Keep Your Cat Busy While You're Working in the Kitchen

Some of our feline friends are incredibly food motivated, and those kitties – while generally hilarious in their food-seeking antics – can sometimes be a bit of a nuisance when it comes time to prepare a meal. If you don't want kitty thieving a piece of meat or running off with a carrot, there are a few things you can try.

If your cat wants in on dinnertime, then the best way to keep him busy while you're working in the kitchen is to indulge him – that is to say, make your dinner hour the same as his. Just before getting yourself set up, set him up with his meal. But if you don't feed him three square meals a day, you can still keep your kitty entertained by providing him with a treat ball. Not only will he get a little goody – thus keeping him off of your heels – you will also be encouraging exercise. Win, win!

If the food itself isn't the driving factor in his culinary appreciation, then you can easily distract him with common kitchen items. For example, there's hardly a cat on earth who can resist the call of an ice cube skidding across the floor. If that's a tad too messy, try a can cover or other plastic lid.

Distract Your Feline While You're Working on the Computer

Your fuzzy little buddy thinks you should be paying way more attention to him, and way less attention to your electronics. While he's not wrong, sometimes you just have to get some work done, and there are ways you can keep your cat entertained while you're busy typing away.

So let's say you're working at a desk and your kitty can't keep his butt of your keyboard. Think for a moment: where is his cat tree? If it's not in the office, then it definitely needs to be – in fact, the closer to your desk the better. If your cat has a place to chill out nearby, chances are he'll be more likely to leave you alone. That may not be enough, though, so be sure to add some exciting new playthings to the mix. Dangle some toy mice or birds from the platforms. Install some new scratchers. Offer plenty of items for him to knock off. And don't forget to rotate frequently, otherwise you'll wind up with fur between the keys again.

So... what if the cat tree doesn't work? No worries... there are still options. For starters, keep his favorite toys nearby and give them a quick lap around the office before you sit down to work. If he still insists on bugging you, put together some makeshift toys with crumpled balls of waste paper.

Keep Your Cat Entertained While You're Reading/Writing

So your cat can't get enough of your prose. That's... adorable! But also a bit of a pain. When you would prefer a nice cuddle with your book, then this is what you can do – just play with him. I know, this sounds like a much too simple solution, but here's the deal: if you follow the whole “hunt, kill, consume” pattern prior to getting cozy, you'll ensure a much calmer downtime for the both of you.

If writing is the sore spot, never fear! As with the computer issue, you can easily distract your feline friend with a ball of paper. If that's simply not enough, you might want to consider investing in a laser pointer pen. That way, your cat can follow the motion of your pen from a distance, while you can write undisturbed!

Get a Little Privacy in the Bathroom

We still have no answers as to why our funny little critters feel compelled to keep us company in the bathroom. Regardless of the reason, many of us live with kitties who like to... well, stare. The simplest solution, of course, is to just shut the door. But as we all know, keeping a closed door won't necessarily prevent our pals from trying to break in.

One way to keep your cat entertained while you're occupied in the bathroom is to start an under-the-door game. Depending on where your door is situated, you can easily play a game of keep-away with a teaser toy or a particularly stiff washcloth.

But what if that's not enough? That's all right. Keep that door wide open, and roll a toilet paper tube around the room. Hand towels or smaller bath towels drug around the floor might be a good alternative to a bathroom-dedicated teaser. You can also roll around an empty shampoo bottle, provided you wash it out first, of course.

How to Keep Kitty from Keeping You Awake

Many of us have this problem: you just begin to doze off, then BAM! over-excited cat running over your head. So what can you do? Well, the first answer is fairly obvious – have a vigorous play session ten to fifteen minutes before bed.

If this isn't an option, or if your pre-bed playtime shenanigans aren't enough, then you'll need to put a process in place. For starters, close your door. Next, dissuade your feline from scratching at your door by placing something repugnant in front of the entry – say, an upside-down carpet runner or a spritz of orange and lavender spray. Finally, set up a toy that runs on a timer. If you put all of this together, your cat will be out of your room, away from your door, and too busy with his funky new plaything to even care!

Conclusion

No matter what you're up to, your kitty wants in on it. But if you're in the midst of a project that really needs to get done, all of that feline enthusiasm can create a bit of a problem. Hopefully in this article you found some simple, and more importantly, useful, ways to keep your cat entertained so that you can get on with your work!