weight by prolonging their mealtime, preventing them from overeating. It is also a great way to entertain and alleviate boredom as pets are highly motivated to play with it. After all, for pets, there is nothing more important than getting their paws on some tasty treats.
2. Toys that Move and Sustain Interest
Gravity Bouncing Shrimp: Rechargeable with a few jumps upon touch, it enters standby mode if ignored by the cat, consuming no power.
Noisy Fluffy Ball: The ball rolls and emits sounds when bitten, resembling a small animal trying to escape.
Securely Attached Teaser Wand: Automatically moves with the wind and can keep the cat entertained for a while when tapped, thanks to the elasticity of the steel rod.
There are many toys of this kind, but cats are very fickle creatures. No matter how expensive a toy is, once they learn its “tricks,” it no longer interests them. This period of time can be very short, and many toys can fall out of favor in just one or two days. Therefore, it is necessary to keep changing toys frequently in order to keep them occupied.
For those who don’t have a lot of resources, you can create new toys on your own, such as this one:
Poke a hole in a ping pong ball with scissors, hang it by a string at a height reachable by the cat when jumping, and let the wind do the rest. It can keep the cat busy for a while and also provide physical exercise. If the cat loses interest after a couple of days, you can stick feathers, colored paper, or ribbons on the ball to make it a new toy again.
There are also simpler and readily available cat toys. All I have to do is to go out for a run in the morning and bring back something for my furry friend to play with: catnip, ear seed, bird feathers, or even a small twig.
No matter how insignificant these little toys are, as long as they come from the outside, they are new and exciting for the cat. With unfamiliar scents, intriguing shapes, and fresh experiences, they are enough to keep the cat engaged and spend some time studying them.
3. Observing the Outside World
No matter how much effort is put into finding toys, they are all inanimate objects that can only temporarily deceive cats. Only the outside world is constantly changing. You can arrange a convenient window for cats to see outside, and even find ways to make the changes in the outside world more diverse.
In my home, the flower rack has been emptied by me and has become an exclusive VIP seat for Hua Hua and Pi Dan to watch birds. I have set up a bird feeding spot outside the flower rack to lure doves to come and let them watch.
In the past, whenever my home had a Buddha’s hand tree, it would always get infested with worms. Instead of using pesticides, I moved the Buddha’s hand tree near the flower rack and allowed butterflies to lay their eggs. I believe that every time a butterfly comes, it is enough to excite the cats for a whole morning.
4. Communicating with your pet using a camera
Nowadays, mobile cameras, like robotic vacuum cleaners, can roam around the room and automatically return to recharge themselves.
When you’re slacking off at work, you can manipulate the camera to play with your cats, talk to them. If the cats hide, you can even use the camera to find them.
It is true that cats may feel lonely or bored when alone at home. However, it is not appropriate to get a second cat just to accompany them. As solitary animals, cats find it difficult to accept another cat in their territory. They have conditions for accepting another cat, such as gender, age, weight, personality, etc. So, don’t rush to introduce another cat without understanding the wishes of your cat.
Even if cats feel lonely, what they need is the company of their owners, not another cat.
Therefore, the solutions mentioned above are only temporary measures. What cats really want is for us to spend more time with them, which is also what we ourselves desire, isn’t it?
A Leisurely Cat Life
I feel that my cat at home is never lonely. Every day, it lives leisurely and contentedly. It eats when it wants to eat, sleeps when it wants to sleep. Most of the time, it is dreaming while sleeping. When someone is around, it will act coquettishly and ask for some meat to eat. When no one is around, it will find a place to bask in the sun by itself. I truly envy this kind of life. I would love to have this kind of life for a period of time.