Enriching Your Cat's Environment

Cats are a predatory animal.  Hunting is a 'hardwired' instinct.  Sometimes your cat may exhibit normal hunting behavior that your find objectionable, killing birds and cute bunny rabbits, attacking your feet as you walk through the house, pouncing on your head while you sleep.  Outdoor cats have ample opportunity to utilize their instincts and in essence, 'be a cat'.  Indoor cats however, do not always have the opportunity to fulfill their need to hunt.  For some cats, this can be very stressful, they haven't a way to exercise their mind or body.  Signs of stress in cats can include: scratching household items, obsessive licking and/or hair chewing, aggression toward people or other pets, inappropriate urination or defecation and night time vocalization.  A more sedentary life can lead to obesity, which in turn can lead to other medical diseases such as diabetes.  Additionally, indoor cats can also just plain get bored, thus leading them into trouble by getting into things you would prefer they not explore.

So what can we as cat owners do to enrich your indoor cat's home?  We want to offer a home that helps your cat(s) utilize their natural instincts to hunt, thus giving them mental and physical exercise.

1)  Create specific spots on bookshelves and windowsills for climbing, perching, resting and hiding.  Cat towers are great too.  Cardboard boxes are another awesome and inexpensive way to give your cat a maze of boxes to hide and explore. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6QUSWGHDlc) This link shows you an example of a homemade cat condo, but you can also purchase more attractive pre-form and cut cardboard cat stack boxes.  The solutions has designer colored box systems called "Catty Stacks House System" with each box costing approx. $14.00 each.  A SnoozePal Cat Hammock-in-a-Box is another cool cat hideaway, and for those of you with a creative touch, you could likely make one yourself.

2)  Provide opportunities to forage by using feeder toys, multiple bowls throughout the house (each with a few kibbles in them) and hiding treats in different areas.  The idea is to give your cat a chance to hunt and search for it's food.  Be sure to measure out your cat's daily meal and divide it into each of the toys and bowls so not to overfeed your cat and contribute to it's obesity (if you have a fat cat).

3)  Provide acceptable outlets such as scratching posts, for this very natural behavior.  Keep in mind to offer both vertical and horizontal surfaces (so the cat can utilize it's personal preference) and the scratching surface should be solid and stable to withstand your cat's pressure towards them.  It serves no purpose to have a cat tree that falls over every time your cat tries to use it and scares it away from the post.  

4)  Cats prefer toys that are light and can be picked up and easily carried; fuzzy mice and balls, etc.  Play with your cat; feathers on the end of a small fishing pole, laser pointers are always fun.

Here are some good links for ideas about making your cats home cat friendly:

http://catsinternational.org/articles/fun_for_cats/index.html

http://fabcats.org/behaviour/cat_friendly_home/info.html

http://fabcats.org/behaviour/

http://indoorpet.osu.edu/cats/