Melody is working out fine as far as my desire to have a nice lao cat but she doesn't play. I have this string on a stick that she plays with and that's all. Her foster Mom says she doesn't like balls, bells, anything! I love to have my lap warmed by a nice cat and to have her purr and all but I also like to play with her. Now Adora didn't play much either but I knew I could always count on her batting around a wadded up piece of paper. I just love the look of anticipation as I would tear a piece of paper because she knew what was coming. I do't know if I just haven't given her enough time to get to know us and the house or what.

I know one thing that might work is to get another cat but that is out. I would have loved to adopt both her and her sister together but her sister was adopted

How old is the cat?
If you just got her recently I'd give her a few days to settle in.

Our chubby 4 yr old male cat likes to get into paper grocery bags and then we scratch the outside for him to attack the noises.

Some are lap cats and some are loners and players I guess. Ours prefers to be petted or on our lap for only a few minutes then he is off to his own place to nap.

Until recently I always had cats and the last 3 we had for around 18 years. I had other cats at different times over the years but these 3 were with us for such a long time, and each of them was different.

One was a cuddle cat. He wanted to be petted, stroked and hugged 24 hours a day.

One cat wanted to play 24/7.... paper bags, cardboard boxes, ribbons, balls of wool....... just about anything was a toy. She would play all day long if she could.

Then there was the other cat which was so placid you could do anything you wanted with him. When he and she were younger, my daughter would dress him in dolls clothes and cart him everywhere.... in the doll's pram, in her back pack, on her bike...... anywhere! She would drape him over her shoulders or around her neck, the cat let her do anything she wanted with him.

Each cat was different, and their traits were not interchangeable.

They're all different Doydie. My daughter got a new cat last year and he's only just started to play during these past few months.

Give your little one time so you can see what her personality will be. After she settles and she'll becomes more comfortable, she may start to play a bit more, but for now.... just enjoy this gorgeous baby stage.... and don't forget we want pictures

When cats are nervous, they don't play.

She probably can smell your previous cat, and she is worried
this cat will appear suddenly and the play will attract her.

Cats that have been living on the street, have to learn about
homes, and develop new interests.

Weezie has specific only things she likes to play with.
She loves the twist ties, which I roll into a spiral any sharp ends folded in onto the main part --especially black ones. She will play with me for a long time with these...I throw them on a count of 3...
and she chases them squealing with delight and brings them back to me. When my son helped us install the new flat screen TV he left these back ties on floor which she found and brought them to me! She likes my emory board I keep by the computer. She is always stealing it. Also the plastic sticks that come with plants from the nursery. When she was a kitten she loved the tinkle balls, but now less so. She chooses odd things to play with...for sure! I've always wondered if she has low vision, and only likes certain things for that reason? But she does catch mice and chipmunks and birds..so she can see outside well?

When we adopted Houdini...he had never been in a house. He was afraid of tinkle balls, or boxes, or bags, etc. But slowly he has become a toy connoisseur. His favorite are plastic springs, which roll around "seemingly on their own" . I found them at
Amazon: very inexpensive too!
http://www.amazon.com/Ethical-Wide-C...9724260&sr=8-4
He loves these, and Weezie won't touch them. Now I have toys all over the house. Houdini carries them around and dumps them everywhere! Houdini was afraid of tinkle bells for a LONG time and still is leary of bell sounds.

I think you can try some quality cat nip for her. This tends to make for a playful mood. Also we find play time often comes after eating. That is when our cats run around alot.

One game they all love is "mouse under the covers". You play this by putting a cloth or towel down on the couch or floor,
and move a stick or toy mouse on a string under it. You can use your hand, but be careful if the cat is rough you will get bitten thru the towel. Do this gently making a little scritching sound --this is why I use a stick or like my bamboo backscratcher.

Basically there are 3 types of games. Birdie, mousie, and rabbit. Birdie is string on a stick or a feather on a stick etc, that moves thru the air. Mousie is under something like I described and mimics a hiding mouse, and rabbit is a chase game two cats play and wrestle and tag each other.

One store bought thing both Weezie and Houdini play with endlessly is the donut plastic circle with a ping pong ball inside that they try to catch. We've had this toy for over a decade!

This is a variant on the donut type, that I am considering for us now:
http://www.amazon.com/Hagen-Design-S...9724260&sr=8-5

I think your kitty is going to need some time to learn the other
cat is no longer there. When she feels safe, and understands the other cat will not zoom out of hiding and jump her, she will begin to play. Use a very soft encouraging tone of voice too..some cats are really afraid of loud things or loud voices.
I can whisper a call from another room and both Houdini and Weezie will come! (BTW Houdini is playing with his spring as I type this! )

All cats love boxes, so try leaving a couple around, different sizes, and see if she goes in them, to hide or be safe.

Gently invite her with the string. Start slowly, and don't move quickly or tensely, slowly tease her interest with it, and use a encouraging soft tone. Cats study the "toy prey" and move slowly to catch it. So be patient and tease her and do things slowly...and she will get interested. Fast movements may startle her. This is the opposite of dogs IMO.
In our house I have words for the toys...the string is "stringywingy" The cats love funny words and it adds to the game!

This photo is of Oreo, playing with an old string on the dock upNorth. Simple, and one of her favorite games. She loves any string thing.

I agree. Give her time to settle in, get used to the smells, and realize that another kitty isnt coming out.

A cardboard box is worth its weight in gold.
Anything hidden. take a mouse on a string and pull it under a blanket
wadded up paper is normally irresistible.
a laser light is usually great fun. Chase the light under the edge of things
a cardboard scratch-er box is usually great fun too.
Lay newspaper out on the floor and let her try to dive bomb to get under it.
Da-Bird! its a set of feathers on a stick that twirls and makes the same noise a real flying bird makes.
Ping Pong ball in the bathtub.
Dripping water in the bath tub draws them in from far and wide.

Cats play for about 2 to 5 mins in the early days. as kittens they play longer, and as adults their play time shortens, but they may play in frequent bouts. My 5 year old lily will only play for a few minutes with toys, and then she lays down and wants to be brushed. Jack is just re-learning how to play.

Best advice is to brush her. Get her used to her feet being touched so you can trim her claws. This way she will not want to sharpen them on your couch.

I agree.....cardboard boxes are the best. I get alot of deliveries (mostly cat food!) but there's always a cardboard box to play in once I open the package.....and my cats know this.

Give her some time. It might take several months but give her a chance. New smells, new noises.....cats have very sensitive noses and ears. Anything "new" will cause her to have to investigate it and determine that its not a threat to her.

I'd start keeping a notebook of what she does each day. Then, in a few months re-read it and see how far she's come!

I love this thread... can't ya tell? LOL

I have an old basket, that is 15in across that I put the cat toys, catnip, etc in when I do get going to collect them all.

At Xmas WalMart had 75% off a cat stocking with toys from China.(this made it around $1.50!) A few I thought were unsafe so I threw those away.
But the rest I left in the stocking, and tossed it into the basket.
I was thinking I'd bring one out on days they seemed bored.

But what happened instead? One morning I caught them both
studying the basket so I went to look and sure enough one of them (probably Houdini) had already managed to get some toys out for themselves! They were so much fun to watch. Houdini and Weezie seem to have formed a nice duo now and worked cooperatively on this project. I am now going to keep the see thru stocking and restock it myself with new things, to keep their interest.

I also found at Joann's fabrics, in their Xmas sale bins, 90% off, a pair of cute baby socks...they were in the basket too. I plan on stuffing them with cotton laced with catnip and stitching up the opening, but they ended up a plaything already. 10 cents...not bad!


BTW I haven't found my emory board yet! It is distinctive as the wider end is chewed up. Maybe it is a nice way to clean cat's teeth? LOL

My cats love emery boards, too! They seem to like the smell. If I'm using one they will come out of hiding to find it! I have to use it quickly because they try and take it away from me while I'm still using it!

I have to hide my emery boards. They will file down their teeth if I dont watch um.

Mine too have a toy box. I gather all the toys on vacuum day and put them in a box. Cats like it when you rotate their toys. I have several hidden in the closet, and rotate from that stock. Something that never got played with anymore, six months ago, all of a sudden is magic again! For some reason mine like socks as well. I slap them with the sock and drag it over them. After a couple of whacks its irresistible to not attack it. Finger or feet under the blanket is another good game. I miss how my 24 y/o would jump on the bed when it was time to make it, just to play. I miss her.

Remember you dont have to entertain her all day everyday. it will stress her out if you constantly wave toys in her face all day. Let her pick her times, then look at the clock. Usually 5 mins is a good limit. If she is still playful, grab the brush and let her have some loving time. Then back up and let her find out for herself whats in the pile.

She may miss her mate, but she will get used to it. I promise.

Socks yes a good thing here too!

Houdini really missed sleeping with his siblings and mother.
He kept trying to snuggle with Weez and she would have NO part of that.

So I made him sock buddies. I made the first socks stuffing for Weezie's crocheted bed which kept collapsing. I got the idea
for Houdini to expand the stuffed socks as buddies in his cat bed, and cat bookcase shelf. I have so many socks, most are my son's in a drawer in his old room, so I raid that and take a long tube sock and stuff it with others. We have one that is a wrestle toy called the biteybite. I use this word for them safe to claw and bite. We now have 8 sock buddies in various job applications now in the house. When I look in on Houdini in the studio--a South facing room with alot of sun, he is sleeping with his chin on a sock buddy and looks so satisfied and comfy.