How modifying the home environment addresses the root causes of common feline behaviour problems more effectively than punishment.
Environmental modification is the most welfare-conscious approach to feline behaviour problems because it addresses the underlying welfare deficit rather than punishing the animal for communicating it. A cat that scratches furniture is not misbehaving — it is expressing a normal, necessary behaviour in an environment that has not provided an appropriate outlet. A cat that avoids its litter box is communicating dissatisfaction with some aspect of its toileting provision. Modifying the environment to meet the cat's needs removes the motivation for the problem behaviour without the welfare cost of punishment, which adds fear and anxiety to an already inadequate situation. Environmental solutions are also more durable: they continue working because the need is met, rather than requiring ongoing enforcement.