How to Decorate My Cat's Cage

Cats that reside in cages have increased requirements for environmental enrichment. Their living space needs to provide for natural behavior and decrease stress caused by captivity. Free ranging cats interact with a variety of stimuli and can make choices about hiding, sleeping, and play. Decorate cat cages with toys, bedding, and multiple levels to provide an enriching atmosphere.

Things You'll Need

  • Cat toys
  • Scratching post or small logs
  • Bedding materials
  • Shelves or cat tree
  • Boxes or tunnels
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Instructions

  1. How to Decorate My Cat's Cage

    • 1

      Evaluate the size of the cage to make sure the cat has plenty of room to move about, turn around, and stretch vertically. Make sure to provide adequate space between the areas in which the cat eats and where it eliminates.

    • 2

      Add shelves or a cat tree to cages with sufficient vertical space. Cats enjoy high spaces for security and enrichment and climbing is good exercise for caged cats. Ensure any vertical furniture is secure to cage bars and firmly grounded to avoid falls or accidents.

    • 3

      Provide an outlet for the cat's natural scratching behavior. Decorate the cage with small logs with bark, pre-built scratching posts, or boards covered in carpet or sisal rope. Replace and rearrange scratching devices as they are destroyed or scratched smooth.

    • 4

      Add bedding materials such as blankets, shredded paper, or towels. Provide a hiding structure as simple as a cardboard box or as complex as purchased tunnels or "cat houses". Allow the cat to keep the bedding for extended periods of time (providing it isn't soiled) to maintain their scent in the cage.

    • 5

      Decorate the cage with a variety of cat friendly toys. Feather toys can be hung at different levels, wire balls can be added for play, and food can bed delivered in puzzle toys or cardboard tubes to encourage active engagement while eating.