Bringing the Outdoors Inside For Cats

Touch
Scratching is a natural behavior but not all cats enjoy the same material, according to Dr. Radosta. Experiment with several different textures to figure out your cat's preference. If your feline loves sinking its nails into your leather sofa, for example, try adhering pleather (a less expensive option to leather) to a wooden post. You can find this material at your local fabric store. Better yet, create the ultimate natural scratcher by mounting a tree stump to a solid wooden base. You can do this with wood screws, wood glue, an electric screwdriver and brackets. Just make sure that there are no sharp surfaces, which could scratch your kitty instead of the other way around.

Smell
Open screened windows to allow your cat a whiff of fresh air. Dr. Scherk also suggests giving your pet outdoor access through modules that attach to your home via a pet door. Several companies sell these premade enclosures, or you can learn online how to build your own at The Stanford Cat Network, a group in California that cares for homeless felines on Stanford University's campus. The network's Web site features the instructions in an article entitled "Allowing your cat outdoors."

Taste
In the wild, cats like to graze on grass. Give your kitty a taste of the outdoors by placing pots filled with easily digestible oat grass around your home. Another favorite feline herb is catnip. Just keep in mind that not all greenery is safe for kitties to eat. "Chives are not a good idea," warns Dr. Scherk. "Neither is all of the onion and garlic family. They can cause anemia by damaging red blood cells."

By bringing outdoor pleasures into your home, not only are you creating a better living environment for your cat, but you are preventing potential medical and behavioral issues from developing. "Stimulating the cat's every sense is what we go for in environmental enrichment," explains Dr. Radosta. "And to do that, you need to bring the outside in because the outside provides inspiration for the ultimate environmental enrichment."

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