7 Vet-Reviewed Signs Your Cat Is Bored & How You Can Help
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In the wild, cats spend their mornings and evenings hunting for small prey to feast on and play with. They then devote their days and nights to avoid becoming some larger animal’s prey themselves.
So, what about the cats that dine on served dry or canned food, curl up in comfy cat beds, and snack on an endless supply of treats from their doting humans? Can they get bored?
Actually, yes! An unstimulating environment paired with too much time alone can result in a bored or even frustrated cat. This can have negative and lasting effects on a cat’s health and behavior, and that’s why it’s important to keep your feline stimulated and their environment enriched. Let’s get into more details.
The 7 Signs Your Cat Is Bored
1. Over-Grooming
Some cats will groom and lick themselves excessively due to boredom. If there is a psychological stressor or trigger that is leading to overgrooming and hair loss, this is called psychogenic alopecia.1 However, this condition, as one of the possible causes for self-inflicted alopecia, is far less common than itchy or pruritic causes for alopecia, caused by skin parasites, infectious or fungal disease, allergic skin disease, endocrine disease, or cancer.
At the best of times, cats are prone to be picky when grooming. They spend 30–50% of their waking hours tidying up. But when obsessive cleaning creates bald patches or skin sores, it is time to get them checked out by the vet.
2. Excessive Sleeping
If sleep were a sport, cats would be Olympic champions. The average house cat sleeps 17–18 hours a day, consistent with cat behavior in the wild. Keep an eye out for oversleeping, though. A healthy cat that regularly sleeps longer than 18 hours a day or that appears sluggish when awake could be bored or sick. If your cat is showing any signs of illness or subtle changes in their behavior, appetite, toileting, or other, it’s important to get them checked out by your vet promptly.
3. Overeating
Like a bored human, an under-stimulated cat will turn to food to drive away monotony. Boredom-induced hunger may be part of what is causing America’s feline obesity epidemic, in which almost 60% of cats are now overweight or obese.2
4. Inordinate Meowing
Some cats just love to chat. Others may be saying they are hungry, sick, or confused. Still, meowing that goes on and on could be a sign your cat is bored. While you don’t want to reward your cat for meowing too often, you do want to make sure they’re properly engaged and stimulated. If, on the other hand, you have any concerns that your cat’s excessive meowing may actually be related to an illness or source of pain, it’s important to get them checked by your vet.
5. Lots of Zoomies
As cute as zoomies are, these frantic random activity periods, if regular or daily, may be a sign your cat is bored and not stimulated enough. Continue reading to find out some of the ways you can reduce your cat’s boredom and enrich their environment.
6. Destructive Behavior
Some cats, if they are frustrated and bored, for whatever reason, may use their excess energy to scratch the furniture, more than their usual scratching behavior, or damage it in other ways. Scratch posts may help to manage this behavior up to a point, but if the underlying cause and boredom is not resolved, it may not be sufficient.
7. Aggression
Not as common, but certainly possible, may be more abnormally excitable, rough, and even aggressive behavior towards other pets in the home and even humans. This can start off as playing, and lead to biting and scratching that may not be as harmless as usual.
Is Your Cat Bored, Lazy, or Just Napping?
Cats love to nap. It comes from their genetic makeup and way of living. Cats’ biology adapted to their role as predators and explorers. Their bodies need a lot of sleep, but when they’re awake, they tend to be fully alert and on the move.
Some people see cats as lazy because they often don’t chase or retrieve objects as many dogs do. It’s not a fair comparison, though, since cats and dogs have different lifestyles, energy levels, and domestication histories.
A lazy cat could easily be mistaken for a sick, elderly, overweight, or bored cat. Plus, some breeds, such as Ragdolls and Persians, tend to have less energy than others, such as the Abyssinian and Bengal.
Ways to Keep Your Indoor Cat Entertained
Sitting inside a locked house all day is certainly safer than dodging predators and cars outside, or getting into fights with other cats, but it’s also much less exciting. The life of an indoor cat could spawn a case of boredom in the most energetic of us.
It doesn’t have to be that way, though. Show your cat some love with interactive toys, gadgets, games, puzzles, perches, scratch posts, catios, feline friendly music, videos, and apps on the tablet.
Top Rated Cat Toys
Cat toys are an essential part of feline enrichment but selecting the right ones can be a challenge. Our favorite Hepper toys not only encourage self-play but are durable, made from all-natural materials, and are excellent choices for all life stages. Spoil your kitty and browse our top toys here.
Cats get bored when left alone indoors all day with nothing to do. Rest assured, though, there are plenty of solutions for these kitties! Keep your cat safe and happy at home with activities designed for cats that are home alone.
Activities to Help Eliminate Boredom for Your Cat
Here are a few thoughtful activities you could set out for your feline.
1. Bird Watching/Bird Feeder
An unobstructed view of a bird feeder can provide hours of entertainment for cats. It’s their version of “Netflix and Chill”! Set up a cat tree or a hanging cat bed in the window, and your friend is set for a long afternoon. Popcorn is not included.
2. Cat Stimulation Videos
There are plenty of cat-friendly media online streaming videos of birds, fish, squirrels, and other animals. Cast the channel to your TV, and give your cat a chance to watch an enticing nature video. If your cat is getting frustrated while trying to unsuccessfully “catch the prey” on the screen, redirect their attention to a toy and break it up with a play session instead.
3. Scratching Posts
Scratch posts are a must for every cat. To protect your furniture, you’ll want at least one of these. Scratching posts are made from a variety of materials like cardboard or wood and sisal or carpet. Scratching relieves stress, strengthens the back, stretches the muscles, and keeps claws healthy.
4. Puzzle Toys
Engage your cat’s mind and body with a strategy game. Food puzzle toys mimic some of the challenges a cat faces in the wild—namely, finding food. But it also encourages them to “think outside of the box”, finding various solutions to get to the food. This may require some training and learning, so the cat understands what they need to do. Some will get the idea quicker than others, but avoid them getting frustrated if they are struggling to understand it by giving them some guidance. Some of these gadgets have even proven to be helpful as part of a vet-approved weight-loss program for overweight cats.
5. Cat Garden or Catio
Cats love to sniff and explore the outdoors. You can set up an outdoor secure catio, where they can spend time on their own or in your company. Check the ASPCA list to make sure you choose cat-safe plants for your DIY catio, as many cats love nibbling on plants. If building a catio is not possible, there are ways to train your cat to wear a harness and a lead, so they can go on outdoor adventures with you, if this is something they would safely enjoy. However, not all cats are confident enough for this type of activity, so keep their temperament in mind when deciding on environmental enrichment options.
Cat Toys
Cats get bored with toys that don’t stimulate their brains, challenge their bodies, or give them a handy place to curl up and hide. These are a few of our favorite toy selections:
- Purrfect Feline Titan’s Tower — This entertains your cat with balls on leveled tracks.
- Yeowww! Catnip Toy, Yellow Banana — This is for the catnip lover.
- SmartyKat Hot Pursuit Cat Toy Concealed Motion Toy — This is if your kitty is more intrigued with electronics. Always supervise your cat while playing with electronic and battery powered toys, so they don’t chew on them, as this may cause accidental ingestion and exposure to harmful chemicals and batteries.
Are you a do-it-yourselfer? Consider using simple household items to fashion your own cat toys. Don’t forget that most cats, like most toddlers, prefer the boxes to the toys inside. So you may want to hang on to the boxes.
How Can I Entertain a Cat in a Small Apartment?
Do cats get bored more quickly in small spaces than they do in large ones? They can. If you’re sharing a tiny apartment with your feline roommate, make sure to give them:
- Plenty of high places to climb
- Windows to see out of
- Scratching posts
- Plenty of interactive toys
- A great bed to snooze in
You can enjoy the companionship of a healthy, happy cat in no time!
Conclusion
As independent as they may seem, cats can definitely get bored, especially indoor kitties. Fortunately, there are many things that you can do to mentally and physically stimulate your pet and enrich their environment, such as providing them with plenty of toys and scratching posts, perches, window access, outdoor supervised adventures, and personally engaging with them every day, whether you use a wand toy or food puzzles.
Do you take time in the day to play with your cat? What activities do they like?
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Featured image credit: Pxhere
