Providing The Best Living Environments For Cats
Companion cats who are allowed outdoors often face significant hazards, including being attacked by predators, hit by cars, and exposed to harsh weather and diseases. Still, cat guardians often worry that they are depriving cats of opportunities to express their natural behaviors by restricting them to the indoors. This paper, published in The Scientific World Journal, examines common welfare issues associated with cats housed indoors, both in homes and shelters, and offers guidance on how people can overcome these issues in order to keep cats both safe and satisfied.
The authors begin by describing common behavioral problems associated with indoor cats, including scratching furniture, aggression, anxiety, and inappropriate elimination. They note that many of these issues may be the result of poor quality environments in which guardians or shelter workers do not pay adequate attention to the behavior and needs of cats. In particular, they suggest that people fail to take into account and accommodate natural species-specific cat behaviors.
The remainder of the paper explores research findings pertaining to various environmental features that may affect cats and uses them to offer recommendations for shelters and cat guardians. The authors first discuss macro-environmental factors related to a cat’s housing space and surroundings. They note that one study found that while the ideal environmental temperature for cats is 30-38 degrees Celsius, most cat housing areas are maintained at approximately 22 degrees Celsius, and they suggest that people therefore provide cats with warm bedding or heating elements. They also cite findings showing that cats are significantly impacted by sound frequency range and intensity and recommend that cats be housed in areas in which sound intensity is around 60dB, the level of a quiet conversation.
Next, the authors discuss microenvironmental factors such as food preparation, elimination facilities, and outlets for expression of species-typical behavior. In particular, they state that there is not a strong consensus within the scientific community regarding how much space cats must be provided with to ensure good welfare. They also cite studies indicating that cats benefit from daily exercise and having spaces in which they can isolate themselves, observe their surroundings from elevated vantage points, and climb, scratch, and mark. Interestingly, in regards to food, they note that while most cats are fed uniform diets in consistent manners, such routines may actually deny their natural foraging behaviors and lead to boredom. They suggest instead the cats be given food in interactive puzzle boxes.
Finally, the authors discuss environmental factors specific to cats confined in cages. They cite studies indicating that cats housed in single units with no enrichment were more stressed and took longer to be adopted than cats housed communally and with enrichment; that the biggest factor affecting cats’ stress levels in shelters was the extent to which they were exposed to dogs; that the withdrawal of human contact from cats who were accustomed to it was very stressful; that cats surrendered to shelters who used to live in homes may therefore be more susceptible to illness than strays; and that newly-arrived cats need time to acclimate at shelters before being re-homed.
In conclusion, the authors recommend further research on multiple fronts, including refining recommendations on the quantify of space needed for confined cats, studying the effects of improving environments on cat adoption and retention rates, and further investigating how owners’ attitudes and knowledge about cats affects their wellbeing. For people living with cats or working with cats in shelter, the paper provides a range of specific, scientifically backed suggestions which can be worked in to daily care routines to help the cats in our lives thrive.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27774506