Cats in shelters experience chronic stress from confinement, social exposure, and unpredictability, with behavioral welfare often given less attention than physical health.
Shelter cats face a welfare paradox: the environment meant to protect them often causes significant suffering. Chronic stress manifests as disease, aggression, and behavioral withdrawal that is misread as personality. Shelters with enrichment programs, hiding spaces, and controlled social exposure achieve better welfare and higher adoption rates simultaneously.