I noticed so many ask such questions about cats boredom, Do cats get bored? Is my cat bored? What are the signs my cat is bored? Indoor cats and kitties are more vulnerable to get bored. Yes, keeping them indoor will protect them and keep them safe. But it is important to understand that you need to keep an eye on them. Because eventually, they will show signs of boredom.
Boredom can affect both humans and animals, at some point it affected us and it can be the worst feeling ever. The only difference between us and our pets, Our pets can’t speak to us and complain about it!
Boredom mostly seen on indoor cats. So if you keep your cat or kitty indoor only and don’t provide it with different toys, you will for sure notice signs of boredom affecting your cat.
Marilyn Krieger, noted Certified Cat Behavior Consultant known as The Cat Coach, is an internationally recognized cat behaviour specialist and award-winning author. Stated some warning signs of boredom that cat owners should be aware of. She says “Bored kitties live in a boring environment—they do not have toys to play with, objects to climb or other mental stimulation.”
These days there are more than 47,000 cat toys, which make it easier to solve such a problem. But that doesn’t mean you get them toys and never play with them. Cats the same as for dogs they need people to interact with. So the answer to Do cats get bored?
Yes, cats get bored and next you will read about the signs of a bored cat. These signs are important to know because knowing them will give you the ability to prevent this problem from occurring.
Signs Your Cat is Bored
You can answer the question Is My Cat Bored, by reading about the following signs, the idea to know all this not to only read it. It is to use all this information to prevent this from happening in the first place. So make sure to never reach this point to start asking questions like Do Cats Get Bored or is my cat bored!
1- Overeating
This is one of the most important signs that you may notice. Your cat will show abnormal attachment to its food bowl or eating more than normal days, this is a clear sign that your cat starting to feel bored.
2- Disinterest in Food – Less Eating
On the contrary to constantly keeping eating aka overeating, some cats have a different sign to boredom by showing complete disinterest in food altogether and might even stop eating at all. Obviously, this is not a good thing for your cat health.
3- Sudden Hair Loss – Over-grooming
When you notice any repetitive behaviours like Over-grooming and keep repeatedly licking themselves, that is a sign of boredom. When cats do this they can result in injuries and irritation in their skin and that can show a frustrating behaviour.
Obviously, when you notice all of the sudden your cat started to lose more hair than normal would mean the same as before, boredom is stressing the cat out and having this problem as a result of this stress. Note that it can be a bad condition as it may develop to worse conditions like anxiety and depression.
4- Scratching a lot and Everything
This behaviour more or less is to get your attention. Let’s say a way to tell you that “I am bored” an invitation for you to solve this boredom problem your cat facing!
5- Destructive Behavior
Scratching is part of destructive behaviour your cat may have while it feels bored. You are not home all day/night, you have work and life matters to do. That’s mean your cat will be alone home which makes your cat so bored.
Cats need a social life and it is important for them when they ask for it. Cats have different personalities and some breeds have the ability to stay alone without feeling bored. But at some point, they need a social activity.
Of course, when the cat starts to feel excessively bored and stay alone more often, it will react with destructive behaviour. It is a signal for you that they are not happy about all this and to keep them company. That can be an important sign to prove that cat can get bored to answer the question do cats get bored!
Once you notice this behaviour, you need to solve the problem fast before your cat start gets worse problems like depression. This is a clear sign to answer your question, is my cat bored!
6- Unexplainable Weight Gain or Loss
You may be busy in your life and didn’t notice your cat eating behaviour. But noticing unexplained weight gain or loss is a strong sign that there is a problem and your cat eating behaviour is not normal.
Old cats tend to gain weight more easily than young ones. But you need to be more observant about your cat behaviour and health.
7- Inactivity and Sleeps a lot
This can be a serious sign because so many people miss this sign. Why they miss it? Simply because cats can spend an average of 15 hours napping every day, so it is difficult to notice any behavioural changes in their sleep or inactivity.
That’s why you need to observe your cat very carefully and check its activity all the time. If the cat’s natural curiosity not kicking in, it means something is wrong!
As you may be noticed already, your cat has its own active playful time, jumping around and playing. You need to be more observant in these small matters to determine if your cat is active or started to show inactivity.
Conclusion
Cats or any other pet can feel this unpleasant feeling called boredom. When we get bored that can turn our life into a bad turn with mixed bad feelings. You start by losing interest in doing anything. It can affect your work life, social life and much more. It can even lead to anxiety and depression.
So, logically, boredom can be a serious problem for pets and cats. As a matter of fact, such problems can affect cats more than us, they are more vulnerable to such problems than humans.
Learning and reading about these signs can be the answer to prevent the problem from occurring in the first place. Let’s not reach to the point to ask questions like is my cat bored or do cats get bored.
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Hey there! Great article. I’m only allowed to have one pet in my apartment, so I have one kitty that gets quite bored from time to time. He has a lot to play with, and windows to look out, but he could really use a friend. He loves to play with interactive toys, but for now, all ours are broken. 🙁
Shortly after he was neutered, like many cats, he began doing the scarf-n-barf with his food. I made a slow feeder-bowl for him that makes him take more time to eat. He seems to like it. Cats love thinking and figuring things out.
Yes, this considers as a mind-game and it can improve him because he starts to use its brain to solve such puzzles but you need to give it more time and play with him more often. I hope he stays healthy and happy! to avoid any other problems cats might have.
Do you think that cats also get bored when they are young? I just recently have two playful kittens in the house, they play so much that they wake me up at 6 in the morning. I did see the first day, when we moved the first cat to her new home, that she was a little anxious and passive. A day later, we brought her brother in and immediately saw more playfulness.
Do you think that it’s a bad decision to have only one kitten? The risk of boredom is way bigger, I believe. Also we are not always around to play with her. I believe getting her brother was a good decision.
Hello, it is not bad to have one kitten at all, however, it still needs more attention than an older one because it is young and it wants to play all the time same as our kids. It was really great that you got 2 kittens now, better for their health and happiness!
Thanks for the great article! Now I know what to look out for, to know whether a cat is feeling bored.
So far I don’t think I have ever encountered any bored cats. From what I observe, they seem to know how to keep themselves entertained, especially if they have access to the great outdoors, which make them happy and healthy.
The cats I used to keep were allowed to roam freely, they could even spend the night at a neighbour’s, or turn up uninvited during their dinnertime.
So I guess I really do not have much experience with bored cats, but I have learnt a lot from all the signs you describe above. Thanks!!
Yes, we all need to keep an eye on our cats to keep them healthy and happy. I am happy that your cats are doing great too! When we search and pick a new pet we need before that learn all the information to keep them healthy and happy.
Hello!
This is a really great a post. My partner and I are always discussing though, would you recommend letting a cat go outside to avoid boredom?
I think it is too dangerous, but he believes it is necessary.
Any thoughts on that?
Hello, it is difficult to answer this question, to be honest. It is mostly your choice. However, you need to notice that even if the cat goes outside you still need to play and interact with it. Remember, your cat thinks that you are number 1! like a mom to it. Personally, I believe to keep the cat indoors and take it outside with me from time to time and keep an eye on her. Suzy my cat mostly love staying home, she doesn’t like to go outside that much.
Very informative, I have often wondered about cats getting bored. I know I have had a few problems with my pets and cat one of them that seemed so. Good article. I will make sure to take care of my pets and check they’re well and healthy and never let them get bored! when they are healthy then I am happy and healthy.
I am glad it is informative and helpful for you. Any living being can get bored that’s why I am focusing on cats because most of the cats stay indoors and that might affect their happiness and life in the long run but if you take care of them and keep an eye on them, they will be great and healthy!
Hello,
I must admit that I was a little worried when I started reading your article. One of my cats (Sasha) has feline leukaemia, and therefore he has to live in a separate area. I have two healthy cats who cannot have contact with him, because – as you know – it’s a highly contagious disease. Sasha lives in a large area where he has part of a tree to climb, weeds, and succulents. Small animals such as frogs, lizards, and spiders enter his area frequently, and birds sometimes sit on tree branches that are out of reach for him.
So, while reading your article I was watching for any signs that could indicate that he was bored because his territory is not that extensive … he is always in the same place. None of the mentioned points applied though, yay! He is thin, but that is due to the disease. He talks – meows – to me every day, and he doesn’t seem to oversleep. So, I am very happy that I read your article and learned about this, and even more so because Sasha doesn’t show any signs of boredom 🙂
Ohhh Yeaa! I remember Sasha!! I told you to hug and kiss him for me in my last posts and I am happy that you are here reading this post. I am happy to know that you checked his behaviour and everything is great! don’t worry just try to be around him and talk to him. If you can get him some toys so he can play and have fun too. He will be fine and happy with a great mom like you!