Playing with your cats is an important part of maintaining their health and your bond with them. Luckily, they love to play!

Providing opportunities for solo play is particularly important for indoor cats, especially if they spend much of the day alone.

Kittens and adult cats are both stimulated by the same sort of games, though kittens don't require a great deal of encouragement to get started. Cat play is almost entirely about simulating behaviour associated with hunting.

Cats have a strong instinctual desire to stalk and kill prey so you'll find you have the most success if you can mimic the actions of something she's likely to hunt.

The right toys

The first thing you're going to want to find is a proper toy to play with your cat. If you're trying to stimulate prey hunting behaviour you don't want to use your hands. Even if your cat is gentle, she might bite if she becomes too excited. You want your cat to associate your hands with petting and feeding, not hunting and killing.

Good toys for cats are easy to find and most of the time you don't even have to buy them. They're usually just as interested in a piece of paper or a ping-pong ball as a manufactured toy.

Rolled up balls of tin foil, plastic caps from bottles, paper bags or anything that moves easily and makes a bit of noise is a prime candidate to be turned into a cat toy.

Dangers

Be wary of plain pieces of string, elastic bands or anything else your cat might swallow. Some thinner pieces of string, when stretched, can even become sharp. These might make good toys, but you musn't let your cat play with them unattended.

Sound stimulation

Toys that have a bells or 'squeakers' are especially good to give your cat if she is likely to be left on her own because the noise acts as an extra stimulus.

The important point to remember with all these toys is that you need to alternate them to prevent boredom. Don't just throw all your cats toys on the floor and leave them. Cats are very smart and will tire of toys quickly.