Environmental enrichment can help cats and dogs live happier and healthier lives. In this fact sheet, we’ll explore what environmental enrichment is and how it can benefit the health of companion animals. We’ll also share some practical tips to help you enrich your pet’s environment.
What Is Environmental Enrichment?
Environmental enrichment is the process of manipulating an animal’s environment to satisfy their physical and psychological needs. Environmental enrichment plays an important role in a pet’s overall wellbeing because it helps them engage in natural behaviors and avoid the negative consequences of inadequate exercise and mental stimulation.
Environmental Enrichment for Cats
Many cat owners choose to keep their cats indoors. The benefits of indoor living for cats include a longer life expectancy and reduced risk of accident and illness. But there’s a problem –the indoor environment often fails to satisfy a cat’s mental and physical needs.
When cats are mentally under-stimulated they can develop behavioral issues including over-grooming, anxiety, eating disorders, and aggression. Cats that are physically inactive are also prone to becoming overweight or obese. This puts them at risk of developing illnesses such as heart disease, respiratory issues, and diabetes.
Environmental enrichment helps prevent these problems by providing your cat with the physical exercise and mental stimulation they need to stay happy and healthy. Here are some simple steps you can take to enrich your cat’s environment:
Enriching Your Cat’s Environment with Toys
Toys challenge your cat and keep them mentally stimulated. They also provide a way to stay physically active. Some of the best cat toys for environmental enrichment include puzzle toys, catnip toys, and interactive toys such as wands and feather teasers.
Puzzle toys challenge your cat to “capture” their favorite toys or treats by fishing them out of strategically placed access holes. These kinds of toys provide an opportunity for your cat to satisfy their innate need to hunt and play. When these needs are provided for, cats are far less likely to develop behavioral issues.
Catnip stimulates a cat’s acute sense of smell. It also triggers a euphoric effect in many felines. The plant is part of the mint family and has a strong, pungent fragrance that’s highly attractive to cats of all kinds. For this reason, catnip toys are a great choice for enriching your cat’s indoor environment.
Wand-style cat toys can keep your cat active and provide mental stimulation. Enjoy hours of fun with your cat by twirling the wand to activate their natural hunting instinct.
Vertical Spaces, Hiding Places, and Scratch Posts
Cats love to climb and enjoy elevated spaces. They also seek out hiding places where they can relax and be alone. Enrich your cat’s environment and encourage these natural behaviors by providing cat trees for them to climb on and hiding places such as tunnels or boxes.
Scratching is another natural and instinctive feline behavior. Satisfy your cat’s need to scratch (and save your furniture from being destroyed!) by providing scratch poles around the house.
Environmental Enrichment for Dogs
Environmental enrichment is often talked about in the context of cats, but it’s also an important part of a healthy lifestyle for dogs.
Just like cats, dogs that are mentally under-stimulated can develop a range of behavioral problems. These include chewing, barking, separation anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive behaviors. Inactive dogs are also prone to obesity and health conditions such as osteoarthritis, heart disease, and some forms of cancer.
Enriching Your Dog’s Environment with Toys
Dogs love to play, and there are countless toys available that can challenge them and keep them active. Puzzle toys that can be stuffed with treats are particularly useful for enriching your dog’s environment. Dogs also enjoy toys of different textures, colors, shapes, sizes, and smells to stimulate their senses and keep things interesting.
Exercise and Games
Dogs love exploring the outdoors, and a regular walking routine can keep them physically fit and healthy. The sights, scents, and sounds they encounter on their walks also help stimulate them mentally and prevent boredom that can lead to unwanted behaviors. Provide some variety by walking your dog in different environments and changing the pace and duration of walks to keep things interesting.
There are also plenty of ways you can enrich your dog’s environment in the home and garden. If you have an especially energetic dog, try running them up and down the stairs to burn off excess energy. You could turn this into a game of fetch by standing at the top of the stairs and throwing a ball or toy down for your dog to chase and return to you.
Treasure hunts are another great way to keep your dog occupied inside or outside the house. Dogs have a great sense of smell and love sniffing around for food. Encourage this instinct by hiding small treats around your home or garden for them to find.
Training is a fantastic way to engage your dog both physically and mentally. It also increases their confidence and builds useful skills. Consider building an obstacle course in your yard to teach your dog basic agility training. Household items like chairs and broomsticks can be used to make a simple course, and extra equipment such as tunnels and hurdles can be purchased from pet supply stores.
