Doggie Daycare Learn More... Country Tails Doggie Daycare - The perfect way to spend the day and play! Socialization and exercise is so important for your dog's well being. We have a certified dog trainer and caring staff to help give your dog  exercise and the social lessons they need.  We have an indoor/outdoor facility with constant supervision. Click here for more information. -Hide- Dog & Puppy Training Learn More... Learn about training and dog behaviour and become the Alpha in your family. New classes starting September 2009.  Click here for more information. -Hide- New Pudgy Pet Program Learn More... Is your pet overweight?  Any extra weight on your pet can affect their health.  We understand it can be very difficult to get your pet to lose weight so why not join this free program? We will work one on one with you and your pet's individual needs.  Achieving a healthy weight can add several quality years to your dog or cat's life. Contact us today! -Hide-	Download PDF File Kittens have a reputation for being playful — why is play so important to them? Play is a very important part of the feline world and kittens need the opportunity to play in order to learn vital adult skills both in communication and in hunting. From a very early age, they play with their littermates and with objects that they find in their environment. Indeed, play provides the ideal opportunity for kittens to investigate the world around them. Young kittens play using chasing and pouncing behaviors that seem to have their origin in predation. Predatory play is an integral part of feline play behavior and early learning. This play in a kitten is often aggressive and intense. During kitten development three different forms of play are used. Up to the point of weaning, most of the kitten s playful interactions have been with the queen or with littermates and this form of play is described as social. At the time of weaning, kittens will being to show more interest in objects in their environment and will begin to act out the behavioral sequences associated with hunting, by chasing and stalking moving objects as well as those that can be swiped, batted and propelled with a paw. This so called object play is believed to be important in the development of eye-paw coordination and hunting skills, and the presence of an experienced hunting mother is believed to increase the kitten s opportunity to observe the appropriate behaviors and develop its own hunting prowess. Locomotory play is fully developed at 10-12 weeks of age, and is important in the development of balance and agility. Since play is such an important component of kitten development, proper play and exercise should be encouraged. Kittens have a reputation for being playful — why is play so important to them? The image of young kittens hanging from the curtains is a very popular one for cartoonists, but it is not amusing for owners when their new pets are ripping their home apart and causing mayhem. The playful nature of your kitten is perfectly normal, and the important lesson for him to learn at this age is that play is only acceptable in certain situations and contexts. Obviously kittens cannot read labels or instruction booklets and therefore they need to be shown how to play with toys that you provide for them. However you can maximize their interest in the toys by ensuring that they cater to basic feline needs and have features that will naturally catch your kitten s attention and imagination.