Nowadays, more and more cats live indoors 24 hours a day. But confinement is not compatible with the feline ethogram and may cause behavioral disorders, including anxiety in closed surroundings.

The role of the veterinarian is to advise cat owners on the choice of an indoor cat and to show them how to improve his welfare.

Not all cats are highly adaptable to live in an indoor environment. It is better to adopt a kitten who is more than 8 weeks old, properly socialized, that has learned self-control and has never been living outdoors. A hand-raised kitten presents a significant risk of lack of self-control.

Space in the apartment must be adapted to the needs of the cat. It’ll be important to make a distinction between different areas of life (rest, nutrition, elimination) and to enrich the environment with various toys and scratching surfaces, access to high spots, hiding places, windows or balcony. Frequent meals are recommended, whenever possible. The owner should be available to play with his cat, letting him take the initiative, will ensure proper hygiene of the litter and avoid punishing marking. Sterilisation reduces the risk of developing territorial marking problems. Adopting a second cat may be interesting as a cure against boredom, but the owner has to respect the rules to introduce a new cat.