Indoor cats require carefully designed environments that provide opportunities for hunting, climbing, scratching and exploration - enrichment prevents the boredom and frustration that cause welfare and behaviour problems.
Indoor cat enrichment welfare is about recognising that house cats retain the full behavioural repertoire of their wild ancestors - predatory drives, territorial behaviour, vertical orientation and intense curiosity. A standard apartment with food bowls and a scratching post fails to meet these needs. Comprehensive enrichment addresses multiple behaviour systems simultaneously and prevents the frustration, anxiety and redirected aggression that result from inadequate environments. The welfare investment in enrichment is modest in cost but significant in outcome - enriched indoor cats show lower anxiety, fewer behaviour problems and better immune function. Enrichment design should be planned before acquisition rather than reactively addressing behaviour problems.