Healthy kittens and cats do wonderfully entertaining antics for themselves and for us. These play activities are exercises that keep cats healthy and are easily maintained on home remedies.

• They will meow and purr with delight when happy, comfortable or content.

• They can make you giggle or laugh at their antics.

• They love playing with plants, twigs, string, balls, anything that moves as they like to pounce, chase or run.

• When playing with an unknown they hesitantly and very gingerly paw the object. Then it is decided if they will pounce on it, whack it or attack it.

• They like the game of stalk and attack.

• They crawl in and out of boxes, shelving, packages, or any tunnel or tube structure.

• They love to climb shelving, steps and trees.

• They seemingly enjoy licking, cleaning, kneading and massaging each other.

We take many cat pictures and cat videos of our adorable kittens and cats to share with family and friends.

Cats in the wild will do a lot of climbing, stalking, running and chasing of prey. They eat what they catch. And they maintain a weight that is healthy for their being. On the other hand, our domestic cats are not hunting for their prey and they eat what we serve them. Removing the food which they have not eaten will help with maintaining healthy weight.

You probably know how important it is to help your cats get their daily exercise. It is important that you mix physical exercises with play activities. Include games that will have them stalking and chasing an object as though they were hunting. Be regular about this, not sporadic. This will help your cat to perform its natural habits.

Their foods should be balanced with high quality meats. Fresh water should always be available.

As you think about maintaining good health in your kittens and cats consider them as children. Children are at their happiest when playing, running, skipping, and having different activities. They enjoy not only being physically exercised, but also mentally occupied.

Keep it simple. If your household owns a cat, you are its only companion, and your pet looks to you for activities. If there are other cats that can keep your pet busy and loved that is a big relief on your time and energy.

If you have noticed a sudden change in the behavior of your cat, there may be some emotional or mental problems which need to be addressed.

It becomes your choice if you want to go to the cat vet first or if you want to try a few methods of your own to correct the problems, and then see the cat vet.

The sudden changes could be insomnia, not eating, aggressive behavior, withdrawal, depression, or not using the litter box. Review and think what changes have taken place with you, family, or environment that might have caused your cat or kitten to suddenly behave differently.

Here is a checklist:

Cat or kitten:

• Food and water

• Medications

• Play and organized activities

• A new pet

• New bedding

• New litter box

Yourself:

• A new person in the house

• Children too noisy

• Loud music

• Neglect or too much attention to pet

• Startling noises by people

• Party

• New people

• Change in routine

Environment:

• Change in furniture placement

• Change in litter box placement

• Change of litter brand

• New house

• New carpet

• New building

• New pet

Sit in a quiet setting of your home with your cat. And stroke, massage or quietly speak to your cat or kitten for a few minutes each day.

Is there a window that your cat can gaze outward to change the scenery? Is there a door that allows her to enter and exit at will?

With few exceptions view your cat as a person. Think about the variety of things that you enjoy and which of these would your cat or kitten enjoy within their bounds.

People think of good friends, good food, pleasant surroundings, stability and fun and most importantly – love. Your pet would be happy with same.