Indoor cats face unique welfare challenges from environmental restriction that predispose them to chronic stress, obesity and behaviour problems when enrichment needs go unmet.
Keeping cats entirely indoors protects them from traffic, predators and disease transmission — genuine welfare benefits. But without active enrichment, indoor life deprives cats of the predatory expression, territory exploration and sensory stimulation that their neurobiology demands. The result is chronic understimulation expressed as stress-related illness and behaviour problems. The solution is not to force cats outdoors but to bring environmental complexity indoors: climbing structures, hunting feeders, window perches, interactive play sessions and outdoor access through catios. Meeting the indoor cat welfare challenge is a design and enrichment problem, not an impossible one.