Indoor cats have complex behavioral needs for hunting, climbing, hiding, and social interaction that are often unmet, causing frustration, stress, and behavioral problems.
Indoor cats live longer and safer lives, but keeping cats indoors without adequate environmental enrichment trades one welfare problem for another. A cat confined to a bare apartment without hunting opportunities, vertical territory, hiding spaces, and interactive play is a cat experiencing chronic behavioral frustration. Enrichment is not a luxury but a welfare necessity, and its absence is linked to chronic stress, obesity, interstitial cystitis, and inter-cat aggression in multi-cat households.