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Kittens are easy to please. A ball of paper, a length of string, the plastic ring off the milk bottle; these can keep them happy for hours. Kittens instinctively regard anything manipulable as adequate prey substitutes, just as babies can be fascinated by blocks and balls. But as they grow, people require more complications in their play, as their brains become capable of more elaborate concepts. Sometimes, cats are the same way.

This is why there is a thriving cat toy industry. There's the cats who are perfectly happy with a ball of paper, so long as we are there to bat it around with them. These cats are the market for wand toys, which rely on the person to provide the prey behavior. Cats who tire of predictable behavior from their toys need smarter prey. (That would be us.)

There are mousies that go far beyond what we can find on the supermarket shelves. But don't stop there. See if your cat likes other kinds of vermin, such as rubber snakes, soft lizards, and feathery "birds." The different shapes and textures can perk up a bored cat.

Different types tend to like different toys. Gamma cats like toys with interesting surfaces and crinkly sound effects. Look for toys that have a sheet of plastic inside that crackles when the cat plays with it, or lets light glitter off of it. Gammas love contemplative study of such toys, happy to see what happens when they put their paw there.

Beta cats like lively play and challenges. They are prime candidates for a puzzle box, which lets them find prey hiding from them. We can also shake treats into puzzle boxes, empty plastic bottles, or small boxes with holes cut in the sides for extra motivation.

Many cats find the hours we're away will pass more quickly when they have movies for cats they can watch. Such films are more arthouse studies of birds, mice, and insects than something with a plot we can understand, but like film aficionados across the globe, these have their fans. We get our fun from watching the cats watch.

Alpha cats are, as always, a special challenge when it comes to keeping them amused without our input. If our Alphas show an interest in our things, we should do our best to get them a safe substitute, either something cleaned up that we no longer need or a new one that we explain are theirs and thus they should leave ours alone. If we have a toddler in the home, we might be surprised when our Alpha takes an interest in their toys, but if we don't have this advantage, we can get them their own highly interactive toy that helps them slake their thirst for environmental manipulation. We can make our own, cheaper, versions by getting maze games and blocking the side so the marble can't come out, or scavenging yard sales for likely prospects.

Prime this new toy for the Alpha by pretending that this is a great new thing we have gotten for ourselves. Play with great fascination. The more interested we are in it, the more the cat will find it interesting. Don't we keep all the most fascinating toys for ourselves? Reluctantly let the cat have it, with a lot of mock protestation, and only because "we love the cat so much."

The cat's wild ancestors spent most of their waking hours either pursuing prey, or plotting new ways of pursuing it. In the case of Alpha cats, they would add an extra layer of being able to change their environment in furtherance of their goals. When we take the cat into our home as a pet, it doesn't change this survival drive. Their high intelligence and sophisticated visual memory still needs to be used.

The more safe ways we offer them to amuse themselves, the less chance there is of them becoming bored and getting into trouble.

Learn more about this author, Pamela Merritt.
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