Cats in rescue shelters face significant stress from loss of familiar environment, unfamiliar cats, and kennel conditions; evidence-based management reduces this stress and improves adoption outcomes.
Cats in rescue kennels face acute and chronic stress from multiple simultaneous stressors: loss of familiar territory, proximity of unknown cats whose presence they can smell and hear, unpredictable human approach, and lack of control over their environment. Providing a hiding box as the single most evidenced welfare intervention gives cats the sense of safety that reduces stress immediately. Foster care, which provides cats with a home environment rather than a kennel, achieves welfare outcomes that no amount of kennel enrichment can fully replicate. The most welfare-effective shelter strategy combines excellent kennel conditions with rapid adoption or foster placement that minimises kennel duration.