The Under-stimulated Cat

Under-stimulation simply means that a cat is not getting enough opportunities to use the behaviors that nature designed them to perform, right? So notice I didn't say enough toys or enough exercise.

Those are only little pieces of the puzzle, 'cause cats evolved as solitary hunters.

Every day in the wild, they're searching, observing, stalking, hiding, calculating, waiting, pouncing, and capturing, and eating, and then grooming, and then resting, and then repeating over and over and over.

That sequence is hardwired into the feline brain.

It is not optional.

It's biology.

Now let's compare that to many of our indoor cats, right? They wake up, they walk to the food bowl, they eat, they walk to the couch, they sleep, they move to the window, they sleep.

You get home, there's some petting, dinner appears, then they eat and sleep some more.

There isn't much problem-solving or decision-making, and there certainly isn't much hunting going on.

And from a welfare standpoint, that's a tremendous loss of behavioral opportunity.

So one thing I tell clients all the time is a tired body isn't necessarily a satisfied brain.

Now, think about your own life.

Would you be mentally fulfilled if someone brought you every meal in your recliner, paid every bill, and removed every challenge or problem from your life, and gave you nothing meaningful to solve? And sure, that, that sounds good for about three days, and then you'd probably become restless, because humans need purpose, and cats do, too.

Now, I'm not saying, you know, cats need to sit around and contemplate the meaning of life, obviously, but they do have brains built to solve problems, like, where did that mouse go? How do I get onto that ledge? And can I reach that bird? And which route is the safest? And how do I open this? And when we remove every challenge, we accidentally remove opportunities for confidence.

So let's talk about the difference between exercise and enrichment, 'cause this is where I think we sometimes oversimplify things.

Uh, you might say, "Well, my cat has lots of toys." I hear that all the time, and that's wonderful, but toys aren't automatic enrichment.

Imagine someone handing you a basketball, and would that automatically enrich your life? Um, not unless there was something meaningful to do with it.

So, and many cats, uh, mine included, have baskets overflowing with toys, but they never touch them.

Why? Because objects aren't enriching.

Experiences are.

So enrichment should encourage species-typical behavior.

It should ask your cat to investigate the problem, solve, climb, sniff, manipulate, stalk, hunt, or explore.

A toy sitting in the corner doesn't do any of those things.

Now, here's something fascinating.