Cat Won't Play? You're Doing it Wrong! 

I was definitely a cat guardian that thought, “my cat won’t play.” One helpful thing Jackson said was, “all play is good play.” So, I committed to 10 min twice a day, whether I was feeling like I was playing alone or not. Obviously, if my cat way enjoying herself I’d go longer. Everyday I think, “this isn’t working” and I tell myself I’ll stick with it for at least 10 min, regardless. She’s never been able to ignore the toy for more than 7 min. Turns out is just take her awhile to get warmed up.

I was confined to a wheelchair for nine months due to an injury. My favorite way to keep myself and the cats as fit as possible was to tie ribbons to the handles of the chair and roll around the house as fast as I could as the cats wildly chased me. So much fun for all of us!

My beloved girl is 18, partially blind and has kidney disease. She very rarely plays anymore, but when she occasionally tries to kill our feet or fingers under the covers, my partner and I get very excited. It is wonderful to see an old cat play 🥰

Precious was 21. Loved play time. I never scheduled it. When she was ready I just played until she was ready to fall asleep in my arms. Sissy is 16. More problems. On medication. Arthritis. We always stayed busy. She helped in my garden by keeping neighbor dogs out of yard. Booping butterflies and birds. Bless her. She loved fetching things for me to throw. Now when I try to play, she looks at me like, “you go get it. Or WHY? I let her move at her own pace. We are both old. I’m 70. We spend a lot of time just cuddling and watching tv. She likes cartoons and Doctor Who.

I swear Jackson has our place bugged. Every time we run into a head scratcher, he makes a video about the very thing we talked about! Super excited for this video!

During my first time at a cat cafe, most of the cats would literally barely play. They weren't interested in someone just moving the cat wand or toy around. I found out later that moving whatever object in fast jitters with pauses was a really good technique to kept their attention! They want something resembling fast, unpredictive prey, and I feel like many fail to realize just how much patience and attention should go into their common style of playing. After getting a kitten a few months ago, I also came to learn that sometimes dragging the cat toy on the ground gets better reactions than waving it in air. Likely because it resembles a mouse closer that way

My boy-friend and me are going to adopt a cat. We went to a shelter with such a "fishing pole" toy and we ended up with the attention of every cat it that shelter room. Even an impaired cat came down from her hiding space to watch. I think everybody, who is visiting a shelter, should bring such a toy to engage especially with shy cats. 😃 It is such a nice way to interact without leaving an insecure cats' comfort zone. It's a positive first interaction and it's fun!

Playing with a cat is one of the most satisfying things. Especially if you’re interacting with a cat you’re not familiar with, it’s like a little puzzle to see what movements interests the cat. If you’re able to get them interested, it’s like you’re rewarding yourself. And if they’re super active, it can be really fun to see them run around for the toy. I absolutely love cats. ❤

My kitty, Lobo, will be turning 15 years old this April. Besides playing with his pillows stuffed with catnip, he LOVES to play hide-and-seek with me daily.

Jackson, I became disabled a few years ago and everything in the lives of my 2 cats and me has changed - small home on one level, no daddy, and mom mostly has to sit. Please make a video on how disabled people can play with their cats. Any advice would be appreciated

Thanks so much for this video! We just got our first fur baby 2 days ago. She was immediately cuddly and curious, showing us signs she was comfortable and confident (based on your other videos!) But she would NOT interact playfully, only wanting to snuggle. Today, I popped on a RU-vid video of mice to see if it would get her Motor going and she immediately turned into a hint baby. After she got excited enough, I turned off the video and hid her toy under a dresser, popping it out like a curious mouse and she lost her mind! It was amazing to see her come alive so fast! I was so worried she was sad from moving in and I can’t believe how fast she’s made it home

mr jackson, my cat likes to fall asleep to your videos, which is just another among the list of things i appreciate you for

Wow, I resonate with Bramble during social playtime on a deep metaphysical level haha.

They just need the right toy. Just like people they have different interests. My cats both love wand toys, but Eli catches it and lets it go. Tiggie catches it and holds on for dear life. Same game but Different game

The way Bramble looked at you when you said you were proud of him

Me 2 months ago: "My cat won't play!!!" Me now, after playing every day: Woo! Finally getting some height and jumps with the wand, seeing hunting actions (wiggle butt and pouncing), kicking around random ball toys here and there. 🙌 Success!! Thank you for this video.

Well, inspired by this video, I tried a new toy with my lazy cat, Daisy, a Peacock feather! She was very amused by that for almost 4 minutes! That's pretty much a record, Jackson. Thanks for encouraging me to try something different.

I'm glad you addressed the play with your cat. I think many humans think dogs you play with cats you don't. 👍😺

Wow I've just tried your suggestions and my cat had the best time ever! We played for 20 min. Thank you so much. This was extremely helpful. Now that I know what to do, can get playing daily!

I've learned so much from Jackson. This one worked a charm. My cat, 9 year old Tortie, was obsessed with the laser pointer even though I instinctively knew it wasn't great because there's never a payoff, i.e. she can't actually catch it. I switched to a feather toy and it did take her a few sessions to get into it but now she'll play for a good 7-10 minutes and really gets excited. Sometimes she'll spend a few minutes looking around the living room for the "birdie" even after we stop. I try to do this before I feed her so she gets to make a "catch" before she eats. Thanks Jackson!

And it's not only great physical exercise and bonding time with your cat, it's also great physical exercise for we humans!! 😅👏👏👏🎉😸🐾🐾

Thank you so much! Last month we adopted two rescue cats. They only want to hide, run away from us, and haven’t wanted to play with us, ever. Today I played the way you showed and they were even jumping! They still want to go and hide now and then during play, but this is the most active I’ve seen them! It’s wonderful seeing our boys playing. Afterwards they go a small bowl of cat food that they are super fast! I cannot thank you enough

I totally agree with what you said about role-play. I tell people to pretend it’s a bird or a bug and think about how that animal moves. That’s usually lost on a lot of people, lol

After only a few days of this with my cats they can’t get enough. First, I watched the boredom in cats video and realized they were bored. Then, I watched this video and decided to give it a go. The separation and 10 minutes of solo play has already made a hug difference in my wallflower. Today when we were done they refused to eat the treats because they didn’t want to stop playing and went for another 10 minutes! Thank you for the information. It’s super helpful! 😊

I was watching this while playing with my cat, Disa, who is turning 13 in May. She loves a feathered wand toy since she is most definitely an air prey cat, and she loves it when I do the "wounded bird". Definitely a bit of a sadist :P And when she starts to wind down, I give her her treat ball, so she can figuratively eat her kill.

Like lots of cat owners, I LOVE it when one of the cats grabs the toy, and starts to run away with it to his or her "safe place" when we play. So cute!

That what i'm instinctively do when i play with my cat even before watching this video ❤️ playing with them is MY therapy not just theirs 🥰

My older cat is such a wallflower really. Even if I play alone with her she is like "really? Shall I? Should I not?!" it takes a few minutes to convince her but IF she is in the mood, damn, she is in THE MOOD with them cute little whiskers pointing forward :o Thank you for the tip - I really need to separate more as the tiny one goes batshit playing with someone and the other one doesn't get that the same amount of time.

My boys LOVE the GoCat brand (mouse, bird, purr peller) and they go so crazy that I actually have to go to "simmer" before reaching "boil" because one of them has a heart murmur and the vet told me to avoid bringing his heart rate up so much that he pants. They get daily play time though and they take turns going after the prey. It is so adorable!

My sweet Ringo was racing all over when he heard the sound of the wand extending. He knows that sound and comes running every time. Loves his playtime.

Tip: Some cats don't like noisy toys even if they like flying things. Mine loves sticks and feathers but absolutely nothing that crinkles. He also plays fetch with things that bounce or falls down the stairs. We have the fur puff ball things that we throw and move up and down the stairs on a string. He likes walking on things but as he's gotten older he doesn't want or like jumping around as much. He still likes a good pounce here or there but prefers to jump down to carpets rather than a harder floor these days. Hide and seek toys are also great, under blankets and in tunnels. The best thing that he likes is one of his favorite foam cooling cushion mats (we used to use them as kitchen floor mats but he scratched the crap out of them.) and a wheat grass infused cat food break at the end. When he's cold or feeling a bit sore (as is often the case as a senior cat of 8, and a big cat breed.) A cooling based cushioned bed with insulated sides or vice versa (we have a warm bottom part for his paws and a cooling side panel bed.) is also a great rest/nest spot after playtime. Mine prefers to be enclosed after he plays so he can have a good nap where he feels safe. We tried all the fancy beds and found he just likes a well closed box with some dirty clothes from his favorite people and a hole in one side.

Less than a week ago I began fostering a sweet 4 yo calico, very small in stature and definitely a wall flower. She'd hide under my bed or the dining room table and watch me entice her with toys, but not play. Ten minutes after watching this video I tried your techniques for getting her in the middle of the room and tapped into her hunt/chase/catch instinct and WOW she came right out of her shell. I let her chase me with the toy for 10 minutes. Only problem is, she didn't want to stop playing, which isn't a problem at all! Thank you!

You sell the best play toys ever! My kitty, Juuls loves all of them. We just got the snuggle kitty with heartbeat,you sell, and she loves it! She wraps her little paw around it and "snuggles!" You really know cats! We love you!

My 2 year old cat is a ball of energy. I’m 62 and exhausted. We play a lot! It’s okay, she keeps me young🤩

I love so much when a catch catches the prey and runs off with it. Adorable little murderers.

My boy has definitely slowed down as he's gotten older (a fine middle aged man!), but if you read his energy right and then bust out the stick end of his feather toy, he'll start stalking and pouncing. He's never really been a big fan of feathers, but he has one stuffed mouse that he really likes, several balls of varying textures that he likes, one of those long squishy pillows that has catnip in the stuffing that he's fond of wrestling and bunny-kicking, and that stick end (the part that you're supposed to hold) of his feather toys is a personal favorite. A favorite trait of his is that he tends to hiss at his toys if he's having trouble holding onto them. I like to think he's cussing them out.

My one kitty is almost 19 and still plays like he is a kitten ❤

Hey Jackson! Mary from Seattle here. Just wanted to thank you for helping my "dog-loving" wife learn about my cats. Now, she is in love with our new kitten, Ed. They play many times a day and my 12 year old fella Drake is playing more too! You rock. .you rock... you rock! 😽

My cats love just about every type of play. They particularly like when we end play sessions by tossing freeze dried (single ingredient) treats across the floor so they can catch and eat their prey.

Oh my goodness Jackson what have you done to my cat??!! 😂 When I adopted him a few weeks ago he was chill as beans. Super Mojito cat-right out of the box- first day home and calmly walking around tail in the air- sleeping on the couch. So we played… and played..played.. Now he walks past the Christmas tree and suddenly dives under it attacking the blanket like a hallucinating ninja. I think we bought out the raw cat- oh my.. can we put it back? now it’s activated 24/7😅 of course I’m so happy we bought out this side of him and know it’s best for his happiness and well being. We also love playing with him and it’s adorable! But the paws.. they don’t stop now haha 😂

I have been following these tips and my cats are still reluctant to play. Occasionally they will, but most of the time they just walk off and ignore it. I'm not expecting them to always be dashing for it, I get that a significant part of it is the stalking... But they don't do that. I have tried running circles around the house, darting the interactive toy all over the place, pausing, and then starting again; like these tips have suggested and they still will rarely play. The only play one of them will engage in actively without a doubt, is a lazer pointer which is awesome, but I recall Jackson making a point that it shouldn't exclusive be the lazer pointer, they should have something they can actually catch at some point. But every time I try to switch over (usually playing with the lazer pointer, and then eventually aiming it onto the toy while continuing the movements with the toy) it's instantaneous, he refuses. Ussually looking back at me untill I resume the lazer pointer, if I don't he'll eventually just walk off. Our other cat, however, doesn't even do _that._ I have at times managed to get her to play for a bit, but often within a few short minutes she grows bored and walks off, and I'm following the tips like looking like a complete idiot. I have dashed into the next room, wiggling the toy and having it dart around and yet..... nada. I'm not sure entirely what I'm doing wrong here. Hoping the full video clears some things up

One thing that I have found really helps to remember is SIZE MATTERS. Some cats have a love for small bird / feathered toys, some for furry mouse-sized toys, and some like little bugs. Our cats really like small toys on wands, the smaller the better. Current favorite is a foam ear plug on a wand/string combo. They are non-toxic, but make sure the cats don't pull it off the wand and run away with it - the ear plug could be a choking hazard.

Thank you for the reminder that all kitties need the play. I have 2 cats, 2 and 3 years old, and the older one is the mother of the younger one. They both have complete confidence as far as roaming the house, sleeping in the open on a cat tree, etc, but the older one will go full 'wallflower mode' if I get a toy out, while the younger one goes full 'kitten mode'. I rarely separate them and play with the older one on her own, and I really should do it more often.

This video made me a little proud of what I am doing with my cat...😊its my first cat ever, hence, I have zero experience! Yet I do all of the above everyday. I am happy I am providing my cat a healthy lifestyle.

Sounds like this video is for me since I currently feel like my cat rarely plays lol hopefully this upcoming video will change my mind to get her to play. I don't text on my phone like that LOL but I get bored as soon as she gets bored and does her lazy play which is just lay down and bat at the toy without running around and chasing it.

My cats LOVE this play! I had a stroke so for quite a while my play with them was a bit weak but as I grow stronger, they get better play! I get to help them get their mojo going while THEY have made me get MY MOJO back! We thank you, Jackson!

Thank you for this one. My 10 year old lady likes to "surprise-grab" a prey. But only if it's within her reaching zone. She won't run after it. "Okay, human. You want me to play? Come closer" :) I want to stimulate her to go for that prey. Believe me; I do my best and run around activating her. Sometimes she has 1 or 2 minutes of hyper-focus, but after that she goes laying on the floor rolling and washing herself "look at my perfection".

Omg those black fluffy tails! Thats why I worked a few hours one night to capture and adopt my little Bear Bear. That glorious floofy blackness. Gorgeous! He also plays like Brucie, he'll capture the toy and try to run off with it, where i then follow him before yanking it back and starting the whole cycle over again. I also have a 11yr old tuxedo girl who is a wallflower but I've noticed that Bear Bear will sit by and watch Kit interact with the toy. He's so smart he can (for the most part) tell when the play is meant for him vs when I'm trying to engage her. She's antisocial with other cats while he just wants to love and cuddle her. It's made me interact with them different at the same time, a hard but rewarding balance. Kit (the tux) likes to just lay there and bat at the toy, but it has to mostly come to her, and she prefers the string. Bear Bear perfers the feather and areal catch. I love when they get all worn out and frustrated at the toys, panting and swishy tails, I've noticed my wallflowers "panting mode" is when she lays on her back and vaguely bats at the toy, it's her way of saying "mmmeeehhh, I need a bit of a rest". Although she DID love "attacking" me when she was young, full on ambushes of my ankles, but she's gotten old, arthritic and laid back in her old age. Curious if you got your black floofs from a cattery or if you got lucky at a shelter. I got lucky that there was floof in my complex that allowed me to slow blink my way into "catnapping" him. It is hard to own 1 of each personality but easy enough if you put some effort into studying behavior. My problem has been trying to get my wallflower anti cat cat to accept her new brother, there are many times she seems to accept and welcome him but it's not as harmonious as I'd like. And it's far far FFFFAAARR too late for me to rehome Bear Bear (the black floof) i love him and I'd murder for his cute face. I just wish, and constantly work on, trying to get my old gal to like another cat.

Jackson! I'd really love you, as someone who does advocate for adopting seniors, to do a segment on how to "teach" your cat how to play again in case they "unlearned". Case in point: one of my adopted cats is a senior (12 yo, adopted when she was 10 1/2, has most likely been heavily neglected in the past), and while she does have her moments and I can get her to play sometimes, for like 30 sec., I can't get her to play, even senior style, for more than that. And she isn't a wallflower or a napoleon. And I can see that she has the energy to play, because she does get the zoomies frequently. I already tried rewarding her frequently for hunting/catching.

my cat loves when i "act like a cat" and get on all fours and hide from him and run from him, and i sometimes chase him back ! me and my boyfriend will both play with him at the same time too and he seems like he is having the time of his life

Great vid! Tips I would add: 1) cats are sensitive to the sounds Prey make, so I try to make different sounds with the toy (tapping, scraping, ruffling), and 2) pulling the toy through or under tunnels (e. g., under a rug or door).

The roleplay part is so true, when my wife plays with the cats she doesn't know to roleplay so she just wobbles the wand back and forth, the cats loose interest immediately, but when I do it I like to roleplay as a prey, and they very much prefer that! Still learned new stuff in this video like letting the cat that runs off with the toy in their mouth drop it on their own, I usually just rip it off them, and I also learned I also have a wallflower and need to pay her more individual atention! Very useful video indeed.

Expanding upon and extending play has helped me move away from free feeding. She knows it's time for her morning and evening meals after those play sessions. Also has done wonders with stimulation aggression.

Thanks for another great video. Jackson, video suggestion, maybe with a vet as a guest: chronic kidney disease. My cat has just been diagnosed with it at age 7 and his kidneys are in bad shape already, which probably means he has had it for a long time and I just now found out by chance. It would be great to hear from you and a vet you trust. Thank you so much for all you do to help these wonderful animals. Love and cat mojo

Absolutely gold! Thank you. Could you please do a series on this topic, and others, for cat families who use wheelchairs to move around and those who have elderly families who want to fulfill their cat's play and care needs but have different mobility and energy levels?✨❣️

Exceptional! I have a four-year-old, a 10-year-old, and a 13-year-old. All three of my kitties jump like crazy with wand toys. I’ve always played with them just like you’re showing here and it works amazing and only a few minutes are required because they get exhausted

Jackson, this video changed my cats lives & mine for that matter, for the better! I didn’t know it was OKAY to put my Napoleon away to let Poof Poof play alone. He was my wallflower until one day he STARTED to play and I learned he loves it too. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your endless help with our Fe-lions😻

You just did a perfect impression of my mum when "Banya, the cat won't play" lol

Cat owners should love them and give them more attention and learn to be patient and aware of there needs 😊

the two black cats running together like (siami?) twins - AMAZING :))

There are times I second-guess how well I can play with my cat, Cosmo, who I didn’t expect to have. I’m disabled and am bedridden 90% of the time. Often, we play while I’m sitting or even laying down. Though, the times I can be mobile, I’ll play with him in a more active way. When I can’t play with him, I make it a training session, which he seems to enjoy a lot. This video is really helpful to me, because it’s showing that I am doing enough for him. It’s good to see that you don’t have to be very mobile to play, because I can sit or lay down and do similar movements to yours while you stand. It makes me happy that I am doing things right.

Yes, Jackson! What TOOK YOU SO LONG? Bringing your cat alive is everything. (Even the wallflowers who are full of potential). Thank you!

Thank You Jackson! I wish I had seen this years and years ago. I’m convinced that the difference between “cat” people and “dog” people has a lot to do with understanding the behavior of each animal and not getting them mixed up. I watched a self described dog person fall in love with my aging cuddle bug of a cat. He decided he was also a cat person. Unfortunately when he got a kitten he didn’t realize that it wouldn’t play like a dog so he just thought the cat didn’t like him. After growing up with dogs he had trouble altering his perception of play from thinking the cat should play tug of war to the play described here. I ended up with the cat, but I wish I had been able to express how to play with him better. I have limited experience with wallflower cats but I’m excited to learn how to help them come out of their shell.

Glad I came across this video, cause my kitten is the same way! She seems so lackluster when I try to play with her before a meal. But after she’s eaten, she runs around and plays quite a bit! I keep thinking “you’re doing this backwards!” Haha.

Just the video I needed. I have two cats. One will play but Natasha always hides and watches. She will play if Darcy is in another room but as soon as she walks in she takes over. I just always felt bad about separating them but I guess that’s what I need to Thanks Jackson!

Thanks so much, Jackson. I've had to start separating my cats for play time recently, so this is reassuring. I have a 7 month old tortie, Wilma, an 8 year old grey and white, Stanley, and a 12 year old void cat, Fritz. Stanley and Fritz both love to play, but they cannot compete with young Wilma - even when I get her breathing HARD, lying on her side, she'll still go after the toy EVERY time I try to move it to Stan and Fritz. I've nicknamed her "Killer Queen". The funny thing is, when I put her in a separate room, she cries and paws under the door because she wants to keep playing SOOOO badly and she knows what we're up to! And when we're done playing, she'll still try to get the boys to wrestle with her. They indulge her, cause now they get more playtime with me, since she's forced me to play every day. ^_^ P.S. Toy recommendation: my cats LOVE their fishing pole toy that uses real fishing line as a string and has a fluffy "worm" on the end. It moves very realistically, like a little snake, and they can't easily see the fishing line, so its movements are less predictable!

I definitely have a wallflower cat. I have two wild boys also that take up all the play time. I never thought about separating them during play. I’m looking forward to see how my little girl will interact with me. She’s a chunky girl that needs to play. Thanks so much.

I've loved to play with all the cats I've owned over the years. And as you've said, they've all liked different things. However, I did have one cat that I couldn't get to play. He was an older cat (10 or so), I'd received him from a sister-in-law, and his name was Snarf. He had been in a home that tortured him by throwing him in a shower while turned on and closing the door. I had him for 7 years before he could stay in a room where we turned a faucet on. But back to play. We tried to get Snarf (our wallflower) to play with several different types of items (even doing separate turns). But all he would do is lay in the middle of the room and stare at the toy, or laser dot. I was just happy we had two other cats to keep him company.

I adore your videos Jackson. You are smart, straight up common sense, down to earth and funny. One thing we do in our home is keep a lot of toys in a large bin in a closed cabinet. We don’t let them play with everything all the time but we do rotate the self playing toys. Once you get to know your cats favorites, it’s nice to bring one out once in awhile. It’s like a treat! It’s like “ooooo I forgot about THIS one!” After some good play time with it, we put it away. It prevents them from getting bored with their favs and keeps it special.

I had a cat who wouldn’t play. I worked with my vet to get her on a healthier diet, she lost 3 pounds and now is a play machine! She growls and vocalizes so much while she hunts her toys 😅

My cat loved this video 😂 he watched so intently😂

My cat is a 1 yr old British Blue named Dixie. Its been 1 week now I've spent 5 minutes a day brushing her & 5 minutes playing. Now she sleeps with me, follows me everywhere and sits on my lap. Thank you Mr Galaxy ❤

One of my cats really likes when there is sound involved, like Rustling bags or rubbing a stick across a textured surface. I also find that often sometimes the simplest toys work best. I made a raffia tassle and tied it to a string and they LOVED it! Texture can be a factor too. Phantom likes papery textures and Oliver likes feathers.

My wife and I recently got a new kitten (Theolonious) as a cat buddy for our older cat Timber and Jackson's point about distinguishing between social and individual play was spot on. While we were socializing the two together, Timber at one point was just sitting and watching Theo hunt some of the toys we were playing with. Timber has always been a very energetic cat and loves to hunt but she wasn't hunting and her tail was just moving furiously. I knew she wanted to play but I thought that she wanted to play a different way than Theo wanted to. So I took timber to the back room and play with her solo dolo while my wife played with Theo and that brought all her Cat mojo out in an instant. The next time we did social play, Timber was really jumping and moving with those toys along with theo! She was just a big ball of energy. Its so good to know that was the right move. This video was really awesome to see!

My kitten loves play, and I had her deep in it when I pulled my phone out. I was barely on it when I realized she was winning the game, and my mouse was losing. That pulled me right back to her. I was trying to figure out how to make my kitten jump. Thank you for including that. 🐈‍⬛

I love your videos, I noticed my cat shakes her bum before attacking me (playful) so I always get down on my knees and hands like a cat and get low to the ground and shake my bum side to side like I am about to pounce and she SPRINTS towards me and jumps at me then runs and hides then I move position and make eye contact and do it again and she seems to love playing like that.

After 40+ yrs of breeding dogs, coming back from 7 yrs in Kenya, I found myself back in America & 3 sister kittens. I COULD NOT HAVE DONE THAT WITHOUT U BRO, THANK YOU. THEY ARE DA BOMB !!!🙏🏽💚💛❤💪🏾

Air, prey, wand is the best wand toy I’ve tried so far. The retractable string is an awesome touch that adds extra sound and movement to playtime vs other wands with hanging string

My orange tiger Seymour sometimes likes to play Hide and Seek/Tag with me. It starts when he tags my ankle and runs off into another room. I playfully hunt him, all the while talking out loud to him: "Where's Seymour? Is he here?! No, how about here??" as I move through the apartment. When I find him, I make a big surprised gesture, and go running out of that room and hide; now it's his turn to hunt me. I may hide behind a door, in the shower, behind a cabinet, or lie flat on my bed. When he finds me, I say "Boo!", and he tears off to go hide. Our apartment has rooms around a central staircase, so sometimes he will go the opposite way and come up behind me. Love it! Thanks for another fun video.

Every time Jackson says "raw cat" I hear "Rockette" and picture a chorus line of cats kicking up their paws! 😂

We adopted a 10 year old Calico from our local SPCA 1 1/2 years ago. They actually told us "she's not playful so if that's what you want, she's not the cat for you." Seriously? Just how playful did they expect her to really be while in that position. She loves her toys and will spend hours a day playing.

Jackson, my cat is 18 years old and I would like some tips on stimulating play for super seniors. She will occasionally lie down and track a toy with her eyes and sometimes grab it with her front paws but this may only last for 30 seconds and many days she won''t even do that. Over her life she has had a huge play drive (she is Burmese) and I want her to still have play in her life. Any ideas?

Another one my cat really likes is hiding the toy around a corner or in a box. Anything to block the "prey's" vision of where he is.

I literally tried everything with one of my cats. Everything just like Jackson suggested. She won't play most of the time, while other cats looove to play. Sometimes she'll play for just a minute or two, with money (coins) or tin foil. Nothing else 🙈 she's 6yo, she played like crazy when she was younger but she's really really lazy now. She only wants to be brushed all the time 🙈

Hey Jackson! Thank you for a great video and I'll definitely step up my play game with this. However, I could use a tip that is opposite of this video: My cat wants to play too much! This wasn't as much of an issue if she wasn't currently very ill (potentially gingivitis and immunal-something) and I fear her near constant kitten-ness is making her worse. I cannot for the life of me tire her out if I get her going and if I give up first and stop playing, she gets mad at me and starts vandalizing and causing trouble for attention. She's definitely a race-car cat of 9months but she's lost a tooth and she's really rough and destructive while she plays. I think this is part due to the pain she's in (waiting on vet answers and a specialist + bloodworks). The boil and simmer doesn't seem to work for her as she will just keep going and going and going and going. She will play for hours or till I give up first. Her record is 2 hours if the boil-and-simmer, and after a good cat-nap she's ready again. I know her kibble is sugar-free/grain free - I specifically purchased it for this reason - but I will check some of her other snacks too for sugar as I never actually thought to do so. What can I do to help burn off her endless energy? I need her to calm down and rest for her health, at least just till I figure out what to do for the long run.

I like how all the practice exemplifies the EXTREME TENDERS OF CUTENESS!!!!!💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

Everyone who owns a cat should watch this. Thank you, Jackson!

Thank you so much!! I just adopted some yard cats from my sister-in-law, pretty much on the verge of being feral and I couldn’t get them to play went and tried some different toys and tried to fly in the air method to get them engaged totally worked!! LOL to give and get them interested the night before I had to like dip the tail of the toy in cat food 😂 I was trying anything to get them to realize and teach them a play is I’m 100% sure they have never seen a cat toy before I’ve been spending a few days getting to know them and getting them used to me. They no longer his purr This is my first cat since I was a toddler I wasn’t allowed to have any anymore because my mom decided she hated cats, so I’m excited to start my cat journey.

This is the best cat toy ever!! My cats go absolutely crazy about this. We are a multi cat house. They all take turns playing with it or they play at the same time. They do get excited when they hear me pull the wand open. Even my lazy cats. It’s great!!

I don't even have a cat but whenever I'll meet my friend's pets, this is so very helpful. One of them has a total wallflower and up for adoption because they're fosterhoming her. Imma try this on and we'll see, would definitely make everyone so happy not seeing her hide 24/7 hehe

It helps to hear that I just have to stick with the play. My cat has PTSD and it impacts his life. He's not hunting, unintetested in play, then I give up after awhile of him not reacting to it. So I will now spend as much time as possible playing with my cat cause all play is good play! And today I'm purchasing a couple more interactive toys. When he does hunt it's crickets, worms, big months, lizards tails, bugs in general. So I'll look for toys that somehow resemble these things. Thanks Jackson, some really valuable advice!

I just got my first kitten and I freaked out on the first few days that he'd be a little wallflower living under the living room cabinet. Took a lot of your advice and started by closing off the unders. Then I tried to coax him with treats but perhaps his anxiety didn't allow him to care much about food. PLAY was the key for little Teddy. I think once he pounced on his little mouse he grew confident and felt a sense of ownership. Play got his tail up, got him roaming confidently, play is our icebreaker and ultimately allowed us to create a bond. ☺🥳

I am disabled, I can't walk around to play with my cat. I have still figured out ways to make it work. We don't think she was played with at all before we got her because she was afraid of 90% of the toys we got her (she is still afraid of some things!). It took me about a year to figure out toys she REALLY liked, and after she got used to those I found more that she used to be afraid of that she loves now!

I love playing with my cat

Bramble is so cute. 😊 Sweet baby.

My cat loves playing on the stairs. Thanks for admitting you get winded while playing; I thought I was alone.

I loved this video… my 3 yr old orange tabby is a very active cat n he taps me all day to get me to play with an interactive toy with him. I play fetch with him every morning with a crinkle toy or slinky toy… I had problems with the fishing toy but Jackson just demonstrated how to play with the fishing toy. Thanks Jackson 😍😍😍

I have an old cat who's 18. He's had a pretty tough life of neglect. I can't wait for this video because I know the old boy wants to play, he's just pretty ehhhhh. Still, gotta give him the best life he can get before he's done.

My cat was a neighborhood stray. The first day we took it into our home, it followed me around. It wants to be with me. He loves to play, and plays with anything he can find. He knocks my water bottle off the table, wanting to play. He loves to jump in the air and chase a feathery toy with long cloth tentacles. He also likes to bite.

Just recently adopted a cat, she's been very shy about playing. She's got one (out of a decent amount) really fuzzy/feathery type toy she goes nuts playing with, but if you come near or say anything to her, she acts like she just got caught being naughty, and has been someone uncertain or even scared of any type of interactive play. She seemed to act like I was going to start flailing the fishing pole toy around smacking her with it when I'd pick it up and start moving it around like a mouse or something, and trying it in the air sent her running for cover. I've never met a cat that didn't like cat toys, and to be fair, she has only been with us for a couple weeks, so she might just want to feel more confident in the surroundings. One interesting note, this morning, she started playing with my boot laces as I was tying them up to leave for work, so maybe today I'll try the stick and a string toy again tonight when I get home. I'm glad she has been playing with a toy at all, as I hate the thought of her being bored, but really do hope I can get her to play with me with them, its one of the things I missed most not having a pet around the house.