Providing adequate indoor enrichment for your cat may be relatively easy or a never-ending saga, depending upon his personality and activity level. Thankfully, there are many ways to meet your cat’s needs for engagement without winning the lottery and putting in a three-story cat tree. Our team has put together to some of our favorite hack’s for keeping your cat amused.
Food Toys
Food toys provide both mental and physical stimulation for your cat by making your her actively “hunt” for food. They come in a number of varieties: from ground-rolling to elevated spinners there are many types to suit your cat’s fancy. Simply fill up the compartment with your cat’s kibble or favorite treat and let your cat go to town. To aide in fighting boredom, some cat parent’s elect to have their cats be fed their meals in the food toys while they are out of town.
Catios
Catios safely bring much of the enrichment of the outdoors with the much of the safety of the indoors. So, what exactly are catios? They are modifications or little attachments to your home that allow your cat to better experience the outdoors while still remain protected from the dangers of the outdoors. Most are open air but some are completely closed for mountainous or other environments that have large predators or cold temperatures much of the year. Not quite ready for a catio? Placing your cat tree or other perch right in front of a large window provides some of the visual stimulation of a catio.
Alternate Your Cat’s Toys
By periodically changing out what toys your cat has access to, you allow your cat much of the excitement of a new toy without breaking the bank every month. Many cat parents find it helpful to keep several Tupperware type containers of toys and gradually rotate the ones from that container into play while taking others out until all of the toys from the last Tupperware are collected. Then this process is repeated with a whole different set of toys from different Tupperware. This makes keeping track of which ones have been out recently a touch easier.
Boxes, Boxes, SO Many Boxes
This may be one of the cheapest and most effective ways to provide hours of entertainment! Most of us periodically get things delivered in boxes from time to time anyways, so why not let your cat have some fun with the empty box before recycling or re-purposing it? This gives your kitty-cat an awesome hang out spot , at no additional cost to you. Consider rotating the location you place boxes or if you’re feeling particularly ambitious rotate the boxes out for additional enrichment.
Honorable Mentions
- Cat Treadmills: If your cat has an energy level that would put the Tasmanian Devil to shame, then perhaps your cat may enjoy a cat treadmill!
- Cat Self -Groomer Toy: If your cat LOVES rubbing his face on your fingernails or frequently “thwarts” your grooming attempts by rubbing his face all over his bristle brush, then give your cat the upper paw. This adhesive brush sticks to most corners and allows your cat to choose the perfect timing to scratch that itch.
- Remote-controlled mouse: If your cat’s string chasing habits have nearly given you Carpel-Tunnel Syndrome, then perhaps a different approach is in order.
Why the Indoors?
You may be wondering, “Why such the focus on enriching the indoors for cats?” The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), highlights the potential for reduced life span for cats allowed to roam freely outdoors due to the potential for trauma or acquiring zoonotic disease.
However, if you find that the right choice for your cat is to live as an indoor/outdoor cat there are steps that can be taken to minimize these risks to your cat. The AVMA encourages ensuring to try your best to ensure that your cat spends the nights inside due to increased predation activities in the dark. Additionally, micro-chipping allows your cat to be identified should they end up in someone else’s care.
If you are interested in learning more, the full position statement from the AVMA is available here.
How Do You Enrich Your Cat’s Indoor Experience?
We are always excited to learn of new ways pet parent’s are enriching their cat’s indoor experience. Have a great idea that’s really worked well for your cat? If you want to share your idea please let us know and we may just add it to our blog!