Ways to keep your inside cat happy and healthy

• Have enough litter trays and clean them every day. Many cats don’t feel comfortable sharing. It’s a good idea to have one tray per cat plus one around the house (a household with 2 cats will have 3 trays). While this may seem like overkill, often lots of cases of interhousehold cat aggression and inappropriate toileting can stem from dirty litter trays, or trays that are placed in poorly chosen areas – thoroughfares, narrow places where they have to walk past the other cat to access.

Avoid potential issues by giving cats many choices if they need to use the toilet. • Have multiple spaces away from other animals or family members – again one for each cat plus one. These spaces will be most beneficial if they are up high and/or against a wall, hidden away or against some form of secure backdrop. They’ll love it more if they can relax and look outside.

• Load up on toys. Different cats will prefer different toys, but it’s worth having a selection. Include boxes, toys they can bat, chew and chase by themselves or with others. Toys that are interactive (ie. Attached to a string you can pull) are wonderful.

Rotate the toys regularly so there are constantly ‘new’ ones available. • Have different types of scratching posts – vertical and horizontal.

• Play hide and seek with toys and treats around the house. Food dispensing enrichment toys aren’t just for dogs.

Experiment with different options for cats

and encourage them to interact with their environment to ‘hunt’ for toys or food inside. • Open a window that has a screen on it – new smells and sounds can be very enriching. • Supervise outdoor visits – get your cat used to wearing a harness and having a lead on inside the house. And take them for short 1-3 minute walks around the front yard.

Keep them safe and away from dogs. • Cat enclosures – invest in a secure, outdoor enclosure that your cat can safely spend time outside in, and can access anytime through a cat door. Being able to choose whether to go inside or outside is a wonderful enrichment option for cats. More information on enrichment tips for cats or other cat behaviour information can be found at: https://www. companionanimalpsychology.com/2016/04/ enrichment-tips-for-cats-that-many.html