Cats are amazing and intelligent creatures. Their lifestyle reflects the predatory abilities and behaviors necessary for hunting food in nature. A cat’s day includes the need to rest, stalk, chase, jump, hunt, play, eat, and groom, among other things.
When we don’t provide them with opportunities to do these things, they get bored. Boredom can lead to a variety of issues, such as destructive behaviors, aggression, anxiety, and more. We all want our cats to live their best lives!
What is Enrichment for your Cat?
Cats should have opportunities to express their natural behaviors. An enriched environment should provide various scratching surfaces, outlets for predatory and prey behaviors, secure locations.
It should engage all five senses of your cat, providing an environment where an animal has variety, choice, and control over its daily activities.
Benefits of Enrichment
- Provides necessary mental and physical stimulation
- Reduces stress and boredom
- Decreases unwanted behaviors
- Improves overall quality of life
How to Provide Enrichment for your Cat?
Food-Based Enrichment
Food puzzles help slow down feeding, prevent boredom and obesity, and allow cats to eat more instinctively, enabling them to forage and “hunt” for their food.
There are various food-dispensing toys for cats that you can buy, or even make your own. Start with an easy puzzle and progress to harder ones based on your cat’s individual preference.
- Brown paper lunch bag/paper bag: Fill it with catnip, catnip-covered toy mice, or treats. They can explore, pounce, and “kill” (destroy the bag). It’s a great hiding spot and a fun toy all at once.
- Paper towel roll puzzle toys: Cut the paper towel roll in half, fold the ends, and make some small to large holes, then place treats inside. As cats become more adept at using these, cut smaller holes to make them more challenging for cats!
- Water bottle puzzle toys: Take empty water bottles, remove the label, make some small to large holes, you can leave the cap on or off to increase the difficulty of the puzzle toys.
Sensory Enrichment
Smell signals are an important part of cats’ communication and exploration. Cats exposed to new smells are more active and exploratory.
Catnip, silver vine, cat grass, cat-safe plants, toys scented with the owner’s smell, and pheromones like Feliway, help encourage exploration and play. Placing a small amount of a scent on paper ball toys, boxes, bags, etc. can provide sensory enrichment.
- Visual Enrichment: Some examples of visual enrichment include interactive toys for cats, bird feeders, cat videos on YouTube, blowing bubbles, and pinwheels.
Remember, when playing these videos or allowing your kitty to watch birds, do so for short periods of time only to prevent your cat from becoming frustrated. - Auditory Enrichment: Includes reading a story to cats, playing bird and nature sounds, and playing music specifically made for cats (Through a cat’s ear, iCalmCat).
- Taste: Offer a variety of treats with different flavors and textures.
- Touch: Many animals respond positively to gestures like petting and brushing. Along with touch comes social interaction, ensuring these social animals get the attention they need. Make sure to identify the type of touch your cat enjoys.
An excellent example of sensory enrichment involving all senses is placing tasty treats in a ball pit so your cats can forage.
Environmental Enrichment
Provide a variety of horizontal and vertical perches as well as hiding spots. Cats will appreciate things like window perches, cat trees, and cat-friendly shelves.
Incorporating safe hiding spots is crucial and allows cats to retreat when needed. Hideaway spots can be cardboard boxes, play tunnels, and paper bags.
Cats also need to scratch, so provide various scratching surfaces. Scratching posts should be stable and at least three feet tall to allow cats to fully extend their bodies when scratching. If you have space and your kitty loves to run, a cat exercise wheel might be a great solution.
Social Interactions
All companion animals, including cats, benefit from positive and consistent interactions with their humans. Cats will feel less stressed when allowed to choose whether or not to interact with you, rather than having forced interactions.
If the cat seems relaxed and wants to interact, it’s best to focus on petting their head and cheeks. When your cat backs away, don’t force further contact by following or picking them up.
Brushing and petting your cats before bedtime is a good example of providing them with positive, consistent, and predictable social interactions. Typically hand-fed, lickable cat treats offer a great bonding experience between human and pet.
Outdoor Time
Providing outdoor time is an excellent form of enrichment for your cat, offering sensory stimulation, physical activity, and the chance to explore the natural environment. Always supervise your cat outdoors to ensure safety, protecting them from predators, traffic, and other hazards.
A secure outdoor space, such as a fenced garden, can provide a safe environment for exploration. Allow your cat to observe birds, insects, and other outdoor activities, and provide climbing toys and equipment, such as scratching posts and tunnels, to stimulate their natural hunting and exploration instincts.
If your cat is comfortable, allow them to interact with other cats or supervised pets outdoors. Regularly vary the outdoor environment to prevent boredom, and set aside time for your cat to relax outdoors.
Ensuring that outdoor time is an enriching experience for your cat requires planning and attention to detail, but the benefits for their physical and mental well-being are significant.
Behavioral Training
In addition to the recommendations mentioned above, always remember to provide enrichment for your cat with variety and choice, and observe what they enjoy the most. Lastly, the types of enrichment you can offer your cat are only limited by your imagination, so have fun with it!
If you suspect your pet is ill, immediately call your veterinarian. For health-related inquiries, always consult your veterinarian as they have examined your pet, know the pet’s health history, and can make the best recommendations for your pet.