Welcoming a cat into your home comes with the responsibility of understanding and catering to their natural instincts and behaviors. While indoor cats may not have the same exploring opportunities as their outdoor counterparts—although they are much safer inside—there are ways to ensure they lead fulfilling lives while satisfying their primal instincts. Allowing your cat to express natural behaviors also minimizes behavioral and medical issues that can result from boredom, inactivity, frustration, and stress.

Help your feline friend live their best life while staying safe inside with the tips from our Tamberly Animal Hospital team. Our guide is packed full of strategies that will help you create an enriching environment where your indoor cat can express their natural behaviors.

Understanding natural feline behaviors

Before diving into specific strategies, it’s crucial to understand some of the fundamental behaviors that cats exhibit. Here are the reasons for your cat’s unique behaviors:

  • Hunting — Cats are natural hunters, and although they may be well-fed from a bottomless food dish—which we don’t recommend—they still have a strong instinct to stalk, pounce on, and “kill” prey.
  • Climbing — Cats love to climb and seek out high vantage points to survey their territory. As both a predator and a prey species, cats need lofty perches that provide opportunities to scan for meals or threats.
  • Hiding — Whether your feline friend is nervous by nature or a confident cat, they will seek out small, dark spots to hide. Hide-aways allow your cat to let their guard down and rest while feeling safe and secure.
  • Scratching — Scratching serves multiple purposes for cats, including marking territory, stretching their muscles, and maintaining their claws.
  • Social interaction — While often seen as solitary creatures, cats still have social needs and enjoy interaction with other pets and people. However, play sessions and engagement must often be performed on a cat’s terms, so allow your feline friend to dictate when they want your company rather than forcing affection.

Fulfilling natural feline behaviors

Now, let’s dive into ways to facilitate your cat’s natural behaviors in an indoor setting:

  • Provide interactive toys — Toys that mimic prey behavior, such as wand toys, robotic mice, toys that buzz or chirp, or toys covered in fur or feathers, engage your cat’s hunting instincts.
  • Switch to puzzle feeders — House cats are prone to overeating and can quickly become obese if given a bottomless food bowl. Encourage your cat to work for their meals and exercise their body and mind by swapping out the food dish for puzzle feeders.
  • Install cat trees and perches — Make good use of your home’s vertical spaces by installing cat trees or shelves at various heights to allow your cat to climb and perch, which provides a sense of security and territory.
  • Rotate toys — Keep your cat stimulated by rotating their toys regularly to prevent boredom.
  • Place scratching posts — Offer multiple scratching posts made of different materials like sisal, cardboard, or carpet. Place them strategically around your home, such as near windows, doorways, and furniture, to encourage scratching in appropriate areas. Redirect undesirable scratching behavior by gently guiding your cat to the scratching post and rewarding them when they use it.
  • Create safe outdoor experiences — Consider harness training your cat and taking supervised outdoor walks to explore new scents and sights while staying safe. Alternatively, set up an enclosed catio where your cat can enjoy the outdoors but remain safe from potential altercations with other animals.
  • Spend time interacting — Spend quality time with your cat through interactive play sessions and grooming to strengthen your bond and fulfill their social needs. If feasible, consider adopting a second cat as a companion, especially if your cat enjoys feline company.

As a dedicated cat owner, it’s essential that you prioritize your indoor cat’s well-being and happiness by understanding and accommodating their natural behaviors. By providing enrichment opportunities, appropriate scratching outlets, safe outdoor experiences, and social interaction, you can ensure that your feline companion leads a fulfilling and contented life indoors. Remember, a happy cat makes for a happy home!

Without acceptable outlets to express their natural instincts, many cats become stressed, bored, and overweight, which results in a variety of behavioral and medical issues. For help ensuring your indoor feline friend is physically and mentally fulfilled, contact our Tamberly Animal Hospital team.