Indoor cats need stimulation, exercise, and opportunities for species-typical behaviour. Evidence-based enrichment strategies significantly improve welfare and reduce behaviour problems.
Indoor confinement without appropriate enrichment creates a welfare deficit that many owners do not recognise. A cat that sleeps 18 hours per day is not necessarily content — it may be disengaged from an impoverished environment. Obesity from inactivity compounds welfare problems through associated health risks. Frustrated hunting motivation leads to redirected aggression, inappropriate elimination, and over-grooming. The solution is not to dismiss indoor cats' needs as unimportant but to actively meet them through environmental design. Cats in richly enriched environments — with climbing opportunities, puzzle feeding, regular interactive play, and window views — show measurably better welfare through activity patterns, reduced stress indicators, and positive behavioural diversity.