Keeping cats indoors protects wildlife and extends cat lifespans, but creates welfare challenges that require active enrichment to prevent boredom, frustration, and associated behaviour problems.
Indoor cat welfare requires active management of the enrichment deficit that indoor environments create. A cat evolved to hunt, climb, scratch, and patrol a territory confined to a flat with no climbing structures, puzzle feeding, or outdoor sightlines is in a state of environmental deprivation. The resulting frustration manifests as inappropriate scratching, spraying, over-grooming, and aggression -- behaviour problems that owners often attribute to the cat rather than the environment. Enriched indoor environments -- vertical space, cat trees, puzzle feeders, window access, interactive play -- address the root cause. Catios (outdoor enclosures) bridge indoor safety with outdoor enrichment for cats in appropriate settings.