Bringing the Outdoors Inside For Cats

With domestication, many of these now half-wild and half-tame kitties reside indoors where life is much safer but seemingly not as exciting. "The lovely, safe homes we provide for them, free of threats, with plenty of food and minimal territorial invasions can be boring," says veterinarian Margie Scherk, whose private practice in Vancouver, British Columbia, specializes in feline medicine.

Household kitties need not feel like they are serving jail time, though. You can provide the best of both worlds by keeping your kitty safely inside and bringing the stimulation of outdoor living indoors to improve your cat's quality of life.

Here's how you can engage all five of your feline's senses in the cozy comfort of your own home:

Sight
Keep your cat visually stimulated and interested in playing with toys by rotating them daily, says Lisa Radosta, a board certified veterinary behaviorist in Royal Palm Beach, Fla. She likes the interactive, motorized toys made by Panic Mouse because they encourage natural predatory behaviors. You can also fulfill your cat's hunting desire, she says, through daily play sessions with a feather wand, or other toys that allow your kitty to stalk and catch imaginary prey.

Another option is to play a DVD created just for cats, like "Kitty Cat Daycare" or "Video Catnip," which were produced to capture feline interest with images of birds and other small mammals. In a study slated for release later this year in the journal Applied Animal Behavior Science, researchers concluded that televised moving images of prey animals hold "some merit as a method of environmental enrichment for domestic cats," so time in front of the tube may not be unproductive, at least for feline viewers.

Sound
The outdoors features a smorgasbord of sounds, such as singing birds, rustling leaves and chirping crickets. Indoors, you can replicate this by playing a CD of nature sounds at low volume, says Dr. Radosta. Not only will your kitty enjoy it, but you might, too. Also, consider purchasing a drinking fountain. Found at most pet retailers, these motorized bowls look like mini-waterfalls. Best of all, the soothing sound of moving water is a gentle reminder for kitties to stay hydrated. 

Touch
Scratching is a natural behavior but not all cats enjoy the same material, according to Dr. Radosta. Experiment with several different textures to figure out your cat's preference. If your feline loves sinking its nails into your leather sofa, for example, try adhering pleather (a less expensive option to leather) to a wooden post. You can find this material at your local fabric store. Better yet, create the ultimate natural scratcher by mounting a tree stump to a solid wooden base. You can do this with wood screws, wood glue, an electric screwdriver and brackets. Just make sure that there are no sharp surfaces, which could scratch your kitty instead of the other way around.