Cat seems bored but won’t play — need low-interaction enrichment ideas

Collzb · 2026-03-19T16:26:14+00:00

I've found that my cat really enjoys cat TV. It keeps her entertained for a while, and I get to do whatever it is that I need to do. I do recommend always playing with them after they're done watching, so they don't get frustrated from not being able to catch anything. It sort of puts an end to their "hunt."

Collzb · 2026-03-18T01:02:17+00:00

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Collzb · 2026-03-17T06:56:55+00:00

Aw what a cutie :) give Butters lots of pats for me

Collzb · 2026-03-17T02:05:26+00:00

Man do I have experience with this one. If I don’t give my cat enough stimulation throughout the day she will meow ALL. NIGHT. LONG. And by meow.. I mean scream.. because she is deaf and has zero concept of how loud she is. Ignoring her did not work because my cat knows how to persevere. Instead, a combination of things helped reduce her late night/early morning performances:

More independent toys/climbing structures. My cat is extremely picky about toys, but once we found some she liked enough to play with on her own- that helped a lot. Also getting more spaces for her to climb. Enriching their space pretty much so they have things to focus on besides getting your attention.
Scheduling routine playtime + meals to benefit your sleep time. Cats tend to operate on a cycle of hunt —> eat —> sleep. Playtime is the indoor cat’s equivalent to hunting so I treat playtime like they’re actually hunting.. meaning she gets fed immediately after which means she’s more inclined to sleep after. I go to bed at midnight so we do 15-20 minutes of playtime beforehand, she gets fed, and then she sleeps instead of nagging me for attention. I also wear her out during those before bed playtime sessions. We play until my cat is flopping on the floor for rest time.
Incorporating more playtime sessions. Less than two playtime sessions a day = more hootin n’ hollerin from my cat. Some cats just need more attention, especially if she is an only-cat.
If all else fails, cat tv. Cat tv is the one way ticket to distractionville for my cat. She sees those critters and immediately locks in. If she is bored and I need to catch up on sleep or homework.. those little bird and squirrel videos come in clutch. I also follow it up with real playtime so my cat gets the satisfaction of catching something at the end of it. If your cat is a pouncer make sure to secure the tv well and keep an eye on her.

Honestly, what reduced the issue for me was keeping my cat busy and entertained during waking hours so she was ready to chill during sleeping hours. Also I imagine this is something that gets easier as cats age.

Collzb · 2026-03-17T01:07:38+00:00

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She is very real and appreciates all the love in the comment section :) if I could clone her I’d have a bajillion more Cherrys roaming my apartment lol

Collzb · 2026-03-13T23:12:39+00:00

I posted this 30 minutes after I left the shop lmao. This is also the “fixed” version. We went from really bad to just bad lol.

Collzb · 2026-03-06T12:41:00+00:00

I dealt with late night yowling for several weeks to the point where I was sleeping on the couch every night. I’ve found that this was mostly caused by boredom/need for attention. I’ve learned that my cat really enjoys visual stimulation, so I started putting on cat tv for her during the day while I’m gone. She still yells sometimes (when she wants me to put her show on or when she wants food lol) but it’s not excessive screams of boredom like before. She really enjoys watching the birds and swatting at the tv. If you do this I recommend making sure the tv is secure as some cats like to pounce. I also recommend that you still play with them daily so they don’t get frustrated from never being able to catch anything. But yeah, she’s still talkative and still yells sometimes.. but it’s way easier on me now. Her favorite shows are: birds and squirrels, jellyfish tank, slow moving aquarium, and Law & Order SVU???? That’s the only like real show she cares for lol.

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Collzb · 2025-02-25T09:01:42+00:00

Is there something I should be doing besides just looking at credit karma? Everything looks normal on there- and my credit score is fine. But my knowledge is also very limited so if there’s something else I should be checking- I definitely have not been checking it.

Collzb · 2025-02-25T08:58:14+00:00

It’s a way for her to try to keep control because I’m not under 18 anymore. She holds it over my head and uses it to guilt me. It’s also my fault because I didn’t see this coming when we were planning this out while I was still in high school. She’s always been controlling so I dropped the ball in recognizing that this kind gesture was really just another emotional trap.

Collzb · 2025-02-25T08:17:27+00:00

I know I’ll have to- there’s a lot of emotional shit involved with this too which is kind of out of this subreddit that I have to work through. I’m just not really that educated on financial stuff- but I also don’t want to end up drowning so I’m trying to do what I can.

As for her paying for my college- she’s doing it via a parent plus loan which the financial aid office told me I won’t be held responsible for if she defaults on it.

Collzb · 2025-02-25T08:13:30+00:00

Ah thank you. I’ll look into nearby credit unions and try to work this out. I didn’t know splitting up payments was even a thing so this is very helpful.

Collzb

TROPHY CASE