Cats are natural climbers and observers, drawn to high places where they can perch, play, and survey their world. Providing cat trees and perches isn’t just about giving them a fancy accessory—it’s essential for their mental and physical health.
Throughout the article, we will discuss how these vertical spaces offer opportunities for exercise, mental stimulation, and cozy rest, keeping your feline friend happy, active, and stress-free.
Cat trees encourage climbing, jumping, and stretching—turning your kitty into an acrobatic superstar! Regular movement keeps their muscles toned, joints healthy, and prevents weight gain. Bonus: It’s the cutest workout you’ll ever watch!
In multi-pet households, finding a personal space can be a challenge for your feline friend. A tall perch on a cat tree provides them with a sanctuary where they can retreat without feeling the need to hide under a bed or behind furniture. This elevated haven allows your cat to observe the action from a safe distance, reducing stress and helping them feel secure.
Boredom in cats isn’t just about a lack of entertainment—it can lead to unwanted behaviors like overgrooming, aggression, furniture destruction, and even inappropriate elimination.
Cat trees, with their dangling toys, multi-level platforms, and climbing opportunities, are the ultimate boredom-busters. They provide the mental and physical stimulation your cat craves, keeping their energy focused on play rather than mischief.
Scratching is more than just a quirky habit—it’s essential for your cat’s health and well-being. Most cat trees come with built-in scratching posts, giving your feline a designated spot to flex those claws. This satisfies their natural urges, protects your furniture, and offers several benefits.
Scratching helps maintain healthy nails by shedding the outer layers and prevents overgrowth. It also allows cats to mark their territory by releasing their scent through glands in their paws. Plus, scratching provides a full-body stretch, working the muscles in their paws, legs, and back, keeping them limber and feeling great.
Cats are naturally curious and thrive on mental engagement, making a cat tree the perfect tool to keep their minds sharp. These multi-level structures provide endless opportunities for exploration, from climbing to surveying their surroundings. The varied textures, platforms, and toys on a cat tree engage their senses—touch, sight, and even smell if it’s sprinkled with catnip.
A perch near a window lets them watch birds, squirrels, or the world outside, adding visual enrichment and satisfying their instinct to observe. A cat tree creates a dynamic environment where your cat can stay mentally and emotionally balanced.
A centrally located cat tree isn’t just a fun play area; it’s a bridge between your cat and your family’s daily activities. Placing the tree in a common area gives your cat a safe and secure space where they can observe and participate without feeling overwhelmed or the need to hide.
Interactive play with feather wands or treats on the cat tree transforms it into a bonding spot, where you can share quality time together. Being involved in the family’s energy helps your cat feel less lonely and more connected. By offering them a perch in the heart of the home, you’re building trust and strengthening your bond while ensuring they feel like part of the family.
Cats are world-class nappers, often snoozing up to 16 hours a day. A cat tree offers the ultimate cozy retreat, with multiple platforms and levels to choose from, letting your feline pick their favorite napping spot based on their mood. Whether they want to lounge in the open sunshine or curl up in an enclosed cubby, a cat tree provides options that suit their preferences.
Investing in a cat tree isn’t just about décor—it’s a way to enrich your cat’s life, giving them a space to stay active, entertained, and relaxed. So, what are you waiting for? Time to upgrade your cat’s castle!
Play Behaviours of Domestic Cats
Observing feline playtime can be quite entertaining; a statue still, low crouch followed by a tail swish and a butt wiggle, leading up to a most dramatic pounce! It is adorable and maybe even comical to watch. But what do all these actions mean, and what is their purpose? They are all predatory behaviours – yes, even the cute little butt wiggle is the act of a ravenous hunter!
Hunting Behaviours of Feline Predators
For a successful ambush, a predator lies in wait in a concealed spot that prey are likely to wonder by. They must be perfectly still in order to avoid being detected, and driving prey out of reach. While stalking, a predator follows their prey in a low, silent crawl until they are in the optimal position for attack. In preparation for the pounce, the hunting feline must be sure their targeting is accurate. Sometimes prey are also very still and it is difficult to lock in on their location. A slight tail swish can catch the attention of the prey, causing small movements, giving away their exact position. Next, the feline squares up their hind legs by rocking their weight side to side (the butt wiggle), giving them maximum pouncing power! These behaviours are exhibited by wild cats and domestic house kitties alike. The difference being that our house pets are often going after toys or dust bunnies and not actually hunting their food source.
Why do Well-Fed House Cats Exhibit Hunting Behaviours?
The hunting instinct ingrained in felines is not driven by momentary hunger; rather it has been established by thousands of years of evolution as a mechanism of food acquisition. Felines, as obligate carnivores, have evolved as predator animals, and an important part of a predator’s lifestyle is hunting. Being at the top of the food chain comes with a lot of responsibility. Acquiring food depends on hunting – it is a much more involved process than scavenging for others’ leftovers or grazing across an open plain and it requires a very high level of motivation. But why do we still see this instinct in our domestic house cats? If you give a cat a meal, their hunger will be satisfied, but the urge to hunt still lingers. Why, when the need is eliminated, does the desire persist?
To better understand our pet cats, we should better understand how they became our pets in the first place. The process of domestication involves genetic alterations affecting physiology, appearance and behaviour. The transition from a wild animal to a domesticated animal can result in traits lost or gained, depending on which are beneficial in the domestic lifestyle. The domestication of cats began with humans and cats living symbiotically – in a mutually beneficial scenario. The most common theory of feline domestication involves the stored grains during early agriculture attracting small rodents (prey), which in turn attracted small wild cats (predators). Wild cats that were less wary of humans had access to an abundance of prey, and in turn they provided humans with effective pest control. Early in the domestication process, hunting was still the primary manner of food acquisition, so success of the animals relied on a strong motivation to hunt. Even though our house kitties are fed meals in a bowl and no longer need to hunt for food, the instinct is still present, and we must ensure they receive appropriate stimulation in order to preserve a positive state of well-being.
Enrichment for Indoor Cats
Outdoor cats have the opportunity to hunt real prey – the ultimate stimulation; but for those that live exclusively indoors, we must provide the stimulus. Strings tipped with feathers fly through the air like darting birds; toy mice unknowingly wait to be ambushed; bouncing wires dance like hopping insects. There are so many enriching toys available that are engaging and satisfying for our cats. Perhaps the most satisfying are products that allow felines to actually hunt for their food. Available at Global Pet Foods is the indoor hunting feeder from Doc & Phoebe’s Cat Co. This product allows your cat to hunt for kibble-filled mice that you’ve hidden around the house. It satisfies their instinctual desires, gives them plenty of exercise and mental stimulation, and enhances overall well-being of your beloved feline.
An under stimulated feline may exhibit destructive behavior; frustration may build up and lead to misbehaviours such as going outside the litter box; a lack of physical exercise can lead to unhealthy weight gain; a lack of satisfaction can prevent relaxation and increase stress. When we provide enrichment for our indoor cats, we provide them with an outlet to express all their natural behaviours, satisfying the deeply ingrained urges they maintained through domestication. In doing this, we prevent them searching for other, less desirable outlets, and most importantly, we make them happy.
Visit your local Global Pet Foods to see all the most innovative feline enrichment products available!
