10 Ways to Keep Your Kittens Happy, Healthy, and Active

In our experience, indoor-only cats can sometimes get a little stir crazy. They may become less active than they naturally would be in the great outdoors and have fewer opportunities to explore and exercise as a result.

Fortunately, there are plenty of strategies you can use to help keep your kittens happy and healthy while they live indoors. Here are 10 easy ways you can help your indoor-only cat stay happy and healthy without leaving home.

Doing so will make life easier for both you and your cat, as well as improve their quality of life overall.

Change things up

Cats are curious creatures who thrive on new and exciting experiences. They love exploring new spaces, learning about their surroundings, and interacting with the objects in their environment. If your cat is feeling bored, try changing things up.

This can be as simple as rearranging the furniture in a room your cat spends a lot of time in, placing different toys around the house, or swapping out your old cat tree with a new one to make it feel like an entirely new space.

Provide plenty of enrichment

opportunities Enrichment opportunities can stimulate your cat's brain by providing them with new things to do.

These include things like scratching posts and toys that require some level of skill, such as a toy dangling from a string or a ball on the end of a wire. Tossing the toy around will provide your cat with even more fun! Feeding your cat with new experiences can also help alleviate boredom, which many indoor cats face.

Don't forget the litter box

! The litter box is the most important element of any cat's living environment.

No matter what else you do, if your cat doesn't have a place to eliminate outside of their litter box, they will eventually show signs of suffering from stress and anxiety-like excessive meowing or not using their litter box.

It's important to invest in a high-quality litter box for your cat that is large enough for them to comfortably fit inside without feeling cramped.

You should also clean the litter box every day and make sure it has fresh litter in it at all times.

Add a running wheel

to the floor One of the most popular ways to keep indoor-only cats active is to place a running wheel on the floor.

This way, you can give your cat an opportunity to exercise and explore without having to leave home. The best types of running wheels are those that are enclosed and have both a horizontal and vertical track.

The Catit Design Senses 2.0 Incline Circuit is a good example of this kind of wheel. It has two tracks, one horizontal and one vertical with a number of different inclines, which means your cat will be able to run in lots of different directions!

If you want more information about how to make sure your cat doesn't get hurt when using their new running wheel, read our article all about it: "How Do Cats Get Hurt Running on Wheels?"

See-through walls and floors

Consider installing see-through walls and floors to allow your cat to watch the world go by. This can be a great way for your cat to get out some of that pent-up energy.

If you're not able to install see-through walls and floors, try giving your cat new toys or things to scratch on so they can stay entertained and help relieve stress.

Add colorful platforms for jumping and lounging

Kittens love to explore, and adding platforms for jumping and lounging will help keep them active and entertained. Some examples of DIY platforms are bed frames, crates, or an upside-down cardboard box with a blanket draped over it.

If you're not excellent at crafting, there are plenty of pre-made options available on Amazon. It's also important to offer your kitten plenty of toys to play with so they don't get bored.

Toys can include things like old shirts, string, ping pong balls, paper bags with holes cut into them, and more.

Add a play gym for climbing and exercising

Cats are natural climbers and outdoor cats need to climb trees and other tall objects. Unfortunately, indoor cats don't have the same opportunities to climb.

To combat this problem, you can purchase a cat tree that provides plenty of climbing opportunities.

At the base of the tree, you can add a play gym for your cat to nap on and enjoy scratching.

There are many types of play gyms available that offer different levels of climbing and scratching surfaces. You can find one suited to your living space and budget without any trouble at all.

Add a food puzzle for mealtime exercise

One of the best ways to keep your indoor-only cat active is by adding a food puzzle to their food routine.

A food puzzle, such as one of Catit's many puzzles, will provide your kitty with mental stimulation and an opportunity for exercise as they search for their meal.

This toy also encourages them to spend more time at home rather than hunting elsewhere in the neighborhood.

Conclusion

Now that you know how to keep your kittens happy, healthy, and active, you can rest easy knowing they will be just as content as you are.

You should also know that there are always new ways to keep your pets happy and entertained.

The more you know, the merrier your pets will be!