Environmental enrichment is essential for indoor cats to express natural behaviors, prevent boredom, and maintain physical and psychological health throughout their lives.
Indoor cats without adequate enrichment commonly develop behavioral signs of suffering including excessive vocalization, aggression, destructive behavior, and compulsive behaviors. These are not character flaws but welfare signals that their environment fails to meet their needs. The natural behaviors cats are motivated to perform - hunting, climbing, scratching, exploring - do not disappear when cats live indoors; they find outlet in problem behaviors when appropriate outlets are not provided. Creating an enriched indoor environment is an ethical responsibility of indoor cat ownership, requiring ongoing effort rather than a one-time setup.