Easter Treat Hunt

We all know exercise and physical activities are important parts of any weight loss program. But try and tell that to our cats! We know a handful of clients who leash-trained their cats and actually take their cats out for walks. The rest of us have to be creative and think of ways to get our cats up and moving.

Instead of filling one food bowl, we can split the meal into two or three smaller bowls and place them in different areas. We don't have to place them all over the house or in different rooms. The bowls can be in the kitchen (if that's where we usually feed the cats) but in different corners. Be creative. The idea is to get the cats to move around instead of flopping down in front of the food bowl and stuffing their faces.

Similar techniques are used with treats. Instead of placing the treats in front of the cats, place them on the cat tree, chair, or on the other side of the room. Get the cats to go to the treats; don't bring the treats to them. Of course, this only works if the cats are treat-motivated. If they are not used to treats, place the treats in front of them and get them to eat that first before using the treats as incentives for exercise.

This Easter Sunday, we made an effort to hide some of the treats. We placed treats all over the cat area --- on the jungle cat tree, in the treat balls, on their hammocks --- and let them all "hunt" for a while. They had their own little Easter treat hunt.

We all give treats to our cats. Make a game of it. It's a great way to interact with our cats and get them moving. And it's plain fun to watch them!

This is Xander in his Easter treat hunt.