Cats experience significant stress in shelter environments, with welfare-centred management practices substantially reducing this stress and improving outcomes for cats and adopters.
Shelter welfare for cats requires understanding their fundamental need for spatial security and control. Cats in open, exposed enclosures without hiding options experience chronic fear that compromises immune function and makes them appear unapproachable to adopters. Simple interventions — hiding boxes, vertical space, quieter housing — produce measurable welfare improvements at minimal cost. Foster networks that place cats in home environments during the adoption process provide welfare levels that shelter-based care fundamentally cannot match.