I have two cats, Harry and Pippa. Harry spends most of his day hiding from everyone except me. If I am around and everything is quiet in the house, you can find him sitting on me. Pippa is a tomboy, and may think she’s a dog. She loves being outside, greeting people and pets, and going on walks with us.

I often take these two for granted. While my family feeds them and grooms them and pets them, we no longer play laser tag and other games. This got me to do a bit of research on the best ways to keep a cat happy.

Keep reading on how to keep your cat happy (and create a stronger bond!).

1. Have toys available. We all love toys! Cat toys can be store-bought pet toys or something as simple as a paper bag or a cardboard box.
2. Train your cat. Ever since doing the research for this blog post, I have had fun trying to get Pippa to sit for a treat. While it hasn’t quite worked, it has been fun to pay attention to her in new ways.
3. Play with food. Yup, cats love food. Hide treats and have your cat work to find them.
4. Keep regular vet appointments. Many people I know don’t take their cats to the vet. (We had a hard time corralling ours, we found a vet to come to our home.) Yet, healthy cats are happy cats–don’t skip out on appointments. (And make sure your cat is up-to-date on vaccines, medicine, heartworm, flea meds.)
5. Microchip your cat. Enough said!
6. Go outside. Use a leash/harness to take you cat on walks (if they enjoy being outside).
7. Provide scratching posts. Cats need places to care for their claws–scratching posts are necessity that will also help protect your furniture and carpet.
8. Consider another cat. My cats love each other, spending time grooming each other or running around the house together in the dark. And if we go away for a weekend, it is nice to know they have each other.
9. Spend time with your cat. You have a wonderful creature for a reason–pay attention to him or her!

Do you have any questions about pet behavior during a photo session? Ask away in the comments.