74 Chapter 5Object play
Play with small inanimate objects, known as ‘object play’, starts later than social play
as kittens develop sufficient eye–paw coordination to allow them to manipulate small
items (Box 5.2) (Bateson, 2000). This seems to be partly exploratory behaviour and
partly practice of predatory skills. But object play does not appear necessary for a
kitten to develop the basic skills required for hunting (Martin and Bateson, 1988).
Caro (1980) found that kittens with no or very limited opportunity to play with small
inanimate objects demonstrated no difference in their predatory behaviour at 6 months
of age than kittens that engaged in all forms of play.
Locomotor play
Locomotor play is playful movement or exploration that does not involve other indi-
viduals or manipulation of inanimate objects.
In a study by Martin and Bateson (1985) of seven separate litters provided with
a wooden climbing frame, it was found that until the kittens were around 7 weeks of
age, climbing and exploration occurred for only short periods of time and was limited
to the lower rungs of the climbing frame. Even after more than 8 weeks of age some
had still not ventured much higher. For those that did climb, occasionally losing bal-
ance and even falling off did not seem to be a deterrent because they would usually
climb straight back up again, indicating the high reward value of the behaviour.
The mother’s behaviour seemed to influence the climbing behaviour of the kittens,
the most adventurous being the ones with mothers that also spent more time on the
frame. Guyot et al. 1980 also found that kittens raised without a natural mother were
more likely to be reluctant to climb when presented with ramps and shelves to explore.
Play in adult cats
Play is not just confined to kittenhood. Although adults do not play as much as kit-
tens, playing with toys is an important part of essential environmental enrichment for
adult cats.
Box 5.2. Object play in kittens
Poke/bat: The kitten uses a front paw to ‘tap’ the object from above (poke) or from the
side (bat).
Scoop: The kitten picks up an object by curving the front paw under it and grasping
with the claws.
Toss: The kitten ‘throws’ the object held in the mouth or grasped in the paw with a
shake of the head or foot.
Chase: The kitten chases a moving object, or one that has just been batted or tossed.
Grasp: The kitten holds object in the mouth or between the front paws.
Bite/mouth: The kitten bites or ‘mouths’ an object.
(Adapted from Bradshaw et al., 2012.)