Namaste, kitty. Official tester cat Boris strikes a pose (NOT downward dog, of course) on the Feline Yogi’s Yoga Mat Toy.
Watching cats run, bend, stretch and frolic is enough to make any seasoned yoga veteran jealous. Cats are naturally agile, unlike most humans. That’s precisely why we have yoga; to help us bend, stretch and run better. And fewer things are more calming than the ancient Indian practice; though having a cat around your yoga studio can help to make the process even more relaxing.
To find out how Boris, my Siberian kitten, would take to yoga, we put him to the task of evaluating the Feline Yogi yoga mat in a lovely green color which just happened to match the color of my apartment walls. If green isn’t your thing, the mat is available in six different colors.
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Boris took to playing with the ball straight away, mainly thanks to the small bag of cat nip that’s trapped inside. As he worked to get to the prize, he tumbled and rolled into what looked like every yoga pose ever invented. He also quickly realized that the string is great for chewing, while the mat itself allows him to claw at something that isn’t the carpet.
When my fiancée does yoga, she loves to have Boris around, so she lays out his mat for him right beside hers and they go to work out together. Before Boris got his own mat, he would chase her feet and play with the corners of her mat. Now, he’s fully occupied and too busy to bug her. She tries to teach him new moves, but he hasn’t quite nailed his downward dog yet. We can’t figure out why…
Sitting down at night, we’ll also break out the mat for Boris, to keep him happy and occupied. If he’s not playing with the ball, he’ll just lie down across the mat, taking some well-earned rest.
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After about two weeks, he did manage to get the cat nip pouch out of the center of the ball, which made him less interested in playing when on the mat. Luckily, we have a cat nip spray. One hit of that on the ball and he’s back to his old ways, playing with tons of energy. The ball could always be substituted for a favorite toy as well, as long as it’s something that will keep your cat happy.
When not doing yoga duty, the mat can also be used underneath your cat’s food to keep the floor or carpet beneath clean. Feline Yogi also suggests that the mat can accompany your cat on vet visits, to give them a taste of home and to save them having to walk on the cold steel of a vet’s table. It would also serve well as a liner for a cat carrier.
There are also fewer things cuter than your kitty on his own little yoga mat, bringing joy to everyone in the room.
For $24.99, this kitty yoga mat is an inexpensive way to dress up your yoga studio, or any room in your house with a fun toy for your feline friend. It helps to get Boris into a Zen mood, and when you’re kitty is relaxed, so are you.
If you’d like to pick one up, either for your own kitty or for your yoga instructor’s cat, you can buy them online at Feline Yogi’s website.
A cat owner since birth, Stephen Elmer has always loved having a feline friend around. Professionally, he spent the first four years of his working life behind the wheel of a 30-ft straight truck, before his passion for writing and photography led him into automotive journalism. Now, Stephen covers every angle of the automotive industry for AutoGuide.com, with a special focus on trucks. But most importantly, he recently brought home a Siberian kitten named Boris, who has been tasked with putting the latest and greatest cat-cessories on the market to the test.
