Cats are connoisseurs of comfort

Cats are wonderful creatures. When we understand them, we can use that information to make them happier. Here are five things to do for your cat today - and a bonus one to work on over time.
1. Make time to play with your cat
11% of cats have no toys, according to one study (Howell et al 2016).
But the average cat has 7 toys, and toy mice are the most popular. (Strickler and Shull 2014)
Even if your cat has lots of toys of their own, they still like it when their human plays with them. 64% of the owners in Strickler and Shull’s study played with their cat twice a day, but playtime typically lasted 5 or 10 minutes. Amongst people who played with their cat for at least 5 minutes instead of just 1 minute, there were fewer behaviour problems.
But your cat would probably like an even longer play time.
Have you ever felt that when you are moving a toy for your cat, they seem to be hunting it? This is because play satisfies the cat’s predatory instincts.
So when a cat plays, it’s not so much about the cat being sociable with you, it’s really about hunting.
Every cat is an individual, so experiment with different types of toys and different ways of moving them to see what makes your cat engage in play.
And remember that cats can get bored of toys, so you can put some of them away in a cat’s toy box and rotate the toys that are available. (If you have a cat like my tortoiseshell, she will learn to open the box and pick her own toys!).
2. Give your cat a food toy
Another way to engage your cat’s hunting instinct is through the use of food toys. These provide valuable enrichment to our feline friends.
There are many food toys available, including balls with holes in that the cat has to roll to make treats fall out, the mouse-shaped no bowl, containers that have to be tipped like the Trixie Mad Scientist, and things the cat has to paw at to get the treats out like the Trixie 5-in-1 Activity Center.
There are food toys for every level of feline ability. If your cat is new to food toys, start with something easy so they don’t get frustrated trying to get at the food. You may also need to use particularly tasty treats to get their interest. Over time, you can make the toys more difficult, and use them to feed all meals instead of providing ‘free’ food in a bowl.
You can also hide the toys around the house so the cat has to hunt for them to get started.
3. Make sure your cat has nice hiding places
As well as thinking about cats evolving as solitary hunters of prey, we have to remember that cats themselves are prey animals. Which means cats like places they can hide and feel safe.
This is especially important if you have a fearful cat - the kind that runs to hide when people come over to the house.
But all cats need places to hide. In fact, a recent study of shelter cats’ use of a hiding box and a separate perch found the hiding box was much preferred, so much so that it may be considered a basic need for cats (Ellis et al 2017b).
The kind of hiding place that cats prefer is cat-sized, secluded, and often high up from the ground. It’s a place in which they can feel safe.
4. Use scents as enrichment
Did you know that your cat has an amazing nose, and on top of that they also have a vomeronasal organ that detects pheromones - chemical signals that have meaning to cats? This means that scent is far more important in your cat’s life than you realize.
When your cat rubs its head on you or the furniture, it is leaving pheromones behind. You may even notice a little brown mark on the wall where your cat rubs often. Don’t clean it up! Or at least don’t clean all of them up at once. Those familiar chemical signals that the cat is depositing help them to feel safe and secure.
You can find valerian in some cat toys, silver vine is available as a stick or powder, and honeysuckle as blocks of wood of various sizes. They may not be in your local pet store, so you may have to look for them online.
Another way to provide scent as enrichment if you have an indoor cat is to open the window for them to let them smell the air from outside. Obviously, do this in a safe way so they can’t escape - and remember that screens are not necessarily cat-safe. But you only need to open the window a chink to let the outside smells in.
5. Clean the litter tray
Did you notice how I saved the most glamorous one til last?!!
I know what you're thinking. The other four are all fun, and this one... not so much.
But the litter tray is a serious matter for cats. Many house-soiling issues are due to problems with the litter tray (but if your cat suddenly starts making a mess in the house, it’s important to see a vet in case a medical issue is the cause). It’s an important issue because inappropriate toileting behaviour is a common reason for cats to be surrendered to animal shelters.
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