How to enhance your home environment for your feline family and be a cat-tastic pet-parent

Once you have provided your cat with the basics – shelter, food, water and so on – you will need to enhance their home habitat to bring pleasure and stimulation, as well as security and stability.

Here are a few pointers but remember to always consider your own kitty’s personality (when it comes to cats, we all know they are very much individuals) to make the best choices.

Home enhancements every cat will desire, and need include:

Scratching posts – cats love to scratch for several reasons. Therefore, a quality, durable scratching post will allow your kitty to enjoy one of their big sensory stimulating pleasures and will help to both invigorate and, equally, relax your cat!

Lots of safe places to snuggle and snooze…. a snoozing cat is a relaxed cat so create an environment conducive to plenty of catnaps and your feline friend will be happy!

Allow your cat to be a cat by letting them act out their predatory nature using toys, feeding puzzles and the opportunity to pounce…. use prey alternatives and make it a bit of a challenge (but let them catch their “kill” to avoid frustration). This is in their DNA and will bring rewards for everyone by keeping your cat mentally and physically stimulated.

Celebrate your cat’s sense of smell! Your cat’s sense of smell is at least twenty times better than ours. Everywhere your cat goes they will be leaving smell markers and pheromones that help to create a feeling of safety, security, happiness and more. Your cat wants their environment to become permeated with their scents and pheromones so that they can feel at home. So, avoid using over-powering air-fresheners or incense and let your cats own their space with their noses!

Be a cat-tastic pet-parent by recognising and enabling these natural behaviours and help our feline friends to live their very best lives…! If in doubt, ask your pet-care provider for tips and advice to help create a feline friendly home!

Dr. Katrin is the founder of the German Veterinary Clinic. Her passion and commitment to delivering the highest standards of animal care as well as her extensive knowledge and experience has enabled the clinic to expand and flourish.

Dr Katrin is currently a resident in Veterinary Behaviour Medicine of both the European as well as American College of Animal Welfare and Behaviour Medicine and is the first (and only) veterinarian in the Middle East to specialize in this field. This means that GVC is the only clinic that can treat the mental, emotional, and physical health of all our pet-patients.