Senior cats need adapted enrichment that accounts for changing physical and cognitive abilities. Appropriate engagement maintains welfare through the ageing process.
Senior cat enrichment requires understanding that the goal is positive engagement appropriate to current capability rather than maintaining the activity levels of youth. An arthritic cat offered a high cat tree it cannot safely climb is not enriched but stressed. The same cat offered a floor-level puzzle feeder and a comfortable warm bed positioned to observe garden birds through a window is engaged, comfortable, and mentally stimulated. The positive welfare experiences available to senior cats differ from those of young adults — less vigorous, more sensory and social — but are equally valid welfare contributions. Adapting enrichment as the cat ages maintains quality of life without frustrating physical limitations. Human attention becomes relatively more important as outdoor or high-activity enrichment becomes less accessible.