Cats aren’t small dogs, and they aren’t as independent as many people think. Many behavioral concerns in cats, including urinating outside the litter box, scratching furniture, fighting with other cats, and overgrooming, happen when a cat’s basic needs aren’t met at home. Stress from a home that does not meet those needs can also play a part in some medical conditions, such as bladder inflammation.
In 2013, the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) and the International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM) published guidelines describing what cats need from their environment. The guidelines organize those needs into five pillars. Together, they make a useful checklist for any home with a cat.
Pillar 1: Provide a safe place
Every cat needs at least one place where they can go to feel protected. Cats often feel safest up high, or in a small, enclosed space where they can see what is happening without being seen.
- A covered bed, or a cardboard box turned on its side
- Shelves, cat trees, or a cleared spot on top of a bookcase
- A cat carrier left out all the time with soft bedding inside, which also makes trips to the veterinarian easier
In a home with more than one cat, give each cat their own safe place in a different area of the home. When your cat goes to their safe place, leave them alone there. A safe place only works if nothing bothers them while in it.
Pillar 2: Provide multiple and separated key resources
Key resources are what every cat needs daily: food, water, litter boxes, scratching areas, play areas, and resting or sleeping areas.
Cats evolved as solitary hunters, and most cats prefer not to share. When resources are in one spot, a cat may have to pass another cat or a dog to reach them. Tension between cats is often quiet and easy to miss. One cat may simply sit in a doorway, stare, or wait near the food bowl, and the other cat starts avoiding that area.
- Food and water: Place bowls in multiple locations, away from the litter boxes. Many cats prefer their water in a different spot from their food, and some cats drink more from a fountain.
- Litter boxes: Provide one box per cat, plus one, in different locations. Read more in how to choose a litter box.
- Scratching posts: Scratching is normal behavior. It keeps claws healthy and lets them leave visual and scent marks. Choose sturdy, tall posts so your cat can stretch out fully, and offer both upright posts and flat scratchers. Put them near where your cat sleeps and near doorways or furniture they already scratch.
- Resting spots: Offer comfortable places to rest at different heights, including a spot by a sunny window.
Pillar 3: Provide opportunities for play and predatory behavior
Cats are hunters. Even a well-fed cat has a strong drive to stalk, chase, pounce, and bite. Indoor cats need a way to act out that hunting sequence. Without it, cats may become bored, overweight, or frustrated, and some cats begin pouncing on people’s hands and feet or on other pets.
- Play with a wand toy that moves like prey, darting, hiding, and pausing. Several short play sessions a day, a few minutes each, work better than one long session.
- At the end of play, let your cat catch the toy, then offer a small meal or treat. This completes the hunting sequence.
- Use food puzzles and foraging toys, or hide small portions of food around the home, so your cat can work for some of their meals.
- Rotate toys every few days to keep them interesting.
- Never use your hands or feet as toys. If you use a laser pointer, end the game with a toy or treat your cat can actually catch.
Pillar 4: Provide positive, consistent, and predictable social interaction
Most cats enjoy people, but on their own terms. Some cats love to sit on laps. Others prefer to sit nearby. Both are normal. Cats feel safer when interactions are predictable and when they can choose how close to get.
- Let your cat start contact. Offer a hand at their level and let them come to you and sniff.
- Many cats prefer petting around the head, cheeks, and chin. Many cats don’t like being touched on the belly, base of the tail, or paws.
- Keep petting sessions short, and watch for signs your cat has had enough: tail twitching or swishing, skin rippling along the back, ears turning sideways or back, or turning their head toward your hand. Stop before your cat has to tell you more firmly.
- Keep a routine. Feed, play, and clean the litter box at about the same times each day.
- Never punish your cat, and avoid holding or restraining them when they want to leave.
Pillar 5: Respect the importance of your cat’s sense of smell
Cats use their sense of smell to understand the world far more than people do. They leave their scent by rubbing their cheeks on furniture and scratching, and familiar scents help a cat feel safe.
- Avoid strongly scented cleaners, air fresheners, plug-in diffusers, and scented litter.
- Wash bedding one piece at a time, so your cat always has something that still smells familiar.
- When you can, leave cheek-rub marks on furniture and door frames alone.
- When one cat comes home from the veterinarian, the other cats may smell unfamiliar. Keep them apart briefly, and rub a soft cloth on each cat’s cheeks to share their scents before they meet again.
- Products that copy cat facial pheromones help some cats, although research results are mixed. Ask your veterinarian whether one might help your cat.
Putting it all together
Walk through your home and look at it from your cat’s point of view. Does each cat have a safe place of their own? Can every cat reach food, water, a litter box, and a scratching post without passing another pet? Does your cat get to hunt and play every day? Does your cat choose when to be petted? Does your home smell like your cat, or like air freshener?
If your cat’s behavior has changed, see your veterinarian first, because many behavior changes have a medical cause. If you need more help, see the Get help page for options.
Source: Ellis SLH, Rodan I, Carney HC, et al. AAFP and ISFM feline environmental needs guidelines. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. 2013;15(3):219-230. Read the guidelines at catvets.com.