Happy Healthy Indoor Cats

A cat's emotional and physical well-being is closely tied to how well their needs are being met. These needs include socialization, eating, sleeping, grooming, and hunting. Understanding that cats are both predators and prey, and that they are constantly analyzing their environment for safety and danger, we can create a safer and more enriching environment for them.

Here are some tips to help improve your cat's well-being:

• Incorporate play that mimics hunting styles and engages all of their senses, such as using toys on a pole, wand toys, and laser lights. Interactive play with a pet owner can also stimulate their brain, provide exercise, and strengthen your bond.

• Use food puzzles and slow feeders to encourage foraging and hunting, and move their food around the house to different locations to keep them interested.

• Provide a comfortable and safe sleeping environment with options such as heated cat beds, perches, boxes or containers, a carrier, and quiet spots in the sun.

• Grooming is an essential aspect of a cat's well-being, as it helps hide their scent from predators, cleans injuries, removes debris and parasites from fur, and disperses natural oils in the skin. Consider washing their whiskers and mouth with a warm washcloth.

• Create an indoor environment that engages all of their senses, with options such as window perches, vertical climbing spaces, wall shelves, catios, cat-friendly music and videos, cat grass, fish tanks, and companionship. Even bringing the outside in by placing leaves in a box for them to explore can be enriching.

Overall, by taking a look at your home from your cat's perspective and providing ways for them to display their natural behaviors, you can help reduce their stress and improve their overall well-being.

By: Jay Roel Ruiz, Owner/Manager, Uncle Jay Cat Sits L.L.C