Indoor cats without adequate enrichment are highly prone to stress-related health problems, obesity, and behavioural issues. Evidence-based enrichment strategies can dramatically improve feline quality of life.
Chronic under-stimulation in indoor cats leads to a range of welfare-relevant problems: obesity from inactivity and boredom eating, stress-related cystitis, over-grooming, and redirected aggression. Cats are not passive pets — they have evolved as active hunters with sophisticated sensory needs and social structures. Enrichment is not a luxury but a welfare necessity for cats confined indoors. The ISFM (International Society of Feline Medicine) recommends five pillars of a healthy feline environment: safe spaces, multiple resources, opportunity for play and predatory behaviour, positive human social interaction, and respect for the cat's sensory world. Meeting these needs consistently produces measurably happier, healthier cats.