My vet brought up feline enrichment. How can it help with my cat's house-soiling?
Deborah Gass, CVT; Laurie Bergman, VMD, DACVB; Christine Calder, DVM, DACVB
What is Enrichment?
If you've visited a zoo or aquarium recently, you've probably seen the animals using enrichment items. It may be an orangutan swinging from a hanging tire or an octopus opening a jar to retrieve a shrimp for dinner. Maybe you have observed an elephant scratching themselves with tree branches or a tiger jumping and catching a ball on a rope. Enrichment is not only for big cats living in zoos but is also good for the mental and physical health of small cats living in our homes.
Why is Enrichment so Important?
Enrichment serves many purposes for all species of animals. The main goal of enrichment is to provide an animal with the opportunity to perform natural behaviors and engage in the sorts of activities that they might do if they were living in the wild. Enrichment activities can reduce overall stress levels and encourage interaction with the environment.
How Does Enrichment Help with House-soiling in Cats?
Cats are natural-born predators and they are hard-wired to hunt. When we feed them out of bowls every day, we take away that natural ability, and this can often lead to elevated stress levels resulting in house-soiling in many cats. Food dispensing and puzzle toys provide an opportunity for cats to problem solve while feeding themselves. Toys that roll around, shake and require cats to reach in with their paws to retrieve food are ideal for cats. Even something as simple as putting dishes with small amounts of food in different locations throughout the house, like the top of cat trees, or inside the closet can be enriching for your cat.
Where Do I get Toys for Enrichment?
There are many different types of food dispensing and puzzle toys on the market but enrichment doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot of money. Homemade toys out of toilet paper rolls and yogurt cups can be just as fun for cats as the more expensive toys you can purchase in stores or online. The website foodpuzzlesforcats.com is an excellent resource highlighting all the different puzzle toys out there and ranks them by difficulty for your cat.