Keeping Indoor Cats Happy

Posted on May 11, 2010 by Denise Elliott, BVSc, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, Dipl. ACVN

I have always loved cats immensely, and I spent my childhood trying to tame every stray, barn cat and kitten I could find – I have the scratches and scars to prove it!    I also have vivid memories of my dad shooing my cats out of the house with a kitchen broom.  The cats were smarter then he, and would immediately run around the house to my bedroom where I had the convenience of a sliding glass door and could instantly let them back into my room.  It is good to reminisce, but there is a point to these memories.  It makes me think about just how much the lives of cats have changed over the last few decades.  From a position as an outdoor animal whose sole role was often rodent control, to an exclusively indoor, valued member of our families, their position and role in our lives has clearly altered.  These changes have resulted in many positive health benefits and our cats are living longer, fuller lives.  However, along with these positive changes, so too have the special requirements of cats been revealed, no more so that in the multi-cat household.

To understand the requirements of cats, it is useful to remember their heritage.  Cats evolved as solitary hunters.  Their days were full of short periods of brief high energy activity interspersed with much needed sleep, grooming and marking.  Hunting is a time consuming activity that takes between six and eight hours a day; only 1 in 15 hunting expeditions is successful.  Now that we have removed this need to seek and capture prey, and we have more compact streamlined homes, we have seen an increase in stress related behaviors.  To minimize stress there are a few absolute requirements that all cats need. 

  • Personal Space: places to hide, places to explore, places to sleep, and places to observe – perches and cat trees are great! 
  • Litter boxes: one more than the number of cats in the house, located somewhere quiet, always kept scooped and clean. 
  • Separate food and water bowls, absolutely nowhere near the litter boxes.  Try getting a large dog size water bowl for your cat and keep it full with clean fresh water, you may be surprised at how much your cat appreciates drinking from a large bowl. 
  • Scratching and climbing posts: scratching is a natural behavior to mark territories and to sharpen nails.  If you do not provide the right equipment, cats will improvise, usually on your newest, most expensive acquisition. 
  • Toys: to replicate the hunting behavior and encourage exercise. 

By fulfilling a few needs, we can easily make our cats indoor lifestyles fabulous.



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