Most cats love playing with you. Cats commonly display interest by dilating their pupils; look for this to see what catches its attention. There is the usual string or ball chasing -- a few will even retrieve thrown items. Try using a small pencil flashlight for a game of 'flashlight tag'. Cats love to chase the light across the floor, over furniture and up walls.
Cats will often display a behaviour commonly called 'elevenses' since it seems to occur around 11 p.m. This consists of the eyes dilating, the tail poofing out, and alternating between hopping side-ways and racing all over the house. Your cat wants to play; so take up the challenge. Playing with a cat just before bedtime reduces the chances of your cat wanting to play with you at 3 a.m.
In general, cats perversely will favour cheap home-made toys rather than the more expensive super-market ones. But take sensible precautions with toys that can injure your cat -- avoid toys which are small enough to be swallowed or choked on; toys with loose or potentially sharp parts; toys that can strangulate the cat (including string and rubber bands) or shred the intestines if swallowed.
A new cat toy seems to be the production of videotapes for your furry feline. Tapes of birds and mice � complete with intriguing noises � have kept cats entranced. If your cat seems to like watching TV (some do), this might be fun for your cat. Don't give your cat the remote control, though.
S a f e t y I n T h e H o u s e
Besides some of the more obvious things like electrical cords , here are some other things for you to watch out for:
Recliner Chairs
Many cats will go underneath these chairs as a hiding or resting place... Cats that are caught in the mechanism when the chair is opened or closed can be seriously injured or killed.
The Dryer
Many cats find the small enclosed space with warm clothing especially inviting. Quickly check your dryer before turning it on; your cat can be killed this way. A little aversion therapy: if you see your cat slip in, close the door and bang on the top of the dryer for a few seconds. Then let the cat back out.
Drapery or Blind Cord
Most cats love to play with cords; unfortunately it is easy for cats to be entangled and strangulated. Coil the cords up to the top of the window and pin it with a clothes pin or clip.
Bags With Handles
Cats can become stuck in the handles and panic. If this happens when you are not at home, the cat may injure or kill itself. Keep such bags out of reach of the cats, or cut their handles off.
Stove Tops
Gas or electrical stoves can present problems. One preventive measure is to obtain burner covers, available for both kinds. Most cats will stay away from anything that is actively hot, but you may wish to train them away from the stove by spraying them with water or trying other measures used to keep cats off the counters.
Okay, we're done with the serious stuff, now let's look at some lighter stuff : )
If your bathroom is more than four feet square, I recommend you get in the tub with the cat and close the sliding-glass doors as if you were about to take a shower. A simple shower curtain will not do. A berserk cat can shred a three-ply rubber shower curtain quicker than a politician can shift his position.
Know that a cat has claws and won't hesitate to remove all the skin from your body. The advantages you have are that you are smart and you know how to dress to protect yourself. I recommend that you wear canvas overalls, tucked into high-top construction boots, a pair of steel-mesh gloves, an army helmet, a hockey face mask, and a long-sleeved flak jacket.
Prepare everything in advance. There is no time to go out for a towel when you have a cat digging a hole in your flak jacket. Draw the water. Make sure that the bottle of cat shampoo is inside the glass enclosure. Make sure the towel can be reached... even if you are lying on your back in the water.
Use the element of surprise. Pick up your cat nonchalantly as if to carry him to his supper dish (Cats will not usually notice strange attire. They have little or no interest in fashion as a general rule. If he does notice your garb, calmly explain that you are taking part in a product testing experiment for J.C. Penney.)
Once you are in the bathroom, speed is essential to your survival. In a single liquid motion, shut the bathroom door, step into the enclosure, slide the door shut, dip the cat in the water, and squirt him with shampoo. You have begun one of the wildest 45 seconds of your life.
Remember that cats have no handles. Add the fact that his fur's now totally soapy and the problem is radically compounded. Don't expect to hold on to him for more than four or five seconds at a time. When you have him however, you must remember to give him another squirt of shampoo, and rub like crazy. He will then spring free and will fall back into the water, there by rinsing himself off (The national record for cats is three latherings, so don't expect too much).
Next the cat must be dried. Novice cat bathers always assume this part is the most difficult since the humans generally are worn out at this point, and the cat is just getting really determined. In fact, the drying is simple compared to what you have just been through. That is because by now the feline is semi-permanently affixed to your right leg. You simply pop the plug with you foot, reach for your towel, and wait.
Occasionally however, the cat will end up clinging to the top of your army helmet. If this happens, the best thing to do is to shake him loose, and to encourage him towards your leg. After all the water is drained from the tub, it's just a simple matter to just reach down and dry the cat.
In a few days the cat will be relaxed enough to be removed from your leg. He will usually have nothing to say to you for about three weeks, and will spend a lot of time sitting with his back to you. He might even become psychoceramic, and develop the fixed stare of a plaster figurine.
You will be tempted to assume he is angry. This isn't usually the case. As a rule, he is simply plotting ways to get through your defenses and injure you for life the next time you decide to give him a bath.
But at least now he smells a lot better.
2. Retrieve cat from top of lamp and pill from under sofa.
3. Follow same procedure as in 1 but hold cat's front paws down with left hand and the back paws down with elbow of right arm. Poke pill in its mouth with right finger.
4. Retrieve cat from under bed. Get new pill from bottle (And resist impulse to get a new cat).
5. Again proceed as in 1 except when you have your cat firmly cradled in bottle-feeding position, sit down on edge of chair, fold your torso over cat, bring your right hand over your left elbow, open cat's mouth by lifting the upper jaw and pop the pill in quickly. Since your head is down by your knees, you won't be able to see what you are doing. That's just as well...
6. Leave cat hanging on drapes. Leave pill in your hair...
7. If you're a woman, have a good cry. If you're a man, have a good cry...
8. Now pull yourself together. Who's the boss here anyway? Retrieve cat and pill. Just assume position 1 and say sternly, "Who's the boss here, anyway?" Open cat's mouth, take pill and... Oooops!
9. This isn't working, is it? Collapse and think. A-hah! Those claws are causing the chaos.
10. Crawl to linen closet. Drag back large beach towel. Spread towel on floor...
11. Retrieve cat from kitchen counter and pill from potted plant...
12. Spread cat on towel near one end with its head over long edge...
13. Flatten cat's front and back legs over its stomach (Resist impulse to flatten cat).
14. Roll cat in towel. Work fast; time and tabbies wait for no man � or woman...
15. Resume position 1. Rotate your left hand to cat's head. Press its mouth at the jaw hinges like opening the petals of a snapdragon.
16. Drop pill into cat's mouth and poke gently. Voila! It's done...
17. Vacuum up loose fur (cat's). Apply bandages to wounds (yours).
18. Take two aspirins and lie down..
How to Give Your Cat A Pill (C) Peggy Ashcroft