Cats in shelters experience significant stress from novel environments, loss of territory, and proximity to unfamiliar animals. Enrichment and hiding opportunities are welfare-critical.
Shelter cats often present as withdrawn, hiding, or aggressive - behaviours that reduce adoption likelihood and reflect genuine distress. Environmental design matters profoundly: hiding boxes, vertical space, and olfactory masking of neighbouring cats dramatically improve welfare. Faster adoption through behaviour-informed profiles and marketing also reduces total shelter suffering.