Try this little experiment: Ask a four-year-old to lie very still in a room by himself for eight to ten hours, with no games, no books and most importantly no human interaction. Sure, he can look outside and watch other kids play – but he has to stay indoors.
When you return home, tell that child he can walk outside for 10 minutes, but then it’s back in for the night. Repeat this routine daily.
What a torment, you say? Of course it is. Yet this is often exactly what we ask of animal companions, causing them undue emotional stress in the process.
Pets on the Brink of Boredom
Believe it or not, one of the chief stressors for many homebound animals is idle time. If you want to mitigate the damaging effects of stress on your animal companion, take your dog or cat (I know, this is sometimes easier said than done with felines) for a 30-minute walk each day – or, at the very least, two 15-minute jaunts.
Our animal companions need and deserve exercise, stimulating interaction and a dose of fun each day, it is unimaginable of any fur parent who never engage his or her amazing animal in an interesting activity. Our animal companions end up being “pasture ornaments” because these animals look good on the landscape, but they rarely enjoy ample human interaction. They get playtime when their fur parent has the time and energy – and walks only happen when conditions are ideal.
In fact, many companions with behaviourial problems improve considerably when a regular aerobic exercise programme is part of their treatment. And it takes only a little activity each day to keep them happy.
How to Tackle Kitty and Canine Stress
The majority of feline overeating is linked to boredom and stress – they simply have nothing better to do than eat all day. When animals are stressed, they tend to overeat. And since they do not get enough exercise, they gain weight. All that extra fat secretes harmful hormones, which lead to added physiological stress. The cycle repeats itself until diseases like crippling osteoarthritis or deadly diabetes develops.
When it comes to cats, you need to tap into their natural predatory instinct to help break boredom. Felines are designed to stalk and pounce, leap and sprint. If you only have one cat, play “hide the food” by placing a small amount of chow in a few soy sauce bowls scattered throughout your home.
Many felines also love interactive toys, such as remote-controlled lasers and rotating chasers. Some enjoy chasing wadded-up pieces of newspaper. In fact, sometimes just leaving out an empty box for some hide-and-seek play is precisely what works for many stressed-out kitties.
Of course, nothing replaces the best toy in the world – you. Try to teach your cat to play fetch, use a food puzzle or follow a feather dancer to help relieve stress.
As for dogs, in addition to daily walks and play, aim to teach your canine new tricks and games, such as using a food puzzle.
Mystified as to why your pup does not want to play with the dozens of toys you have left out for him? The reality is that our animal companions can also get overwhelmed by too many choices, so rotate your dog’s toys daily to turn every day into a “new toy day.”
If you try these easy steps to enrich your animal companion’s environment, you will keep life lively for him – and stress at bay. It will change both of your lives for the better.
