Contrary to popular belief, a cat can be happy in a accommodation without access to the outside.
Many people still think today that cats are systematically unhappy when they live in an apartment. This shot, which is a received idea, often comes from their reputation as independent and explorers. We imagine them free to wander outside, climb trees or hunt insects and animals. A vision that fuels the belief that a confined cat between four walls, without outside, would be deprived of its deep nature and therefore, would be unhappy. Admittedly, cats love to explore, but it is mainly territorial animals that flourish in an environment adapted to their needs. It is not so much the space that counts, but the quality of the latter.
Indeed, as Katia Guillet, feline behaviorist and book author “55 received on cats” (Opportun Éditions), explains. “Everything is a question of daily development and enrichment”. If in the apartment there are areas where the cat can play, spend or rest, then it can flourish there. To do this, your four -legged animal must “have access to height spaces, areas to make its claws, toys, moments of play with you and daily enrichments”, details the expert. “Even a cat that goes outside needs a stimulating environment between the walls of the house”, she adds.
Concretely, this does not mean that you are forced to do development work. If in your apartment, you have a kitchen with height furniture, your cat can have access to the worktop and go up for example on the fridge to reach the furniture in question. You can install a small special cat wooden scale, this can be easily made or buy online. Likewise, if you have old shoe laces, you can recycle them to make a game for your feline. Just throw it to the other end of a room and go get it at full speed, before bringing it back.
To fill his desires for exploration, no need for a large space, a simple empty and fairly large card is enough: leave it ajar in a room, and you will certainly find your animal in scratch or take a nap. Needless to buy a whole bunch of toys in store, we often already have what you need at home to entertain your cat!