My 11-month-old cat is lazy. How can I get him to play more?

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! Cats have the life don't they! I would try a laser pointer, toy that is along stick with a feather on the end and when you give him treats throw them so he has to chase them. Cats do normally sleep a lot. Check out the link below on environmental enrichment for indoor cats. Good luck! https://www.catbehaviorassociates.com/what-is-environmental-enrichment-and-why-does-your-cat-need-it/ https://indoorpet.osu.edu/cats

Honestly, based on your pictures, I don't think Clover looks fat but without seeing him in person, I can't say for certain. Some cats are naturally bigger than others, and it doesn't make them fat. Ten pounds can be a perfectly healthy and normal weight for a male cat, I'd be worried if he was 15-20 pounds! I am going to attach a link on how to do a body condition score on your cat. This will help give you an idea if Clover is overweight or not. If you want him to be more active, try getting toys like ones attached to strings that you can dangle over him and get him to chase around. This will help him be more active, just make sure he doesn't chew on the string so he doesn't swallow it. You can find these toys at a pet store. I hope this helps! https://www.wsava.org/sites/default/files/Body%20condition%20score%20chart%20cats.pdf

Kit is very handsome! Thanks for posting a picture. Since cats are obligate carnivores, we think the most biologically appropriate food for a domesticated cat is a mouse which is a high protein diet. The closest we can get to that ideal diet with commercial food is a canned food diet. Canned food diets are lower in carbohydrates and higher in protein than dry foods. Since cats are obligate carnivores, they are not able to utilize carbohydrates effectively and will often just gain weight on foods that are higher in carbohydrates. The best website I have found to describe this well is listed below. http://catinfo.org/ The above website also discusses changing cats from dry food to canned food. I most commonly recommend Wellness canned food for cats. It is a very food company with a good history and cats tend to do well on it. The general rule for cats is that they should eat about 5.5 ounces of canned food each day for each 10 pounds of ideal body weight. But be sure to go slowly with any diet changes to prevent GI upset. As far as getting Kit to be more active, I would recommend looking at the website below for ideas to get an indoor cat more active. https://indoorpet.osu.edu/cats Good luck! I hope that was helpful and answered your questions. Thanks for using PetCoach.

You can play with Marley using toys attached to strings and poles. You can find them at pet stores. You can drag the toy behind you, and Marley will chase it and get more exercise. You can give her toys that move around on their own, and she will chase those as well. Finally, you can train her to get used to a harness and leash, and can take her for walks :-)

Mars is super handsome! He was a really adorable kitten. Yes, I would say he is overweight. This article may help you out: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1+2230&aid=660 When you feed your cat based on the recommendations on the bag you have to keep two things in mind. 1. You need to feed your cat based on his "ideal" weight and not his current weight. 2. You need to understand that those feeding recommendations on the bag are for unspayed/unneutered cats so with him being neutered you will need to feed him to the lower end of the recommended feeding range. I hope this helps. Best wishes to you and Mars!

Your kitty indeed is quite chubby but looks very sweet! I suggest you do not free feed him during the day and reduce his dry food to a 1/4 cup in the morning. You can also feed him canned food only, 1/2 can in the morning and 1/2 can in the evening. Try this for a few weeks. If he does not lose weight you can buy special weight reduction food, however often cats do not take well to this kind of food. Playing a lot with him, throwing paper balls, etc. is also very important (exercise).

Toys should be big enough to where she cannot swallow them. You can throw crumpled paper balls for her (cats love them, play with them and carry them around), get a few feathers, tie them together with a string and let her run after that. Get a laser pointer...she might like to hunt the dot. There are also plastic balls with a hole to be filled with some dry kibble, and she has to move it around for food to fall out one by one. My cats also like to play with small stuffed animals. That should give you a few ideas. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. Please take the time to mark this question as helpful or not as it helps us to improve on the quality of our answers to other pet owners. Thank you!