Providing foraging enrichment that mimics natural hunting and eating behaviour addresses one of the most fundamental unmet needs of indoor domestic cats.
Foraging enrichment addresses the evolutionary mismatch between domestic cat lifestyle and the hunting lifestyle their ancestors were optimised for. Wild cats are not adapted to receive their entire daily caloric requirement in a 30-second meal from a stationary bowl — they are adapted to invest significant time, physical effort, and cognitive engagement in finding, pursuing, and catching multiple small prey items throughout the day. Indoor cats given ad libitum bowl access solve this evolutionary challenge by eating quickly, then being left with hours of unoccupied time and an unsatisfied foraging drive. Foraging enrichment — puzzle feeders, scatter feeding, food-stuffed toys, and hidden food challenges — partially meets this drive and has measurable benefits for behaviour and welfare. The welfare investment is minimal — a litter of cardboard boxes with food hidden inside costs nothing and provides significant enrichment.