Healthy Cats

I will not get into the outdoor vs indoor cat debate.  We chose to keep our cats indoors for a multitude of reasons, however they do get bored.

 We do many different things to entertain our cats and keep them from getting too bored despite being indoor only cats. The different activities are not only amusing to us but help keep our cats healthy. Active cats are less likely to become overweight.  Keep my cats at a healthy weight lessens their risk for diabetes, joint issues, and other health problems.  They avoid stress related issues like over grooming.

However I am cheap I mean frugal, so I like to entertain my pets for as little as possible

One of the things they love, is catnip.  For a few dollars I purchased some seeds two years ago.  I was able to grow a giant pot of it and dry it out.  I am still using that catnip.

Catnip is an occasional treat I use to encourage them to be active.  I place it on their toys, boxes and paper bags.  They will spend the whole afternoon playing with the items dusted with nip and with each other.  Do try a small amount of catnip with your cats first.  A very small number of cats can become aggressive on it.

It's not just the catnip, he looks that way all the time

He considers this scratching post to be his lounge chair. 

Boxes are the BEST!  (even nicer is how they are for my wallet)

He actually stopped playing for a moment to pose for me

One of the other things we provide for them is what we call "Kitteh TV"  We have a fish tank and a vivarium with two firebelly toads.  The fish tank was easy to start up, I got the tank and gear as hand me downs as a teen and still use them.  If you want just keep an eye on craigslist  you can find aquarium supplies for free or really cheap often.  The fish tank also helps out in the garden.

Andromeda can't decide to watch the fish or the outside, so she does both. 

  I can't decide if the cats or the toads like it better when we add in crickets.

We also have a cat tower, affectionately called "Mt Doom"  it has three towers so each cat has their own space to eat, unharassed by each other or the dog.

The cat tower was by far the most expensive cat thing we have gotten.  It was worth it, but I can't wait until we have a place with space for us to do woodwork.  I would love to remake it out of all wood, so it is easier to clean.

What do you do to keep your indoor cats entertained?