During this COVID-19 pandemic, we are learning how vital indoor enrichment is to our mental health. This is a lesson our cats have been trying to teach us for a while now. Just like us, cats need ways to work their mind. The best way to keep your cat behaviorally healthy is through enrichment that mimics the behaviors they would perform in the wild. Though your little lion is a housecat, your cat still has natural instincts they need to practice. Here are some examples of how we can keep your cat happy indoors.
Climbing
Cats are considered both predator and prey; from above ground they can scout out their next meal while also observing if any predators are approaching. We need to allow our cats to climb and rest above ground in our homes too. Your cat may not have active predators in the house but when something startling occurs, your cat needs a safe space. Cat trees and cat shelves are great ways to get your cat off the ground. Remember this is a natural behavior so if you do not provide appropriate outlets for your cat, he or she will resort to what is available such as counters, bookcases, etc.
Hunting
Outdoor cats use most of their energy hunting, stalking and killing prey. Our household cats still have these instincts to spend their awake hours finding food. We can mimic these hunting tendencies through play and how we deliver meals to our cats.
Play:
We can use play to mimic hunting behaviors such as stalking, chasing, pouncing, and capturing. Wand toys can be maneuvered to make the same movements as birds. Plush mice can look like actual prey, especially when thrown down a hall for your cat to chase. Tunnels or boxes can provide places for your cat to hide and sneak up on the “prey.” Kicker toys are long enough that your cat can kick the toy mimicking what cats do when they catch prey.
Meal Times:
Of course the objective of hunting is to eat! At the end of play times, give your cat a small treat or schedule your play session so it is just before meal time. When you do feed your cat a meal, forget the bowl. By allowing our cat easy access to food, we are allowing them to use the energy they usually reserve for hunting for other behaviors that we may not appreciate. A food puzzle is an easy way to provide your cat with enrichment while tiring your cat out mentally and physically.
Scratching
A cat’s territory is extremely important to him or her. Your cat is constantly finding ways to mark territory so other cats know who rules the land. Scratching is one of the main means of marking territory. Even if your home only has one cat, that cat’s instinct is to mark his or her territory as protection. Since we cannot stop a cat from scratching, we have to provide appropriate places for him or her to scratch. Cat scratchers that stand vertically should be tall enough that your cat can fully extend on it. Also provide a horizontal scratching post as an alternative to your cat scratching your rugs. Place the posts near room entrances; cats mark areas as they enter. Just like with climbing, if we do not provide places for our cats to scratch, they will find inappropriate places to practice the behavior
Hiding
As much as we talked about how active your cat can be, he or she actually needs a lot of sleep. Cats can sleep up to 12 to 16 hours a day. The energy they do have comes in short spurts. They then need to rest to recharge. We want to make sure our cats have a place they feel safe to sleep. Most of the time our cats are sleeping with “one eye open.” They still are alert to the sounds going on around them. If we provide a quiet and dark place to hide, our cats are more likely to get the REM sleep they need to recharge. Click here for some beds that will do the trick.
We are going through a time where we are experiencing and understanding our cats day to day lives. As we focus on keeping ourselves healthy and happy, let’s do the same for our feline friends.
Behavior Vets is offering a Cat-tastic Class: Training and Tricks For Your Cat.
This course is designed to help you better understand cat behavior while also providing opportunities for you to train fun things with your cat. Through training, management, and enrichment, we can help strengthen the relationship between you and your cat. After this course you will be able to:
- Address common behavior problems such as scratching, nipping, or climbing.
- Know how to set up your cat’s litterbox to prevent out of the box urination
- Get your cat to love the carrier
- Teach your cat to accept handling/petting
- Understand your cat’s natural behaviors and how cats learn
- Have your cat Sit to Say Please
Contact nyc@behaviorvets.com to see how we can help you and your cat!