25 Activities and Games for Cats To Try in 2025

An active cat is a happy cat. Just like us, our feline friends need exercise—and the best way to encourage your cat to exercise is to play games that engage both their body and their mind.

Not sure where to start? You’ve come to the right place! In honor of the start of 2025, we rounded up 25 fun, enriching cat exercises to help get your pet moving all year long. After all, the new year is the perfect time to pounce on healthy habits.

Behold, the holy grail of cat toys. Laser pointers, like Ethical Pet’s Laser Exerciser, can be a great way to get your cat moving.

However, make sure the game concludes with your cat being able to catch their “prey.”

“When playing with laser pointers, a vigorous laser session needs to end with a little play with a similar toy that has something attached that the cat can actually get their paws on,” says Shelby Neely, VMD, associate veterinarian at Banfield Pet Hospital in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania. “Otherwise, they are left very frustrated.”

Your dog enjoys a stroll around the neighborhood—and given the opportunity, your cat might enjoy walking on a leash too.

“You can take your cat for walks on a leash,” says Dr. Neely. “It’s very important to use a harness, not just a collar, and to let your cat get accustomed to short periods of time wearing the harness indoors before going outside.”

PetSafe’s Come With Me Kitty harness and bungee cat leash, for example, is designed to give you control while keeping your cat comfortable.

An interesting, enriching environment naturally leads to exercise—and there’s nothing more interesting to a cat than watching birds and fish in their natural habitats.

“Cats need stimulation,” says Dr. Neely. “This includes multiple places to jump and climb, bird feeders [to watch] outside windows, aquariums to view, and even videos made especially for cats that feature birds, fish, and other moving things that catch a cat’s interest.”

Make viewing the outside world easier with a cat window seat, like Coziwow Cat Window Perch, or by placing a cat tree in front of the window.

If you opt for real-deal animals over TV versions, make sure that all creatures are safely behind glass and out of your cat’s reach.

Clicker training isn’t just for dogs. Not only do cats respond to the method, but they can learn some pretty impressive tricks, including obstacle courses.

“I had a cat who was 9 years old, who never had exposure to training, and I trained him to ride a skateboard,” says Ingrid Johnson, certified cat behavior consultant at Fundamentally Feline in Marietta, Georgia. “We don’t give cats enough credit.” (More on skateboarding for your cat below.)

Although completely screened in, a “catio” (aka a patio for your cat) can provide your cat with an engaging, stimulating taste of outdoor life.

In a catio, cats “can experience the seasons, but they’re safe,” says Johnson, who custom-built her own catio. “It can be a pretty exciting place for a cat to be.”

Cats love feather toys, because cats love birds. So when you’re using a feather toy to play with your cat, try to think like a bird.

“Interactive play is really important,” says Johnson. “You can’t just dangle a feather toy in front of your cat’s face—you have to be the prey, be the bird. Let it flutter, let it tumble across the floor.”

Pet Fit For Life’s 2 Feather Wand comes with two feathery attachments, like the name implies, and a detachable bell to help keep your cat interested.

As clichéd as it is, a ball of yarn is cat-toy gold—as long as you ensure your cat doesn’t chew or swallow it.

“The old standby that cats cannot seem to resist is a string pulled along the floor,” says Susan Bulanda, a certified canine and feline behavior consultant in Baltimore, Maryland.

For an engaging play session, make sure you dangle the string and move it across the floor as if it’s “alive” or a snake.

Additionally, make sure you put away the string once you’re done playing with it, and make sure your cat is never left alone with a string toy. Swallowing the string could cause serious problems.

Cats are natural hunters, and hidden cat treats provide exercise and a sense of adventure.

“Hide them in different places each time and check to see that the cat found them,” says Bulanda. “Since cats are smart and observant, don’t let the cat see where you hide the treats.”

Just like cats enjoy hunting for treats, they also often enjoy stalking their toys.

“A basket of cat toys looks fun, but from the cat’s point of view, the basket is full of dead prey,” says Suzanne Denk, animal enrichment specialist at Animal Friends, a non-profit companion animal resource center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. “Toys should be hidden so the cat can discover the toy in the course of the day. Toys should be rotated so they stay new and interesting.”

Many cats naturally prefer to observe the world from up high. So, save your curtains by providing your cat with vertical space to explore.

“Cats enjoy any perch that expands their territory,” says Denk. You can give your cat a wall shelf with a pillow, a raised box, or a basket on top of a cabinet.

Speaking of vertical space, a cat tree can help keep your kitty entertained and fit, as well as satisfy their need to climb.

“A good cat tree reaches from floor to ceiling, does not wobble, and has several different materials on it for scratching as well as climbing,” says certified animal behavior consultant Debbie Winkler, co-founder of Humane Domain in Marriottsville, Maryland.

Pro Tip: Place cat trees near a window for optimal bird-watching.

Yes, many cats are fans of unraveling the toilet paper in your bathroom, but did you know the empty rolls are tempting toys for them too?

Fray the ends of the cardboard roll with scissors and it’s a blast to bat the roll around (assuming you’re a cat, of course).

Furry mouse toys are perennial kitty favorites for a reason.

Fake mice are a satisfying alternative to the real thing for many kitties, says author and behavior consultant Celia Haddon in Witney, England. Not only is the texture appealing, but they’re lightweight enough to be batted around like prey.

Chances are your kitchen junk drawer is full of potential.

Household items that double as cat toys include:

• Boxes
• Paper bags
• Stuffed animals
• Ping-pong balls

“Most cats get excited by hunting and will enjoy rod toys,” aka teaser wants, says feline behavior consultant Anita Kelsey in London, England. “Even older cats or cats who appear not to play can be motivated by seeing the right ‘hunting’ toy.”

Exercise wheels aren’t just for small pets like hamsters and mice. Some friskier felines love them too.

Kelsey recommends cat wheels for clients who have agile, high-energy cats—and, of course, the space to accommodate a cat wheel.

Many cats love the high-energy play session that an electronic toy can provide, Kelsey says.

The Shele UFO Interactive Cat Toy, for example, senses when your cat is near and teases them with a feather rod.

Just make sure to schedule interactive playtime with your kitty too—there’s no substitute for you!

Just like dogs, many cats enjoy a good game of fetch!

Start by selecting a fun, lightweight toy that’s easy for your cat to carry, and begin by tossing the toy short distances. When your cat chases after the toy, offer plenty of praise, then give a small treat to encourage them to return it to you. Keep the sessions short and positive, and keep practicing!

Indoor plants can provide effortless environmental enrichment. Encourage your cat’s wild side with cat-safe houseplants—such as Boston ferns, spider plants, or catmint—and hide toys and treats among them to encourage exploration and engage your cat’s hunting instinct.

If you have an adventurous cat, skateboarding—yes, skateboarding!—might be on your 2025 to-do list. For cats who are familiar with clicker training, it’s possible to get rolling in only a few easy steps.

• Start on a carpeted surface and encourage your cat to play or just hang out around the board.
• Once they’re comfy with the skateboard, have them perform a simple trick (such as “sit”) on the deck, marking the action with a click and a treat.
• Once they’re more comfortable, repeat the exercise with two wheels on a hard surface.
• Eventually work your way up to giving the board a gentle, controlled push.

If your cat’s interests include water, look no further. For a fun aquatic-based activity, fill up a sink or bathtub with a couple inches of water and toss in some ping-pong balls or floating cat toys for an engaging hunting activity.

Remember to always supervise your cat when near water and drain the tub after playtime.

Have a “paws-on” kitty? Try teaching your cat to catch!

Beginning with a lightweight ball or plush toy, toss it in the air and say, “Catch!” Offer praise and a small treat if they move to catch the ball, regardless of whether they’re successful.

Repeat the exercise, gradually offering a treat only when they make contact with the ball, and eventually only when they catch it in their paws.