Six Ways to Keep Your Pet Entertained During the Coronavirus

These days we tend to look for distractions. How about looking for anything to do but do the dishes, or cut the grass? (Hey don’t worry, I haven’t done either…) 

What sounds fun instead?  Roughhousing with your dog. Dancing with your – grumpy – cat. Coming home drunk and smothering them in kisses. Our furry friends put up with a lot of B.S., so here are some ways to make it up to them: 

1. Give them a bath.

Ok, so you may disagree with me on this because nothing is more terrifying for a cat then being forced to stand in three inches of warm water. However, cats DO love having a soft, fluffy, oil-free and smell- free coat. They might not mind being blow dried, either. 

I don’t think dogs will put up as much of a fight. Buying your dog a kiddie swimming pool and washing them in the yard is another way to do this that might be fun! That way they can go swimming on hot days, too.

At the end of the day they all could enjoy a fluffover (a fluffier makeover).

Burt’s Bees makes pet-friendly shampoo that does the job of cleaning and caring for their coats, without busting the bank. Just make sure your pets nails are cut before jumping in the tub! 

2. Make a D-I-Y toy or bake your own treats (even if it’s not their b-day).

I’m not really ashamed to say that I’ve made many toys for my cats over the years. I’ve also given my dog items that he already liked, such as seven-up bottles to chew on (without the caps), toilet paper tubes and wrapping paper. Now, if your pet is going to eat these things, then allowing them to have such items is not a good thing. But, if your dog is just going to chew on them, rip them up, or pull them from the trash anyway, then more power to him. Unfortunately, that leaves us to clean up the scrapple of mess all over the floor the next day. 

For my cats, I’ve done many constructive activities for their entertainment. Paper towel tubes with strings tied to the end make a fun makeshift wand, and keeping shipping papers and bubble wrap is probably their favorite thing. Whip it out when they need something to crawl on, zoom through, freak out over (with large and small boxes too).  

Some fun treat recipes that I haven’t tried, but look forward to on a Saturday are: 

Peanut butter and peanut butter and pumpkin Dog treats 

Salmon and egg cat treats 

WedMD also suggests treating cats by cooking up small bits of liver, fish, or eggs. Or, here are some people foods dogs can enjoy in moderation. 

3. Rearrange a room to freshen it up.

Our pets are experts at knowing what’s normal, and what is not. Have you ever moved a chair, and they knew as soon as they walked in the room that something was different? Moving something on purpose keeps them on their toes, but gives them an interesting, easy change for the day! Today, I decided to come write in the living room instead of at my desk, and my little kitten came and sat by me, approving the change. We also just bought a ladder and now have to leave it open for the cats, permanently, because they are sitting on it every day now.

4. Amp up the care.

With our busy schedules, sometimes we take shortcuts or simply forget to do things. Some simple rules of pet care include trimming nails once a week, brushing your pets often during shedding season and at least once a week otherwise, and playing with them daily. If your pet will eat wet food, exchanging a dry food diet to a wet/dry combo diet helps ensure they drink enough water. 

Lots of these care tips can be stretched out, but, getting into a routine of actually doing them more often helps your pets have a healthier life. Nobody is perfect, but for things like this even a little brushing goes a long way. A little playing goes even farther! 

5. Go on adventures.

Dogs love going to the dog park and meeting other puppers, or getting to go on walks. Although doing this is a lot of work, our pets love getting out of the house, too. Taking your pet on a different route every other day is engaging, or driving to a nature preserve that allows hiking with pets is a possibility. 

My cats love going for walks also. They each have their own leash and I walk them around the yard. All four of them. It takes me 2 hours a day if I were to let each of them have a lap or 2. They would actually stay outside most of the day if they could! Being outside stimulates every pet’s senses and gets them in touch with their inner wolf or tiger. 

I’m sure the neighborhood thinks I’m a bonkers cat lady – I’ve literally had people pull over and be like, ‘are you ok? Why are you sitting on the ground?’, and THEN they see my cat on a leash next to me. Yeah, I walk my cat and they are leash-trained. Get used to it America, because the cat ladies are hitting the streets. 

6. Sing with them!

I’m genuinely surprised that more people don’t talk to their pets. Not, talking, like, meow, hi, woof, hi… I mean having a full-out conversation. Meow, (meow back), meow, (meow), meow. Ranting to them, crying to them, they know the drill as they are very attentive to whenever we give them attention. 

The same goes for singing a song. If the radio is on, and this is really just a thing I have been doing lately in boredom, sing the words at them! They seem to know we are going along with the song, but they appreciate the attention. Plus, they might join in with a hearty bark or howl. 

7. (bonus) LET THEM RULE! (with new toys). 

Force your pets to entertain themselves, with a little supervision! Cats especially are PROS at this, as they are curious and creative. Plus they can usually find flies to chase in desperate times. Dogs are good entertainers, too, as long as they burn off enough energy so they don’t decide to chew on your shoes! My cats love this banana, or anything with catnip in it. (For real, they all lick this banana until it is sopping wet. Then, they fight over who has it. I really think I need to buy two more.) Let your pets go in a room they never have before, or, gasp, the basement. Choose wisely because they might be asking you every day after to go back in the room again. 

Some of these ideas are surly unconventional because some of them might really not sound ‘fun’, but think about the outcome. As we live together every day, and find ourselves becoming closer than ever, I think it can be easy to get stuck in similar patterns. It is good for us and our pets to think creatively, and to have new items to smell or taste. New experiences, new toys, new passions…. Treating ourselves is nice, but it’s time to treat those we love the most! Those that are always there for us, never complain, and never give us anything but unconditional love and companionship. It’s time for distractions that improve our lives, and the lives of our pets!