Content
- Environmental enrichment: definition
- Environmental enrichment for cats: inanimate objects
- Environmental enrichment for cats: other ideas
- laser for cats
- Environmental enrichment for cats at a sensory level
- Environmental enrichment for cats: advice
You've probably heard the term environmental enrichment at some point, but you're not quite sure what it means or how it might benefit your cat. While many cats are incredibly lucky to be accommodated in a comfortable home, the feline's innate curiosity can make them bored and cause character changes over time.
At Animal Expert, we suggest that you read this article to understand what the environmental enrichment for cats, as well as discovering how to carry it out in your home in a simple and cheap way, thus reducing the possibility of having stressed cats.
Environmental enrichment: definition
We can say that environmental enrichment for cats encompasses all the factors that provide a better quality of life to your cat.
This includes many things (interaction with people and other animals to encourage play, quality food, etc.) but, in this article by PeritoAnimal, we will focus on two specific types of environmental enrichment:
- Environmental enrichment for cats with inanimate objects: toys, structures and everything related to the physical space your cat has.
- Environmental enrichment for cats at a sensory level: visual stimuli, odors, etc.
Environmental enrichment for cats: inanimate objects
It seems more than obvious that a cat needs to play, but sometimes guardians don't care too much about it or spend too many hours outside and assume they play alone with what's around. However, there are toys that allow to interact with your cat and that provide much appreciated time to assess possible locomotor changes, detect early signs of disease, in addition to the mutual satisfaction generated by the company.
Some cat toys we can recommend are:
- the sticks (mimicking fishing ones) that you can move with a toy at the end, such as feathers, are an example of cat toys, to which felines tend to be very receptive. Balls, stuffed mice and the like do not move on their own, so it is common for cats to lose interest in these toys after a while.
- canvas tunnels like those used in playgrounds (there are tunnels for cats), they provide a mix between shelter and toy, which attracts cats a lot.
- A prize in the form of tasty food, such as a malted treat, or a little favorite moist food, it will give you the feeling that the end of the game is pleasant and that it has a reward (if it is a very accommodating cat who has entered the circle sofa bed vicious).
- For cats very motivated by food, a simple hard cardboard cylinder or the cardboard that is left over from finishing a toilet paper roll can be a perfect cat toy, just hide bits of food inside and cap both ends. Then you can make some holes in the cardboard, so that when you handle it smelling like food, the cat can pull it out through those holes.
There is a wide variety of cat toys for this purpose, in addition to authentic mazes to get the treat that stimulate the cat psychically and physically. However, they are not usually very cheap.
If you want to learn how to do 4 cat toys with toilet paper rolls, see our YouTube video:
Environmental enrichment for cats: other ideas
Some more suggestions for environmental enrichment:
- cat shelves as environmental enrichment: with cat shelves we mean buildings of all kinds, from a simple cardboard box to three-story scratching posts with hiding places and hammocks. An economical and simple option might be a cardboard box with a hole made for the cat to enter. If placed high (cats prefer high places), it will be the perfect hiding place to escape unwanted visitors or when you want to escape the clutter of the house. Skilled people can make wooden boxes to distribute throughout the rooms of the house at various heights, which will still give the cat a perfect place for marking, scratching its claws and rubbing its jaw. You can also build bunk beds out of the leftover drawers of an old table, and put pillows in them, to provide a bed and watchtower. Igloo beds are a less expensive commercial option than multi-module scratchers, and cats are often very pleased.
- Distribute several sandboxes around the house is also something that can be considered as environmental enrichment with structures. You can't always leave the litter box untouched, and when there's only one and the cat is fussy about that space, this can be very useful.
It's important not to overwhelm the environment, as sometimes you can put too many ideas into practice at once and we've limited the space the cat has to roam around without realizing it. In addition, it is necessary respect the proper distance between the cleaning area, rest area and food area, which is not easy in small houses or for those who have cats in an apartment. That's why it's interesting to take advantage of the vertical space of an entertainment or resting area, including sleeping surfaces or hammocks.
laser for cats
It's funny to see a cat chasing a light on the wall, but the truth is that it causes frustration, the effect is opposite to the desired one. With the cat laser, he can't catch anything, like the stuffed mouse, feathers and so on. He spends an hour chasing something he can't catch and suddenly it disappears. This type of game is not recommended if what you want is to provide your cat with a suitable environment for a balanced and stress-free life. Not "hunting" prey causes frustration and can make your cat stressed.
Environmental enrichment for cats at a sensory level
In addition to toys for cats and other inanimate objects, there are other ways to enrich your everyday environment and improve your feline's well-being. Let's explain them below:
- visual stimuli are very important for your cat to be balanced and comfortable. The ideal is to let it peek through the window, but you need to be very careful for two reasons: the most obvious is, when leaving the window open, it can fall or get stuck if it is partially open, the other is that sometimes there is too much external stimuli (birds constantly in the area, for example), and your cat may end up frustrated by spending a long time watching without being able to do anything. Allowing him to observe places where people and, occasionally, other animals pass, but without too much presence of possible prey, would be ideal. Cats have good visual acuity and distinguish many colors, which is why many people choose to put nature videos on television for them. However, practice indicates that these videos do not capture as much attention as live life through a window.
- Youolfactory stimuli: odors are very important in cats' lives, some magically attract them. Enrich the environment with herbs that your pet will like (Nepeta cataria, catnip), or leaving a drop of bleach in the litter box after changing it, etc., encourages them to take an interest in their surroundings. Not everyone responds with the same intensity to the same odors, but they are easily found and, for little money, you can try them out.
Also, for older cats, who develop something like senile dementia, olfactory therapy often helps. recognize the different places such as cleaning, food, etc. When they are disoriented and don't remember where to go to urinate, the odor of lavender, for example (if you use it routinely there), it will "remember" that this is where you will locate the litter box.
Likewise, you can choose up to three odors to use as cleansers in the places you want your cat to recognize. It's like leaving notes to remind them of the routine.
Environmental enrichment for cats: advice
Although they are not as cheap as the previous measures, you can use feline pheromones through the house. They can be found in the form of diffusers that act as purifiers, as well as in sprays. In stressful moments, like moving or the arrival of a new family member, pheromones can help your cat become more relaxed and entertained. However, it takes a few weeks to notice the effect.
You must also remember that the face marking and sharpening or claw friction are fundamental to cats' lives. Not letting them do this because they leave hair in passing places or because their claws can damage furniture is a mistake tutors often make. Instead, you can choose to put coir strips in the corners they frequently mark. They can be placed in corners, covering sofas and doorframes that the cat particularly likes. That way your furniture will be protected and your cat relaxed.
Do you have any environmental enrichment tricks for cats you want to show us? At PeritoAnimal we want to meet you, share it with us!
