Responsible Cat Ownership
Helping cats live well
Cats rely on us for more than food and a comfortable place to sleep. They need to feel safe, secure, healthy and able to express the behaviours that come naturally to them.
Giving your cat the best possible care means making choices that support their wellbeing throughout their life. Desexing, microchipping, safe containment and enrichment are four simple ways to help your cat live well.
Desex
Desexing is an important part of supporting your cat’s health and wellbeing.
It prevents unwanted litters and can reduce hormone-driven behaviours such as roaming, fighting and spraying, helping cats stay safer and more settled at home.
Microchip
A microchip gives your cat permanent identification and the best chance of finding their way home if they are ever lost.
Keeping your contact details up to date means that if your cat is found away from home, vets and shelters can quickly identify them and help reunite you.
Contain
Keeping your cat safely within your property gives them protection from many of the risks of roaming, including traffic, fights, disease, injury and becoming lost.
Cats can still enjoy fresh air, sunshine and the outdoors through a secure cat enclosure, cat-proof fencing or supervised time outside. A safe home environment gives them freedom to explore without many of the dangers beyond your property.
Enrich
Cats are naturally curious and need opportunities to climb, scratch, hide, explore, play and rest.
Providing these opportunities helps your cat stay physically active, mentally stimulated and comfortable in their environment. Enrichment can be as simple as scratching posts, high resting places, hiding spots, toys, window views and regular play with you.
Living well with cats
Every cat is an individual, with their own personality, preferences and ways of communicating.
Learning to understand your cat’s behaviour and creating an environment that meets their needs can help them feel safe and confident at home. It can also prevent many common behaviour problems before they begin and strengthen the relationship you share with your cat.
Explore our cat care resources for practical information about enrichment, toileting, scratching, training, introductions, multi-cat households and more.