You’ve probably noticed that your cat loves to play—but not all the time. With a cat, there’s a time for play, but also a time to sleep. Around here, the cats often decide to play after dark when everyone’s asleep and all is quiet. That’s when you’ll hear a thunder of paws racing up and down the hallway, or you become aware of a cat pouncing and bouncing on the bed with one of her toys.
Cats should have playtime. Especially inside cats need exercise. And it’s good for the 
human-cat relationship when the two of you play together. First, it’s a good idea to understand how your particular cat likes to play. For some, fun means a fast and furious game of chase—chasing a light beam or a feather toy or a ball, for example. Different cats become attached to different types of toys. In our house, Sophie loves a stuffed toy with a tail so she can pick it up by the tail and toss it in the air. She can entertain herself (and us) this way for several minutes. Lily gets all excited when I toss wads of paper high in the air for her to jump after.
Some cats like to hide and jump out at a feather-wand toy that’s wriggling enticingly, for example. Kittens will create their own games of stalk and attack, sometimes leaping and attaching to your leg with their claws. Cute. Painful, but cute.
For the health of your cat and your relationship with your cat, it’s recommended that you provide them with opportunities for exercise both on their own and with you. Experts recommend that you not play with a kitten using your hand, but you should use a wand toy of some sort. I don’t care for those with strings involved, especially if you’re trying to make friends with a standoffish cat. When Sophie was a kitten, she got tangled in the cord on one of these toys while we were playing and it frightened her.
There are few rules when playing with a cat. An important one is to let the cat win sometimes. Yeah, they enjoy the chase. They get excited about leaping after the feather, racing after it, etc. But they aren’t always good sports. If they never get a chance to catch the thing, they may simply walk away. Yeah, they can be bad sports. Or the cat might decide to attack you. It happens.
Here are a few sites where you can get ideas for having fun with your cat.
http://www.wikihow.com/Have-Fun-with-Your-Cat
https://www.petcentric.com/02-10-2017/having-fun-with-your-cat/
