Indoor cats require deliberate environmental enrichment to meet their behavioural needs and prevent welfare-reducing boredom, stress and inactivity. Evidence-based enrichment programmes significantly improve indoor cat welfare.
Indoor cat welfare requires owners to actively compensate for the absence of the outdoor environment. Cats evolved as solitary hunters with large territories — confinement without enrichment creates chronic welfare deficits. Evidence-based indoor enrichment includes: vertical space (cat trees, shelves) for perching and climbing; puzzle feeders that make cats work for food, simulating hunting; daily interactive play with wand toys; scratching posts for claw maintenance and territory marking; hiding areas for security; and window perches for environmental stimulation. Indoor cats in enriched environments show lower cortisol, reduced stereotypic behaviour, healthier body weight and lower prevalence of stress-related disease compared to cats in unenriched indoor environments.