Cats are amazing animals and popular household companions. Misunderstandings abound about who these fascinating felines truly are—some people, including researchers themselves, ridiculously mislabel them as psychopaths, and they are not less socially adept than dogs and they have rich inner lives—so I was thrilled to read Dr. Mikel Maria Delgado's new science-based book Play With Your Cat!: The Essential Guide to Interactive Play for a Happier, Healthier Feline because in addition to explaining the true nature of cats, she also stresses how important it is for cats to get sufficient playtime to avoid becoming bored, frustrated, and unhealthy.
In a nutshell, Mikel shows why cats need to play and how it is essential to their well-being, she offers readers techniques on how to engage their cat in play, and she shows how to use play to improve problematic cat behaviors. Cats deserve to be happy, and not only are playful cats happier cats but so too are cats who are given the freedom to consent to what they're asked to do.
Here's what Mikel had to say about her landmark book.1
Marc Bekoff: Why did you write Play With Your Cat?
Mikel Maria Delgado: The idea was very much influenced by my work as a cat behavior consultant. When someone is having a behavior concern with their cat, like not using the litter box or biting and scratching humans, they call someone like me.
Although my clients love their cats, they often don’t understand them. I see many cats living in under-stimulating environments: no cat trees to scratch and climb, no problem-solving opportunities, and very little exercise. I hear from clients repeatedly, “My cat doesn’t play.” The truth is that they often don’t know how to play with their cat or what play behavior looks like.
All healthy cats should play, because for cats, play is hunting. Play and hunting are motivated by the same things (like hunger and how big the prey or toy is), and they have the same behavioral features (like stalking and pouncing). During domestication, we’ve never selected cats to stop hunting—it’s still hardwired in them.
This book was an opportunity to dive into cats’ predatory and play behavior, while giving readers practical advice on how to play with their cats. I really hope to motivate everyone to provide their cats with a better life. And personally, I think play is a fun topic!
MB: How does this book relate to your background and general areas of interest?
MMD: I have always been a cat lover and I’m an animal behavior scientist. I’ve also been a vegetarian for almost 36 years, so I came to science with an interest in animal welfare.
I worked in a pigeon lab as an undergrad. Although the research was non-invasive, the pigeons lived in small cages with no enrichment. I complained to the head of the lab that they needed enrichment and he said, “Prove it.” So, I did a study that showed that pigeons were more active in an aviary, and that they showed stereotypies in their cages. The pigeons ended up at a sanctuary so that story had a happy ending.
At that point I was hooked on research, but I didn’t want to work with lab animals anymore. I worked with free-ranging squirrels for my Ph.D., observing their food-storing and social behaviors. For my postdoc, I did research with foster kittens and cats in home environments. During this time, I also published several scientific papers on the human-cat relationship and cat behavior. One of those papers was a review of cat play behavior, which made me think, “Hmmm… this could be a book."
MB: Who do you hope to reach with your interesting and important book?
MMD: I hope that all cat lovers and guardians will gain something from this book—whether it’s a better understanding of their cat, or feeling encouraged to try some new techniques when playing with their cats.
MB: What are some of the major topics you consider?
MMD: I want people to understand why play is so important to cats. When we keep pets in our homes, they need to be able to express natural behaviors. For cats, we can mimic the hunting experience through play. A big chunk of the book is a “how-to.” I explain several different techniques for play, and how to choose the best toys for your cat.
As a scientist, I also wanted this book to have a strong grounding in the research that has been done on play behavior, making sure that the science was fun and accessible.
I dive into some of the mental, emotional, and physical benefits cats get from play. Cats are very sensitive to stress, and I think play is a great way to help them be more resilient. I often use play as a part of a behavior modification plan with my clients, so I talk a lot about how play can help our cats be better behaved.
I also provide explanations of how to approach play when you have multiple pets, or a cat with disabilities, or if you are working with cats in an animal shelter.
MB: How does your book differ from others that are concerned with some of the same general topics?
MMD: There are lots of great books out there on cat care and behavior, so I wanted to zoom in on play. Play exists in pretty much every animal species studied. It brings up so many questions about why—but demonstrates that through evolutionary history, play behavior has been greatly conserved. I’d like to think it’s because it’s important.
Play usually gets two or three pages in most cat books, but really deserves a lot more attention. I hope that the biggest takeaway people get from my book is how much fun they can have playing with their cat!
MB: Are you hopeful that as people learn more about cats they will treat them with more respect and dignity?
MMD: I have complicated feelings about humans keeping animals as pets. I see a lot of positive changes, cats have become more popular and people have a lot of questions about them. At the same time, I see people treating cats as small humans or dogs. I hope that everyone who lives with a cat can appreciate them for their “cat-ness” and enjoy a deeper relationship with them because of it. I think a great way to encourage cat-ness is to pick up a feather wand and help your cat hunt it!
References
In conversation with Dr. Mikel Maria Delgado, a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist and Certified Cat Behavior Consultant who has been working with cats professionally for over 20 years. She worked as a cat behavior specialist at the San Francisco SPCA for eight years before co-founding Feline Minds, where she offers assistance for cat owners, animal shelters, and corporations. She has published her research in several academic journals, including the Journal of Comparative Psychology, Psychological Bulletin, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, and Anthrozoos. Mikel co-authored Total Cat Mojo with Jackson Galaxy.
1) For more on the behavior of these fascinating and somewhat mysterious felines see: The Hidden and Not-So-Hidden Social Lives of Cats; Dogs and Cats Can Be Healthy, Happy Vegans, Research Shows; "The Cat's Meow": A Novel View of Who Cats Are and What They Need; Why Consenting Cats Are Happier Cats; How to Tell if Cats Are Playing or Fighting; Cats Deserve to Be Happy—Here's How to Enrich Their Lives; Are Some Cats Psychopathic, or Are They Just Being Cats?; Are Cats More Socially Inept Than Dogs?; Dogs, Cats, and Humans: Shared Emotions Act As "Social Glue"; The Inner Life of Cats Reveals Fascinating Feline Secrets.
Dogs Engage in Playful Teasing to Play Fair and Have Fun.
Ham, Anthony. It’s the Cat’s Meow but You Just Don’t Understand. New York Times, February 29, 2024.
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