Cats Need Enrichment, Too—Here Are 6 Ideas on How to Provide It From clicker training to going on walks, the options are endless. By Tabitha Kucera Tabitha Kucera Tabitha Kucera, RVT, CCBC, KPA-CTP, is a veterinary technician and writer with over a decade of experience working in veterinary medicine for small animal veterinary hospitals, farm sanctuaries, and various cat and dog rescues. She is also Fear Free Certified and a Certified Cat Behavior Consultant. Learn more about The Spruce Pets' Editorial Process Updated on 10/24/25 Reviewed by Monica Tarantino Reviewed by Monica Tarantino Dr. Monica Tarantino, DVM, is a small animal veterinarian and writer with five years of general practice, emergency medicine, and geriatric pet health experience. She is certified as a Fear Free doctor. Dr. Tarantino is part of The Spruce Pets' Veterinary Review Board. Learn more about The Spruce Pets' Veterinary Review Board Credit: David Espejo / Getty Images Key Takeaways Cats have natural instincts and need enrichment opportunities to express these behaviors to prevent boredom and related problems.Enrichment can include food-based activities, sensory stimulation, environmental enhancements, and social interaction.Training, such as clicker training, is a beneficial way to engage and mentally stimulate cats, contrary to the belief that cats are difficult to train. Cats are amazing, intelligent creatures. Their lifestyle reflects the predatory skills and behaviors needed to hunt food in the wild. A cat’s day includes the need to rest, stalk, chase, pounce, kill, play, eat, and groom among other things. Without opportunities to engage in these natural behaviors, cats may become bored, potentially leading to destructive behaviors, aggression, or anxiety. We all want our cats to be living their best lives! Learn more about cat enrichment, from its benefits to six ideas on how to enrich your own cat's environment. What Is Enrichment for Cats? Cats must have opportunities to express their natural behaviors. An enriched environment should provide various types of scratching surfaces, outlets for predatory and prey behavior, safe spaces, and should stimulate all five of your cat’s senses which provides an environment in which an animal has variety, choice, and control over their daily activities. Benefits of Enrichment for Cats There are many benefits to enrichment for cats, including: Provides needed mental and physical stimulation Decreases stress and boredom Decreases unwanted behaviors Improves overall quality of life 6 Enrichment Ideas for Cats Now that you understand the importance of enrichment for cats, here are six ideas for how to enrich your own cat's environment. 01 of 06 Food-Based Enrichment Credit: The Spruce Pets / Alexandra Domrongchai Food puzzles help to slow down eating, prevent boredom and obesity, and allow cats to eat more instinctively by allowing them to forage and “hunt” for their food. There are various food-dispensing toys for cats that you can purchase, and you can even make your own. Start with an easy puzzle and work up to more difficult puzzles based on your individual cat’s preference. Lunch paper bag/paper bag: put catnip, catnip-covered toy mice, or treats inside. They can explore, pounce, and kill (destroy the bag) It’s a great hiding space and a fun toy all at the same time.Paper towel roll puzzle toys: Cut a paper towel roll in half, fold in ends cut a few small-to-large holes, and place treats inside. As cats get used to the toy, cut smaller holes to make it more fun for the cats!Water bottles puzzle toys: Take empty water bottles, remove the wrapper, cut a few small to large holes, can leave the lid on or off to increase the difficulty for the puzzle toys 02 of 06 Sensory Enrichment A great example of sensory enrichment is placing new delicious treats(taste) in a ball pit (touch) for your cats to forage around for (scent, sight). Credit: Tabitha Kucera Catnip, silvervine, cat grasses, safe houseplants, toys with an owner's scent, and pheromones such as Feliway all help encourage exploration and play. Placing a small amount of a scent in paper ball toys, boxes, bags, etc. can provide sensory enrichment. Visual: A few examples of visual enrichment include interactive cat toys, birdfeeders, cat videos on YouTube, blowing bubbles, and pinwheels. Remember, when playing these videos or letting your kitty watch birds only do so for short periods to prevent your cat from becoming frustrated. Auditory: This can include reading a story to cats, playing bird and nature sounds, and playing music made specifically for cats Taste: Offer a variety of different flavored and textured treats Touch: Many animals respond positively to things like petting and brushing. Along with the touch comes social interaction, which ensures that these social animals receive the attention they need. Make sure to identify the kind of touch the cat appreciates. Smell: Scent signals are an important part of cat communication and exploration. Cats exposed to new odors are more active and exploratory. Hiding treats in a box/in a blanket is a great way to get your kitty to use their sniffer to find the goods you hid for them. 03 of 06 Environmental Enrichment A Scratching Post or Two is Essential for Cats' Claws. Credit: Getty Images/Westend61 Provide a variety of horizontal and vertical perches and hiding places. Cats will enjoy things like window perches, cat trees, and cat-friendly shelving. Incorporating safe hiding areas is also crucial and allows the cats to get away if needed. Hiding places can be cardboard boxes, play tunnels, and paper bags. Cats also need to scratch, so provide various types of scratching surfaces. Scratching posts should be steady and a minimum of three feet to allow them to fully extend their body when scratching. If you have room and your kitty was born to run, a cat exercise wheel can be a great solution. 04 of 06 Social lnteraction Woman Petting Happy Tabby Cat. Credit: © Getty / Credit: Westend6 All companion animals, including cats, benefit from positive, consistent interactions with their humans. Cats will experience less stress when allowed to choose whether or not to interact with you, rather than having interactions forced upon them. If the cat appears relaxed and wants to interact, it's best to focus on petting around the head and cheeks. When your cat moves away, don't force further contact by following your cat or picking them up. Brushing and petting your cats before bed is a good example of how to provide them with positive, consistent, and predictable social interactions. Usually fed by hand, lickable cat treats offer a great human-pet bonding experience. Continue to 5 of 6 below 05 of 06 Outdoor Exploration Credit: The Spruce Pets / Lauren Meyers You can give your cat some safe time outdoors by building an outdoor enclosure (often called a catio) and/or walking your cat. Cats can be harness-trained or can enjoy walks in a cat stroller 06 of 06 Behavior Training Credit: Svetlana Sultanaeva / Getty Images Another form of enrichment can be clicker training your cat. Cats are intelligent and clicker training is a great way to mentally stimulate your cat and teach them new tricks! A common misconception is that cats are difficult or impossible to train. However, cats can be trained just like dogs, and doing so can resolve behavioral issues, which could otherwise lead to extreme outcomes such as relinquishment or euthanasia. There are many benefits to clicker training your cat: it boosts your cat's confidence, encourages creativity and initiative, and helps strengthen the bond between you and your cat. Explore more: Cats Cat Behavior & Training Basic Training