{"id":55061,"date":"2023-03-17T22:16:50","date_gmt":"2023-03-17T22:16:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/?p=55061"},"modified":"2023-03-21T21:30:27","modified_gmt":"2023-03-21T21:30:27","slug":"interesting-sports-you-can-enjoy-with-your-cat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/interesting-sports-you-can-enjoy-with-your-cat\/","title":{"rendered":"Interesting Sports You Can Enjoy With Your Cat"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Guest post by Jordan Fuller. Jordan is a retired golfer and businessman. When he\u2019s not on the course working on his own game or mentoring young golfers, he writes in-depth articles for his website, Golf Influence<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cats are much\u00a0more amazing creatures<\/strong>\u00a0than we give them credit for! They have a reputation for being aloof, snooty, and not enjoying our company, but the opposite is true for most of them. Sure, you get the occasional cat with attitude, but that\u2019s no different from the occasional dog or human.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019d like to spend more time with your fluff, you\u2019ll be pleased to know that there\u2019s an array of interesting sports that you can enjoy with your cat. Technically they\u2019re not \u201ccat sports\u201d, but with some planning and training, you can easily take your kitty along for the ride. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obviously, you\u2019re not going to be able to teach them how to play golf<\/a> or throw a football around with them! But you may be surprised at some of the sports you can include them in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some of the top sports you can enjoy with your cat:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cat Agility<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Just like you can train your dog to fly through an agility course, you can do the same with your cat. It starts at home, where you can design and build agility courses<\/strong> for your kitty. You can find plenty of tutorials on YouTube on how to start training them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a fun sport to do together because it\u2019s not just about the cat. As the owner or \u201chandler\u201d, you\u2019ll need to train yourself, too, because you\u2019ll be leading your cat through each obstacle. You can use a laser pointer or a feather-on-a-string toy to do this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you and your cat work well together, you can start training for competitions<\/strong>. If you enter a competition, know that your cat will have to complete the agility course in under 270 seconds, with good form, and without food or treats as motivation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cat agility competitions are much less common than dog agility contests. Most of them are held by one of two organizations\u2014The Cat Fanciers Association (CFA) or The International Cat Association (TICA). Be sure to check them out if you\u2019re interested in doing this with your cat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo by Torie Roman on\u00a0Pexels<\/a>\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Feline Frisbee<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If your kitty enjoys a good game of fetch, then feline frisbee could be for them. If you\u2019ve trained your cat to fetch (<\/strong>and bring items back to you), then you\u2019re already halfway there! All you need to do is train your kitty to do the same with a frisbee. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It may take a little time, as the frisbee may not be a natural shape for them to play with. But using your clicker<\/strong>, combined with food treats<\/strong>, can work wonders!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may need to find them a smaller, softer frisbee<\/strong> than the conventional kind, though. While a dog\u2019s jaws and teeth can easily handle a normal frisbee, your kitty\u2019 mouth and teeth are smaller and more fragile. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stand-Up Paddle Boarding<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Got a cat that enjoys water<\/strong>? Go stand-up paddleboarding together! This requires you to have some knowledge and experience of the sport already because there might be some falling involved while learning. We advise only getting your cat involved once you can stand and paddle easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll need to make sure your cat has their own life jacket<\/strong> if you plan on doing any water sports with them. Don\u2019t neglect this just because your cat can swim<\/a>. If something does go wrong and they get swept away or knocked unconscious, that life jacket will be a lifesaver\u2014literally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please don\u2019t try this with cats who dislike water <\/strong>or who aren\u2019t expressly fond of it. Your poor feline will only end up traumatized, which will have the opposite effect of what this should do\u2014help you to bond with your fluff! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hike Together<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Hiking with your cat is a great way to show them some of the great outdoors and bond with them at the same time. You can always put them on a leash<\/strong> and let them explore the territory a bit, but be careful in case other people are walking their dogs the same way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can get cat hiking backpacks<\/strong>, which are a bit like a hotel on your back for cats. It\u2019s a carrier in which your cat will sit as you walk, so they\u2019re safe but still get to experience the scenery and have a bit of excitement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t forget to take some food along for your kitty, as well as plenty of clean water. Stop regularly giving them a drink<\/strong>\u2014remember, your cat can\u2019t tell you when they\u2019re feeling thirsty. Even if the weather<\/a> is on the cooler side, make sure your cat is well cared for. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kayak with Your Cat<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Yes, you can take your cat kayaking too! Again, make sure your cat is used to water<\/strong> before you even consider this, and you also need to be quite comfortable in a kayak first too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take it slow and allow your cat to get used to the motion, the sound of the water, and the wind in its fur. Again, don\u2019t let them set paw onto a kayak without a life jacket<\/strong>\u2014you can find some specifically designed for cats or even use one for a small dog. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t venture too far from the shore, at least the first few times you take your cat out on the kayak. If kitty spooks, you want to be close enough to shore<\/strong> to get them safely off the kayak as fast as possible. Don\u2019t forget to take a towel in case they get wet! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Whatever sport you choose to do with your cat, make sure they\u2019re safe and cared for<\/strong>. Never force your kitty into doing something they don\u2019t seem to enjoy. This is an opportunity for the two of you to bond, so make sure they\u2019re happy, calm, and comfortable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re going to be outdoors for a length of time, don\u2019t forget to take ample water for your cat<\/strong>, as well as a source of shade<\/strong> if they need to rest. This can be as simple as a towel draped over some branches, but make sure there\u2019s a way for them to get out of the sun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also get cat-friendly sunscreen<\/strong>, which is an excellent idea to protect your fluff\u2019s vulnerable areas in hot weather. Don\u2019t forget the treats, and you\u2019ll be good to go!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Guest post by Jordan Fuller. Jordan is a retired golfer and businessman. When he\u2019s not on the course working on his own game or mentoring young golfers, he writes in-depth…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":55062,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":3,"label":"Behavior"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/man-enjoying-hike-with-cat-1024x683.jpg",1024,683,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"Michael Steele","author_link":"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/author\/michael_flywheel\/"},"comment_info":32,"category_info":[{"term_id":3,"name":"Behavior","slug":"behavior","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":46,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":3,"category_count":46,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Behavior","category_nicename":"behavior","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55061"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55061"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55061\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55139,"href":"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55061\/revisions\/55139"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55062"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}