Play with your animals!

[Celyn]

Our theme for this month's calendar is all about distraction. Today our calendar suggests playing with our animals as a distraction. Playing or watching our animals can help lift our mood a bit and distract us from negative and worrying thoughts.

For me, my neighbour's cat often makes me laugh. Once, I threw a small stick and she went straight after it

Do you have a favourite game that you play with your animals/pets? If you don't have any animals in your life, are there animal videos that you like to watch instead?

[Ennui.]

I don't really play games with guinea pigs but I have one out of the cage right now and I like listening to her noises.

[eaty]

I love watching Husky videos when I'm bored or feeling down, they always entertain me.

But I also have a Husky mix, who LOVES to play. So everyday is play day with her. I really enjoy throwing her ball and playing fetch with her, though she loves tug more.

I haven't had a pet in years, so no playing with pets for me! But I do follow a number of cat pages on Instagram, and it makes me happy to see them playing and thriving.

I also enjoy Cats of Instagram because it can be informative, and wish I knew as a child what I know now.

[MsNobleEleanor]

I usually play with my dog and his favourite games are with stuffed animals that have a squeaky toy inside; me placing food or treats inside his ball for him and he rolls it around or kicks it with his paws like soccer to get the treats out. Sometimes, when I give him his dental treat he plays with it before he chews on it.

He has annoyed me to play with him when I am busy or focused on something or not in the greatest mood, like feeling down in the dumps. He's a good distraction for sure!

[Storyteller.]

I love playing with my pets, it's one of my favourite ways to unwind or cheer myself up.

My older cat will happily chase a string or ribbon but her favourite toy is tennis balls (especially if she can steal them from the dog), which she'll chase and then attempt to shred with her claws. My younger cat is a little less playful, but last year I bought a laser pointer and they both go absolutely wild for it, no matter how long I have it out they never seem to get bored of trying to catch it. I'll also give them toys with catnip in them sometimes, which they enjoy playing with for a while.

My dog is a senior now but still very playful too. She never quite got the hang of fetch (for her the game isn't "catch the ball and bring it back", it's "catch the ball and then chew it to pieces") but she likes chasing and being chased, and enjoys playing tug sometimes. The main way we play these days is just roughhousing - she'll pounce on me, I'll push her away, she'll snap at me, I'll pretend to grab her, etc. For obvious reasons I wouldn't recommend this type of play with a dog you don't know extremely well; I've had my girl since she was a puppy so we've worked out a communication style that keeps things safe for us (e.g. if she gets too boisterous I can signal her to settle down, or if if I accidentally spook her she can let me know she needs a break).

There have been a few mishaps over the years where the dog has tried to play with the cats, but they've been less than receptive. So I guess it's up to me to just play with all of them.

[Dawn.]

I usually just cuddle with my dog.

[Silvan]

I love spending time with my dog. He cuddles, licks me and asks for belly rubs He likes to play fetch with his favourite toys - a rubber cow with a string and a plush owl. Outside he likes to run after his ball. He's very playful and demands attention all the time