Treat balls can also be a fun way to stimulate your cat. These are small plastic balls that you can fill dry food or treats. The cat has to bat the ball around to dispense the treats. The treats fall out as the ball rolls.

Interactive toys like wands with feathers or bells or shiny materials are a feline delight. Regular play sessions with your cat will keep her fit and also help you bond with each other. Even mundane household objects like bags and boxes can make great toys. Ping pong balls in an empty tub are inexpensive distractions and so are wine corks, wads of paper, empty spools, drinking straws and bathrobe ties.

Catnip parties are also a great way to entertain your cat. Catnip is a safe plant that has certain effects on your cat, none of them long-term or harmful. It might make your cat more active, and may cause her to jump or roll, rub up against things and sniff or lick the catnip. After the initial burst of increased activity, the cat enters a relaxed and euphoric state. Catnip should only be given to adult cats (it has no effect on kittens nine months and younger) and should be given as an occasional— not an everyday— treat.

Grooming can be a fun way for you and your cat to bond. Brush your cat regularly and admire her soft, luxurious fur! Most cats enjoy the sensation of brushing. Longhaired cats will need more help grooming themselves than shorthaired cats. Carefully clip mats (often behind ears and legs), clean eyes, ears, and trim nails if needed. Have a professional groomer or your veterinarian instruct you in the proper methods.

Teaching an old cat new tricks—or any tricks at all! Despite all you’ve heard about the untrainability of cats, you can certainly teach your cat some basic behaviors through the power of positive reinforcement! When your cat offers a behavior you like— sitting on a chair (instead of up on the counter with your food) while you make lunch, or coming when you call her, for example, you can reward her with a treat. You could also clicker train her. Clicker training involves using a fingertip sized metal clicker to produce a clicking noise and always following this noise immediately with your cat’s cat her favorite treat whether it’s a brand of cat treat from the pet store, tuna or people food. She’ll learn to associate the sound of the click with delicious yummies and will try her best to do something that will be worthy of producing a click.

Some tricks you can teach your cat through positive reinforcement (with or without a clicker) include sit, stay or speak , roll over, shake, come and having her touch a target (any object you choose) with her nose. You can even train your cat to walk in a harness and heel. Repetition and consistent use of commands and the clicker are vital to successful training sessions. Sessions should occur daily but last only about 5 or 10 minutes, since cats have short attention spans! Just for fun, here are tips on how to teach a few good tricks:

"SIT"  Say your cat’s name and "sit." Hold the treat over your kitty’s head between her ears and not high enough that she can stand on her rear legs and grab it. The idea is that the treat will be positioned above her head in such a way that she’ll sit in order to get at it more easily. When she sits, click your clicker (if you’ve trained her to associate the noise with goodies), praise her and let her have the treat.

"SHAKE"  Yes, you can teach your cat this standard canine trick. Touch one of her front paws with a small treat and say "shake." The cat will instinctively react by lifting that paw. When she does, take hold of it and shake gently while giving her the treat.