If so, you may be wondering how to liven up her day, help her burn calories and improve her overall health. A cat's sedentary lifestyle can often result in obesity, a condition which can lead to hip, back, shoulder or knee injuries, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and heat stroke. Clearly, being overweight can be as detrimental to your cat as it is to you. But not in the same way you might a dog. Your cat is a more independent creature, and must be motivated in different ways if she is to raise her level of activity.
Food is an effective motivator for teaching new behavior to a cat.
Small treats can be used to get her moving. Doing so will program your cat to be hungry at specific times, a key in teaching her any new behavior. So you've put your cat on a regular feeding schedule, and she's famished at dinner time. Put her hunger to work. Place her meal at the top or bottom of a flight of stairs, depending on your home's layout.