Indoor Cats

Keeping a cat indoors removes a long list of outdoor risks, and puts the entire job of supplying stimulation on the indoor environment. International Cat Care notes that cats living exclusively indoors need plenty of stimulation and play to prevent boredom — the walls, trees, leaves and new places an outdoor cat would occupy have to be recreated indoors as climbing, scratching, watching and hunting outlets.

Ohio State's indoor-cat material treats this as a resource list rather than a mood: perches and resting places, scratching surfaces at the right height and texture, litter trays, water in more than one place, and play that matches the individual cat's prey style. The checklist approach is useful because gaps are invisible until the cat starts expressing them — over-grooming, soiling, night vocalising or furniture scratching are usually the symptom of a missing outlet rather than a behavioural flaw.

Weight is the other indoor-specific concern that rewards routine rather than reaction. Cornell's nutrition guidance uses a nine-point body condition score together with measured portions, because a cat that is fed free-choice makes a small appetite change almost impossible to see. Compare indoor enrichment basics against your own home, run the enrichment planner, and use the feeding estimator to keep portions measured.

Sources: Ohio State Indoor Pet Initiative — Indoor cat resources, Cornell Feline Health Center — Feeding Your Cat.