Indoor cats need to be inspired to do more then sleep, eat and watch the sun pass over. Exercise, games and entertainment are available to you very inexpensively to provide to your kitty that will not only inspire them to get off the couch, but also teach her a variety of lessons and help her to interact with you and your family, as well as other pets you may have in the house. Some experts believe that games can boost your cat’s I.Q. althought if MY cats got any smarter, I’d have to send them out to get jobs.

Sure, cats are pretty clever at creating their own games but it doesn’t hurt to give them a little creative boost now and then. Furthermore, when your cat is playing a game with you participating or even just watching them, it takes the game to a whole new level for your cat. My Jasmine just loves to make me laugh and will react with even more vigour and friskiness if she knows we’re watching and laughing at her.

Here are some ideas for games you can easily set up and play with your cat. These 10 games idea have been taken from Felinestein: Pampering the Genius in Your Cat by veterinarians Suzanne Delzio and Cindy Ribarich.

1. Tap the Paper Bag

I’m sure everyone knows that cats just love paper bags. When you empty a paper sack of groceries, place the sack on the floor and then tap the end of it. Watch as your cat flies into the bag making a heck of a racket but having loads of fun. You can keep his interest by tapping various areas on the bag when your cat in it comes to rest. As an alternative, roll a ball or crumpled piece of paper into the sack and watch your cat slide into the sack chasing the moving object.

2. Table Tennis Without the Table

Ping pong balls are perfect toys for your cat as they are lightweight, roll easily and do no harm to your cat or your furniture. A lot of games can be played with a ping pong ball. If you have a long hallway, roll the ball from side to side and watch your cat chase it down the hall or if you have stairs, toss it down the stairs for your kitty to race after. My Sammy used to bring the ball back up the stairs for me but I’ve never had another cat do that.

You can also roll the ball around in the bathtub or in any uncarpeted room of the house where there’s room for him to run.

3. Flashing

Penlights, flashlights or lasers light up and down the wall and across the floor driving your cat to distraction. Moving it quickly and erratically, make sure you watch where you steer your cat with it as you don’t want her pouncing over that expensive heirloom sending crashing to floor. Do not shine these lights into your cat’s eyes as you will momentarily blind them and cause them discomfort.

4. Losing Her Marbles

Using a a marble or one-inch rubber ball placed in egg cartons, one that fits 2 or 3 dozen eggs, show your cat the marble by moving it from one hollow to another. Your cat will then have fun trying to scoop the marble out of the egg carton to the floor where he can roll it to his heart’s content and if you’re using a rubber ball, bounce it back into the egg carton and let your cat start all over again. If you’re using a marble, make sure you recover it when the game is over or your housemates will be all over you about the pain they suffered after having stepped on it.

5. Your Cat Helps with Housework?

While you’re doing housework, you can tie a piece of string or wool around your ankle with an eight- to ten-inch length of it trailing behind. Your cat can chase the string as you walk but be careful not to step backwards or you’ll accidentally step on your cat. You might also want to make sure you have long pants or good thick socks as your cat will probably land on your feet in her pursuit of the string.

6. Kitty Kondo

Any box any day is a source of amusement for cats. But if you want to get really creative, tape together several different sized cardboard boxes that are large enough for your cat to get in and move around. Then cut some holes in the top of the boxes and inside the boxes so that he can move from one box to the other from the inside. Drop a ping pong ball in one of the holes and watch as your cat has a great time bouncing the ping pong ball from one cardboard box to another. Hours of amusement value for absolutely zero cost.

7. Three Feet of Fun

Using a yardstick, slide it under a throw rug or scatter rug letting an inch or so show on the other side of the rug. Watch your cat attacks the yardstick while you move it to escape those deadly paws. Any long object will do for this game but make sure the edges are not sharp because your kitty will want to bite at it and we don’t want her mouth to be hurt.

8. Treasure Hunt

This is absolutely the best game according to my Jasmine. She actually hunts these things at night after we’ve gone to bed and you can hear her yowling just like a jungle cat while she’s got her prey stuck in her mouth. Make these toys by putting some dried catnip in the toe of some socks and tying the ends. Once your cat has played with them for awhile and made them his own, hide the toys around the house for him to find. You can place them under cushions, under the bed or furniture, behind curtains, on windowsills, your cat will eventually hunt them down and kill them.

9. Wind Up and Let Go!

Child’s windup toys that are small enough to look like prey to your cat which would be about the size of a large rat, are great for cats to pretend they’re on the hunt. Just wind up the toy and let it roll across a vinyl floor. My cats are actually not too amused by this game and get bored pretty quickly. One swat and they walk away but then my cats are old and wise and not so easily fooled. Younger cats will appreciate this game more.

10. Gone Fishing!

One of the most popular toys to come out recently is the fishing-pole style toys. The pole is made from flexible plastic for safety in case your cat leaps into it accidentally and the string is made with 50-pound fishing line. Purchase a pole-toy that has a three-inch swatch of fabric folded in half or streamers or feathers that are tied to the end of the fishing line. You can swing the fishing-pole toy to a radius of six or seven feet all from where you’re sitting. These toys are excellent ways to exercise your cat if you are confined to a wheel chair and when your cat is finished playing with the toy, put it away so he doesn’t chew on and swallow the string.

For more activities that will teach your cat and boost her IQ at the same time, read Felinestein: Pampering the Genius in Your Cat by Susanne Delzio, Cindy Ribarich (HarperCollins, 1999). This book includes 100 games and activities, suitable for every type of owner and every personality of cat, that will get your cat exploring, thinking, and making decisions. Remember, the time you invest in playing with your cat is time invested in enhancing the rapport your have with him.