Let’s face facts: We would get dreadfully bored—and quite frankly, depressed—if we were forced to live the same day over and over again. The same can apply to our cats. Even though they can be creatures of habit, they need a little spice in their day-to-day life to keep things fun and exciting.
World Animal Enrichment Day is meant to remind pet owners of their responsibility to improve the health and happiness of their pets with enrichment. Every year on November 12, this special day shines a light on the importance of providing our pets with mental and physical stimulation to enhance their quality of life. Read on to learn more about World Animal Enrichment Day and what you can do to improve your kitty’s life.
What Is World Animal Enrichment Day?
World Animal Enrichment Day was started by an animal behavior expert named Sarah-Jane White. White established the holiday in 2016 to raise awareness about animal enrichment and to enhance our pets’ well-being through meaningful experiences with intrinsic values attached to them.
Enrichment isn’t just for our domesticated cats and dogs. All animals under human care can benefit from having enrichment in their environments. For example, animals kept in zoological collections are often provided with enrichment that mimics the experience of their natural habitat. Western Lowland Gorillas are brilliant beings, so their handlers may provide them with things like puzzle feeders to help them flex their problem-solving skills. Animals that cohabitate in the wild, like ostriches or zebras, are allowed to engage in their natural social behaviors by cohabitating in their enclosures too.
How Can I Recognize World Animal Enrichment Day?
The best way to recognize World Animal Enrichment Day is to spend some time looking at how you’re meeting your cat’s enrichment needs.
Although cats have been domesticated for thousands of years, they still retain many of the natural instincts of their ancestors. Proper feline enrichment ensures cats can act upon these natural behaviors, such as climbing, stretching, scratching, and hunting. So, while your pampered house cats will never have to hunt for their next meal, the instinct to do so is still ingrained in their DNA.
Enrichment is especially important for indoor cats, who have less opportunity to engage in these instinctual behaviors.
Types of Feline Enrichment
Social Enrichment
Although cats are commonly thought of as aloof, they’re very social animals. Most genuinely enjoy spending time with their humans and other furry family members. Social enrichment can look like setting aside time to play with them every day and figuring out different methods for including variability and excitement in their daily routines.
Environmental Enrichment
Adjusting your cat’s environment can go a long way toward meeting their physical and mental needs. Making small changes to enhance their living quarters can allow them to act on their natural desires. This can look like growing cat-friendly plants (e.g., cat grass), providing places for them to scratch, providing vertical space, and even giving them the box from your latest Amazon order.
Cognitive Enrichment
Cats are brilliant animals, so meeting their mental needs is just as important as meeting their physical needs. Cognitive enrichment centers on giving your kitty a good mental workout. You can achieve this by training them, providing food puzzles, and making or buying interactive toys. Even just hiding their treats around the room instead of giving them to your kitty outright can be a great way to meet their mental stimulation needs.
Sensorial Enrichment
Sensory exploration is deeply enriching and rewarding for kitties, so providing opportunities that enable them to exercise all five of their senses is essential. Things like window perches to watch outside, lick mats for their lickable treats, catnip for sniffing, and chirping toys are great options for increasing your kitty’s sensory enrichment.
Looking for toys that cater to the many needs of your cat? The Hepper Hi-lo Cat Scratcher is one of our favorite cat products. Its clever thee-angle design offers multiple ways for your cat to climb, stretch, and exercise. Made of a sturdy plywood base and a replacement cardboard insert, this scratcher is an option that can be enjoyed by cats for years to come. If your cat requires a little encouragement for self-play, the Hepper Plush Mouse Kicker is a fantastic choice. Equipped with bite and kick-resistant fabric, an enticing internal bell, and organic catnip, cats can satisfy their natural prey instincts while getting the physical activity they need to thrive.
At Catster, we’ve admired Hepper for many years, and decided to take a controlling ownership interest so that we could benefit from the outstanding designs of this cool cat company!
Final Thoughts
There’s no better time to take a look at your cat’s daily enrichment opportunities than on World Animal Enrichment Day on November 12. Although you should periodically examine the ways you’re enriching your pet’s life and always strive to add more activities that cater to your kitty’s natural behaviors, having a specific day every year to remind us to do so is helpful. So, mark your calendar with the repeating event on November 12, so you know you’ll be reminded at least annually to look at your cat’s environment to see how you can improve it.
Featured Image Credit: Svetlana Rey, Shutterstock
