Indoor cats face significant welfare challenges from insufficient stimulation, leading to obesity, behavioral problems, and chronic stress in millions of pet cats globally.
Cats are obligate hunters with strong predatory drive that goes unmet in indoor environments without enrichment. Chronic understimulation leads to obesity, anxiety, redirected aggression, and compulsive behaviors. Welfare-conscious indoor cat ownership requires active management of environmental complexity, play interactions, and feeding strategies that engage natural foraging behaviors.