Environmental Enrichment

Cats do best when they are in an environment that physically and mentally stimulates them. Environmental enrichment can decrease stress and undesirable behaviors such as house-soiling, owner-directed aggression, and intercat aggression. Feline enrichment can be simple and inexpensive! Cats can also benefit from structured playtime with their owners, enhancing the human-animal bond. Here are a few tips and tricks to help enrich your kitty’s environment:

Toys

Keep a wide variety of toys on hand and rotate them! Avoid toys with strings and any toys with pieces that can be easily swallowed to avoid ingestion which can cause obstruction. 

Scratchers

I recommend using both vertical and horizontal scratching surfaces-cardboard or sisal fiber is preferred. Avoid carpet as cats may then treat all carpets as scratching surfaces. 

Puzzle feeders

Puzzle feeders provide a fun way to feed your kitty while stimulating natural hunting behaviors. These slow the rate of food ingestion which can help the kitties who “scarf and barf”. One option is to use a muffin or cupcake baking pan and simply turn it over. 

Olfactory stimuli (smell)

Cat nip, grasses, pheromones, and toys with your scent can all be used. Feliway © is a synthetic pheromone to help reduce stress in cats. You can find more information here: https://www.feliway.com/us

“Mewvies” (aka cat videos)

Many cats enjoy watching television, especially if there are sounds of nature. There are several videos made specifically for cats that feature birds, aquariums, and other feline interactive toys. 

You can find more information on inexpensive enrichment ideas here: https://www.aspcapro.org/resource/saving-lives-behavior-enrichment/5-free-or-darn-close-feline-enrichment-ideas

Check out the Indoor Cat Initiative for more ideas: https://indoorpet.osu.edu/cats/