Indoor cats require thoughtfully designed environments with opportunities for hunting, climbing, and exploration to meet their behavioural needs and maintain good welfare.
The decision to keep cats indoors carries welfare benefits in reducing road mortality, predation on wildlife, and infectious disease risk, but also creates welfare obligations that many owners do not fully meet. An indoor environment without enrichment leaves cats with unmet predatory, exploratory, and territorial needs that manifest as boredom, obesity, aggression, and inappropriate elimination. The key is providing an environment that gives cats meaningful choices: where to be, what to investigate, and how to interact with resources and owners.