Evidence-based enrichment strategies for cats in shelter settings to reduce stress, improve welfare, and increase adoption success rates.
Shelter environments are inherently stressful for cats, who are territorial animals experiencing the loss of familiar territory, social context, and predictability simultaneously. Without deliberate intervention, many cats spend their shelter stay in a state of chronic fear that is invisible to passing potential adopters who see a curled, still animal and may not recognize that stillness as stress rather than calm. Evidence-based enrichment transforms the shelter experience: hiding options, appropriate human socialization, environmental novelty, and sensory enrichment can shift cats from avoidance to engagement and dramatically improve both their welfare during the shelter stay and their prospects for adoption.