How to Keep an Indoor Cat Happy (and Off Your Sofa)

A cat that lives indoors still has the instincts of a hunter: stalk, chase, catch, eat, groom, sleep. When the first four have no outlet, the energy goes somewhere, usually into the furniture or into you at night. You do not need to rebuild your home. A few small changes cover most of what a cat is missing.

1. Give them something tall and solid to scratch

Scratching is not bad behavior. Cats scratch to stretch their whole body, to mark their spot and to keep their claws in shape. The sofa wins because it is tall, heavy and does not move. Most cheap scratching posts are short and wobbly, so the cat tries once and goes back to the sofa.

Look for a post taller than your cat stretched out, with a heavy base, and put it right next to the furniture they are scratching now. Our guide to scratching posts and cat trees has more options, including trees for multi-cat homes.

2. Play like prey, ten minutes a day

Balls and mice that sit still get ignored. What cats really want to chase is something that moves like a bird or a mouse: darting, hiding, fluttering. A wand toy lets you do that. Two short sessions a day, ending with a catch and a small treat, mimic a real hunt and leave most cats calm and sleepy afterwards. Evening play before bed is the simplest fix for night zoomies.

Put wand toys away when you are done. Strings and feathers can be swallowed if a cat plays with them alone.

3. Make them work for some of their food

A wild cat spends hours finding food. A house cat finds it in a bowl in seconds, then looks for something else to do. Puzzle feeders slow eating and add a little hunt to each meal. Start with an easy setting so your cat succeeds, then make it harder. See our cat toys and enrichment guide for more.

4. Keep water fresh and interesting

Many cats drink more from moving water, and indoor cats on dry food often do not drink enough. A small fountain is an easy experiment. Clean it every week or two, because slime builds up in the pump.

5. Get the litter box right

Accidents outside the box are one of the main reasons cats lose their homes, and the cause is often the box itself: too small, too dirty or in a busy spot. Most cats prefer a large, open box in a quiet place, scooped every day. With more than one cat, the usual advice is one box per cat plus one. If a cat that used the box suddenly stops, see your vet, since it can be a sign of a health problem.

A window with a view

One free upgrade: give your cat a spot by a window. Watching birds and people is real entertainment for a cat, and a perch or a cleared windowsill costs nothing.

Questions people ask