Understanding normal and abnormal cat behaviour enables owners to identify welfare problems early and provide environments that support positive wellbeing.
Cat behavioural welfare requires understanding the species-typical needs that domestic environments must accommodate. Cats maintained as obligate indoor animals with insufficient environmental complexity show stress behaviours including over-grooming, inappropriate elimination, and aggression. These are welfare problems, not nuisances. Early identification through knowledge of normal behaviour enables prompt intervention. Play cessation in cats that previously played indicates welfare impairment that warrants investigation. Fear responses that are disproportionate to stimuli indicate chronic anxiety requiring management. Behavioural welfare assessment is increasingly incorporated into routine veterinary consultations as a welfare-first approach to common presentations.