You know, I think of exercising a cat with a laser as being like taking ourselves to the gym or getting on the exercise bike. The only benefit is the physical work out. So boring and lonely.
I'm guessing that humans who go to the gym do it with another reward in view: conditioning for a sport or favorite activity usually. If we had no way to use the physical gain to better enjoy something beyond the machines, I think we'd go a little crazy. Like the body-builders in prison, where the workouts become ends in themselves. I bet cats have too much sense, let alone self-respect, to pursue such nonsense!
Jackson Galaxy, TV's "Cat Daddy," prescribes the prey-sequence game that is so inherently satisfying to cats. It uses a wand and string with something catchable on the end, and it goes through all the teases that lure a cat to eye its prey, stalk it, chase it, capture, kill and eat it. But it uses something tangible and incorporates a small meat meal once the prey has been thoroughly killed. Best of all, it's a game you play with your cat, and it's infinitely (well, almost) variable. It provides exercise, mental challenge, and bonding with you. I've shared this protocol with many cat parent-customers. It's a solution to too many issues to count, and it's fun for cat and human alike.
Why are we always looking for entertainments that are ever more detached from real things, I wonder.
You know, I think of exercising a cat with a laser as being like taking ourselves to the gym or getting on the exercise bike. The only benefit is the physical work out. So boring and lonely.
I'm guessing that humans who go to the gym do it with another reward in view: conditioning for a sport or favorite activity usually. If we had no way to use the physical gain to better enjoy something beyond the machines, I think we'd go a little crazy. Like the body-builders in prison, where the workouts become ends in themselves. I bet cats have too much sense, let alone self-respect, to pursue such nonsense!
Jackson Galaxy, TV's "Cat Daddy," prescribes the prey-sequence game that is so inherently satisfying to cats. It uses a wand and string with something catchable on the end, and it goes through all the teases that lure a cat to eye its prey, stalk it, chase it, capture, kill and eat it. But it uses something tangible and incorporates a small meat meal once the prey has been thoroughly killed. Best of all, it's a game you play with your cat, and it's infinitely (well, almost) variable. It provides exercise, mental challenge, and bonding with you. I've shared this protocol with many cat parent-customers. It's a solution to too many issues to count, and it's fun for cat and human alike.
Why are we always looking for entertainments that are ever more detached from real things, I wonder.