Is your cat lazy or active?
By Cammeel1
@Cammeel1 (372)
United States
August 28, 2007 1:50pm CST
This is Oliver who is a little over 2 years old. I adopted him from the local animal shelter when he was 6 months old. The shelter did not know his history but we believed he had been abused because of his very skittish and anxious behavior. He will jump at the slightest sound and even a sound that he hears everyday, multiple times a day.
Oops, sorry I got off track. Oliver is a very lazy cat. I have had cats before. They all tended to be lazy after the kitten in them wore off. But Oliver just refuses to play, be played with, or even to cuddle for a scratching. He is healthy as can be the vet says. I have tried everything to get him to relax a bit and play. He is just a tad overweight but nothing the vet or I are concerned with, but still I would like him to have more activity for his health. I have bought many different types of toys, I have tried different types of scratch posts and play houses, you name it. I even tried each of these things a good length of time apart so the new item would be around for quite awhile so he cold get used to it and maybe take an interest. Bah! He is as stubborn a me! He refuses to be interested in anything other than his food and his naps.
Any advice cat lovers?
5 people like this
15 responses
@rogue13xmen13 (14403)
• United States
28 Aug 07
I have three cats, Frisky, my oldest and Goldie, my youngest, are both pretty laid back, but Dubby, my second cat, loves to cause trouble, and yes, he is incredibly active.
@rogue13xmen13 (14403)
• United States
29 Aug 07
Sometimes he does, but not really. He goes outside to burn off all of his energy. He is my rodent catcher.
1 person likes this
@ElusiveButterfly (45940)
• United States
28 Aug 07
Our oldest cat, Benta, refuses to play. She does like being outside though and she runs about when she is out. My little one is playful and you can't get her to stop on most days. Have you tried catnip?
@OURDEW (4809)
• United States
28 Aug 07
My cat is the same age as yours, and I also got him when he was a few months old. He was a stray kitten and followed me home when I was taking a walk. He does sleep much more now than when I got him, but he is still very active. He loves to play with superballs, he either throws the ball up with his paws and then bats it and chases it--- or I throw the superball and he chases it and brings it back to me in his mouth. He also loves to play with shoe laces or string.
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
28 Aug 07
Hi there Cammee1...Nope your kitty Oliver isn't the only one who is lazy. Beautiful cat by the way. Every once in a blue moon my two kitties will "play" but nothing much. I have tons of toys for them and they rarely play with them..Those two, Kissy and Pyewacket are very laid back, and snooze most of the time just like your Oliver. Kissy is going to be eight soon and Pyewacket celebrated his sixth birthday just this past June 17th, so they are far from being kittens anymore--Perhaps most cats aren't as active as they were when they were kitties
So glad to hear you adopted Oliver from a shelter...cause of that you saved a little life...Bravo!!
:)
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
29 Aug 07
That photo is one I scanned from the cover of a book called "Your Magickal Cat" and my Pyewacket is very magical in my view...hehe...here's the real pyewacket
1 person likes this
@Cammeel1 (372)
• United States
29 Aug 07
Thanks fo saying he is beautiful, I sure think so too! I am so glad I found him at the shelter. I was immediately drawn to him when I walked into the room. I knew right away he was for me. Yeah, I think I am just goingto have to quit bugging him to play and let him be lazy. He is healthy and thats all that matters.
Is that your Pyewacket with the crystal ball?
@raychill (6525)
• United States
28 Aug 07
Aw Reggie cat is not lazy at all. My cat loves to play. But he only likes to play with me.
As long as he's not overweight I wouldn't htink it's a big deal because I have a friend whose cat is the same way...and the vets never find it to be a big deal.
I'd say try homemade toys.... and catnip. Try shoe strings and pens rolling on the floor and coin rollers! Try the plastic caps of milk jugs...try anything! healthy that is.
2 people like this
@luvcatzzz (207)
• United States
28 Aug 07
i have many kitties, i foster, and they're all soooo different. some never stop and some won't get up except to eat and poo! i have one big old orange and white boy ... his name is honeybear and he's about 20 pounds... when he lies on top of the washer he COVERS it! haha! but there's no moving him.
i think you've covered all the bases with mr oliver and i think you might just have to say... well.. ok. there he is. that's him. and that's all you can do! maybe someone can give you some ideas... but it sure sounds like you've done about all you can!
2 people like this
@crazynurse (7482)
• United States
29 Aug 07
Our cat used to be VERY active and want to play constantly. He is 10 years old now and isn't as active. He has spells (usually about 10 AM) when he runs through the house making loud noises and pretending to hunt around each corner! Then he curls up and sleeps the rest of the day! He will play for a few minutes with us if we get out a toy, but loses interest after that. He has turned in to a loving, cuddly lap cat!!!
@DuoMaxwell (953)
• United States
29 Aug 07
I have 4 cats that are active (they're kittens, after all), and 2 cats that aren't.
The 2 cats that I have, Topper and Butterball Jr., are lazy since they're old. Topper, most of all since we got him for a long time. Butterball Jr., the female cat, is less active, but still moving around a bit.
My 4 newest cats, still unnamed yet, are highly active so much, that one morning they were chasing each other around the house, especially in my room. I was still asleep at the time, but they were chasing each other on my bed while I was sleeping they jumped on my face repeatedly! Of course, kittens are kittens, and I didn't mind....although it almost woke me up a bit. Other times they're trying to sleep right beside me near my legs. They're trying to get comfy at that time. So the 4 unnamed kittens were VERY active.
@DuoMaxwell (953)
• United States
29 Aug 07
However, I would suggest playing with your cat by flinging a piece of string, like a shoestring, a piece of fabric, anything thin that could stimulate his catching skills. I did this with my thin blue necklace that holds my keys, and my black necklace used for carrying my USB flash drive, which is now in my USB flash drive wallet.
First, fling the thin string or anything similar near the cat. Let him/her see it, and when (s)he sees it, move it closer to you.
(S)he will start to go after it. Move it around a lot to make the cat catch it. You'll notice that it's fast, so you have to play chase with your cat. Move around the room or house, holding the string behind and away from you. Your cat's going to pounce on it, so lay it flat while dangling it at the same time. When (s)he pounces on it at the last second, pull it up! Do the same thing at a random place, and call the cat out. At least he might get some exercise though.
@lifeluver (743)
• Canada
28 Aug 07
My cat is extremely lazy. She hardly will lift a paw to play with string. As a matter of fact, when I start to play with her, she usually flops on the floor and just looks up at me. Also, if there IS a toy she's interested in, she'll lay on the carpet and drag her body by using her claws in the carpet. Unbelievably lazy!
@lifeluver (743)
• Canada
29 Aug 07
LOL our cats MUST be related somehow...yours sounds exactly like mine!
@ladybug565 (2216)
• United States
29 Aug 07
have you tried catnip? they make toys that yu can put treats inside and the cat plays with the toy to get a cat treat. I have never tried one but I have seen them in pet stores. I hope this helps, good luck.
1 person likes this
@lydia002005 (101)
• China
29 Aug 07
Severy years ago,when I was young,my family has a little cat,it is a lively cat,and everyday it's active,especially every morning.However,now,I have no cat.
@ZimaMcHotpants (63)
• United States
29 Aug 07
You might want to give a laser pointer a try. It drove my cats absolutely nuts, and it isn't hard to find a cheapo one.
@Maggiemamaqi (1)
• China
29 Aug 07
My cat is so active,every morning he will come to my bed and play with my toys and tear my sheet,but i can do nothing to stop him because i love him.
@rebelann (111043)
• El Paso, Texas
13 Jan 20
Some kritters just tend to be lazy, one of my kitties is like that but the other one loves to play and run the length of the house ..... in their defense they are both over 13 years old.
