Indoor cats are safe from cars, predators, and disease, but they miss out on the mental workload of an outdoor life: tracking prey, patrolling territory, solving small problems to get food. Without that, boredom shows up as overeating, over-grooming, or scratching furniture out of restlessness rather than need.
Enrichment that actually works
- Window access. A perch or hammock by a window gives a cat something to watch and monitor, which is mentally active even while they are physically still
- Puzzle feeding. Hiding food in a puzzle box or slow feeder replaces some of the problem-solving a hunt would normally provide
- Real prey-drive play. A feather wand used in short daily sessions, with an actual stalk-and-catch sequence, does more than a toy left on the floor
- Scratching with purpose. A proper scratching post relieves stress and marks territory, both real needs, not just a furniture-saving trick
None of this needs to be complicated or expensive. A few well-chosen additions to a room, used consistently, do more than a pile of toys that get ignored after the first week. Browse Cat Furniture and Enrichment & Play for a starting point.