Cats have a sophisticated olfactory and auditory sense that can be harnessed for indoor enrichment, providing mental stimulation that reduces stress and supports behavioural welfare without requiring outdoor access.
Indoor cats benefit enormously from enrichment that engages their primary senses rather than primarily visual stimulation. Scent enrichment — catnip, silver vine, novel outdoor scents — triggers exploratory and play behaviour that provides genuine exercise and mental engagement. The variety of feline attractants means that cats unresponsive to catnip can still benefit from alternative options. Auditory enrichment through nature sound recordings has shown some promise in reducing shelter cat stress; enriching indoor cats with birdsong recordings combined with visual access to a garden or bird feeder creates multi-sensory stimulation. Cognitive challenge through puzzle feeders and hidden food engages problem-solving capacities that would otherwise remain dormant in a stimulus-poor indoor environment.