How to get a cat off the couch

Kittens begin to play at around four weeks of age, spending most of their time chasing and pouncing on the litter's siblings, mother and owner. When they reach the age of seven to eight weeks, they will shift their interest from social play to playing with inanimate objects, ready to hunt if they had to depend only on themselves.

So your cat's favorite games will likely be those that are based on their natural hunting instincts. However, the types of games and toys that you can use are endless - just see which works best for your pet...

• For cats, wind-up toys are fascinating.

• A bowl, box or bucket filled with crumpled paper, used toilet paper rolls, or ping-pong balls can be a useful variation.

• When the kitten tries to hunt you, throw him a ball with a bell or a mouse to run after her. Try to distract your cat from doing any undesirable activity without scolding him. The cat does not understand punishments and loses trust in you when you hurt him.

• Place a large cardboard box on the floor so that the cat can climb in and scratch it. 

• Glue several boxes together, connect them with holes so that kittens can play hide and seek in them.

• Serve the cat's food in an interactive way - hidden in toilet paper tubes or spread over several granules in an egg tray. It is important that, with the help of interactive bowls, your cat has to think about, roll out a meal and move a bit at the same time.

• Wave a 'fishing rod ' with feathers or bells at the end of the string. Never leave toys, strings or ribbons on top alone with your cat as they may pose a choking or suffocation hazard.

• Some cats like to chase and jump into the light beam from a small flashlight or a carefully used laser pointer, or even a rabbit in a mirror. Remember that this type of fun should not last longer than 3 minutes, and to avoid frustration end up with the possibility of catching an edible snack such as Purina® Felix® Play Tubes

• Keep toys out of your cat's field of vision in between games so that they don't get used to them and keep them exciting when you take them out again in a few days.

• Never use your fingers and toes as toys, otherwise the cat will jump on them in the future!