As much as pet cats love to explore the outdoors, roaming free can be unsafe and their adventures can have consequences for native wildlife, threatening birds and small mammals.

Keeping your kitty safe and enriched at home with a well-designed cat enclosure can give your cat the longest and happiest life possible. And it means wildlife have more chance to thrive!

That’s why we are teaming up with The Forever Project and the City of Bayswater, to show cat owners how to build top-notch catio or “cat patio” enclosures on June 17 as part of the Safe Cat, Safe Wildlife initiative.

Enclosures come in all shapes and sizes, from cozy window perches to sprawling outdoor setups, your cat can climb, play, and soak up the sun without stepping a paw into wildlife habitats.

Indoor cats can be happy cats, so we’ve put together our top tips to keep your indoor cat content.

Enrichment

Here at the Zoo we are always looking for new and exciting ways to enrich our animals lives and encourage their natural behaviours. The feline desire to hunt is instinctive, which is why we give our big cats enrichment that challenges these instincts.

Your cat will always react to the sight and sound of prey, and you can purchase or DIY toys that imitate real prey through size, texture, colour and even sounds to stimulate their hunting skills!

Playtime is important

Playing with your cats each day and swapping their activities regularly is great for the social and natural needs of your cat. You can use toys on a string, light pointers and more, to help your cat stalk and chase.

Have fun with food

Puzzle feeders and feeding toys can be really enriching! We use a range of puzzle feeders for our animals great and small, from freezing food into ice blocks on a hot day, to hiding food in feeding balls and wood wool, or slathering food pastes inside cardboard boxes.

Get some fresh air

Who doesn’t love a bit of time in the sun? With a well-designed enclosure your cat can stay active while you aren’t home and get fresh air at the same time. Aerobic centres, mazes and levels allow your cat to climb, hide, stretch and scratch just like they would in the great outdoors.

You can also introduce your cat to leads and harnesses, to experience new places with you safely.
With the right tools the possibilities are endless!

Let's create a world where cats roam safely indoors, you have peace of mind, and native wildlife is free to flourish. It's a win-win for everyone!

Paws up for cat lovers and conservationists everywhere.