Cats in shelters experience acute and chronic stress from confinement, social disruption, and novel environments that can significantly impair welfare and reduce adoption prospects.
The shelter environment presents cats with a cascade of stressors — loss of familiar territory, unfamiliar people and smells, proximity to other cats — that cause genuine welfare compromise. The stress response that impairs immune function is also self-perpetuating: stress causes respiratory infection which increases stress. Simple interventions including hiding boxes, consistent volunteer handling, and pheromone diffusers create measurable welfare improvements at minimal cost.