Cat enrichment

Cat environment enrichment is about providing your cat with new smells, textures, tastes, sounds, toys and fun things to do. Some cats can be happy with a bit of attention, food and a sunny spot to lie down in. But most cats have a more adventurous side, they are cats that need a little more active entertainment. Here are a few ideas on how to enrich a cat’s life.

Free feeding from a bowl can get quite tedious for cats. Cats are hunters and while we are not suggesting you make your cat truly hunt down her meals, searching for food is a big part of their lives and when we take that away from them they can get pretty bored.

So instead of always placing a bowl of dry cat food in the same spot in the kitchen day in and day out, try to engage your cats by hiding the food. Start with spots where your cat can easily find the food and little by little make it harder. Place the food under the table, or behind the door, inside a big box, etc. Then move your cat into another room, set up a few feeding stations and then let her into the room to search! If you add a tiny bit of wet food to the harder hiding spots you’ll see your cat really get into this game. Make sure you don't use hiding spots where your cat is not allowed! Your cat will now use her sense of smell, sight and sometimes even her paws to get to the food.

You can also make an interactive food dispenser. Make some holes in a plastic bottle, fill it with cat kibble and let your cat roll it to get the food out.

Scratch posts are not only fun, they also help with cat nails, but you don’t have to go buy a scratch post. With a shower ring and a piece of carpet, or old bath mat you can hang a very fun scratch station in several spots in your home, best of all is you can use different colors and textures to go with your decor instead of the boring beige they use in kitty scratch posts. Another option for scratching is to cut some cardboard about 3 inches wide and make a long strip, attaching it with tape, then roll the cardboard to create a scratch platform. You can make different sizes and then stick them together to create a tower.

We know most cats get bored with toys after a few days and some even after a few minutes, so we love to make new toys and switch out the old ones. If all the toys are available at the same time, then they all become boring for our cats. By keeping only 2 or 3 out at one time you can prolong your cat’s interest in them, and after a few days switch them out for another 3 and so on.

Interactive cat toys can be made with all sorts of things already in your home. Cut some holes in a box and toss a few cat treats or rattle ball in there… instant toy!

Glue some toilet paper rolls together to create a little tower. Cardboard is easy to paint in any color you like and you finally have something to do with all those boxes in the garage. You can also use cork and ribbons.

Attach a piece of elastic (like the ones used in clothing) on a cat toy (feather, ball, etc.) then hang it from a door knob or tie it to the bottom of the couch and watch as your cat amuses herself watching it bounce every time she bats it. The elastic creates a little resistance and as the cat lets go of the toy it bounces. 

Try new materials, with different textures and scents for toys, it will greatly improve your cat’s likelihood to engage with them. Click here for more ideas we found…

Bubbles? anyone? Yes! Cats can amuse themselves chasing regular bubbles for quite a while. Off course, if your cat is really into them you can buy her an automated bubble machine for extra fun, even when you are not home.

Many of our clients have indoor only cats and while this keeps their cats safe, it can also get quite tedious for the cats. These following suggestions have worked quite well to bring the fun of outdoor exploring to our indoor cats. Try a cat harness and see if she feels comfortable enough in it to go on a short walk with you, or use a cat stroller that you can take all the way to a park! 

You can express your creativity even further by building outdoor enclosures or tunnels so your cats can enjoy the outdoors in a safe way. You can start with an already made vertical cat run, or go all out with complicated mazes that have ramps, tunnels, hammocks, etc. With these tunnels your cat will be able to see, smell, hear and touch new things while staying safe. Please remember to provide some shade and water while your cat explores outside. 

Another great way to bring the outdoors in is by having some cat safe plants for your cat to sniff and even nibble on sometimes. Many of these your kitty can share with you too, like parsley, rosemary, mint, thyme, wheat grass, lemon grass, carrots and lavender. And of course no indoor herb garden could be complete without a bit of catnip.

Cat environment enrichment should engage all your cat’s senses: smelling, touching, seeing, hearing and tasting new things. Try new things often to keep your cat healthier and happier. Remember its supposed to be fun for the cat so if at any point she is showing signs of boredom or distress just try something else. Keep a sense of humor and enjoy your new adventures.