Cats need positive socialisation experiences that consist of positive exposure to new environments, experiences and interactions to develop into a confident, well-rounded pet. Ongoing exposure to a wide array of different people, pets, sights, sounds, scents and situations will lay a strong foundation for their development into a behaviourally healthy cat who will stay happy throughout their lifetime. 

Optimal emotional wellbeing can only be achieved alongside good physical and mental health. Cats need preventative healthcare, good nutrition, exercise and mental stimulation to stay happy and their mood will change when they’re injured or in pain. Cats may have different health requirements at different life stages.  

Just like people, every cat is an individual. Individuality is the sum of all characteristics, temperament, learned behaviours, and personality traits that make a cat unique. These are influenced by a variety of nature and nurture factors including genetics, sex, neutering status, life stage and past experiences.  

Your cat is happiest when given the freedom and opportunity to express their individuality through species-specific, natural behaviour and their own particular preferences.

Nutrition plays a key role in the physical, mental and emotional wellbeing of your cat. As well as providing balanced nutrition that your cat needs to physically thrive, feeding plays an important role in delivering enjoyment and pleasure. What, when and how your cat is fed matter and will affect how they feel on a daily basis.  

A cat’s environment can be a source of stress or comfort, or sometimes it can be both. The perfect external environment is a cat centric one that consistently caters to your cat’s unique and changing physical, mental and emotional needs and preferences. It should also promote a healthy physiological internal environment for your cat (inside their body). To give your cat a happy, fulfilled life you need to balance levels of comforting predictability with stimulating novelty in their environment, as well as providing choice and enabling agency.  

A subjective cognitive reaction to an important event and involves distinct physiological changes (e.g., in heart rate, body temperature, or respiration), appraisal of the event, and readiness to act.⁸  

A state of physical, mental, emotional, and social wellbeing.⁹ 

The state of being comfortable, happy and healthy.¹⁰  

The emotional quality of a cat’s daily experience, including the frequency and intensity of experiencing feelings such as interest, excitement, joy, pleasure, enjoyment and happiness that make life pleasant. It includes being able to express emotions in a positive and healthy way, and depends on having good physical and mental health.  

Encompasses psychological, social and emotional wellbeing.¹¹ Part of mental health is how an animal’s mind processes information and experiences. In contrast, emotional health or wellbeing is based on how an animal feels and expresses the emotions that arise from that information and those experiences.⁹

A basic, intense emotion aroused by the detection of imminent threat, involving an alarm reaction that mobilises the cat triggering a set of physiological changes.¹² 

A generalised response to an unknown threat or internal conflict, often in response to specific objects or situations and in the absence of true danger. This is in contrast to fear, which is focused on known external danger.¹³ 

Any type of change that is perceived as a physical, emotional, or psychological threat or challenge. Small amounts of short-term stress may be desired, beneficial, and even healthy.¹⁴ 

Any modification to a cat’s environment or experience that helps them to express their natural behaviour and provide opportunities to exercise control or choice.¹⁵ There are various types of enrichment including Social, Occupational, Physical, Sensory and Nutritional.¹⁶  

Interactions with people or other animals your cat encounters can be mentally and emotionally enriching but it’s important to consider how comfortable your cat is interacting with others, and the dynamics of those interactions. See Socialisation for more information 

You can stimulate your cat’s brain and provide satisfaction by incorporating activities into their lives. For example, interactive toys, games and other outlets for their energy allow cats to engage their natural skills and urges, such as hunting, scratching and solving problems. See Individuality and Health for more information 

Access to or the ability to view and interact with the outdoor environment is just one source of sensory enrichment and mental stimulation. Cats love to scratch, climb and explore their surroundings and utilise their full range of senses. Sensory experiences are an important way of helping create happy and joyful experiences for your cat, especially as their senses are so much more acute than humans’. However, it’s important to remember that some of the sounds, smells and sensory experiences we humans find pleasing or inoffensive may not be the same for our cats. See Individuality for more information 

There are many ways of making your cat’s living space and physical surroundings interesting and stimulating, including toys, scratching posts, climbing towers and the ability to exercise and explore from different elevations, across various substrates. See Health, and environment for more information 

There are plenty of food-associated variables which can contribute to mental enrichment and emotional enjoyment, such as the food’s formulation (wet or dry); the food’s properties (taste, smell, temperature and texture) as well as how it is presented or delivered (e.g., hand-fed, bowl-fed, associated with training or via a puzzle game). See Nutrition for more information

This is a period of rapid growth and development and ends at six months.²³ During the first three weeks of life, kittens have limited responses to their environment and are completely dependent on their mother’s milk. Weaning on to solid foods begins from around four weeks of age. As kittens are growing rapidly and their digestive and immune systems are developing, they have very specific nutritional needs such as a higher energy and protein content. Kittens rely on their mother for body warmth and to stimulate toileting, so they should not be rehomed until at least eight weeks of age.  

This is the period between seven months and two years before your cat reaches physical and emotional maturity. Junior cats are still in a period of active and rapid growth and have increased requirements for protein and several other nutrients. However, a junior cat’s metabolism will be slower than a kitten’s and will need their body condition monitored carefully. Ongoing positive socialisation experiences are extremely important as junior cats continue to learn about the world around them. Adolescent cats can develop new behaviours as they become more confident, some of which can be challenging to manage.  

Between three to six years old your cat will become physically mature and stop growing. Regular vet visits are essential, with a focus on preventative healthcare - for example, routine parasite prevention, healthy weight management and maintaining dental health. Read this article to find out more about how the power of preventative healthcare can optimise your cat’s emotional wellbeing. Now, it should be easier to assess your cat’s individual needs and preferences – although these will change throughout their adult life. Young adult cats continue to need regular positive socialisation experiences, mental stimulation, appropriate enrichment and a life stage-appropriate diet.  

Between seven to ten years, as your cat ages, you’ll need to pay even closer attention to maximising their physical health, as problems such as dental disease and kidney issues are common. By intervening early, and ensuring your cat is getting the right diet for their lifestage for example, these problems can be better managed. To read more about how advances in diagnostic testing can result in much earlier detection of chronic kidney disease in cats, follow this link. Mature cats should visit their vet regularly (every six to 12 months) for check-ups, including routine blood work.  

Once your cat reaches ten years old, they’re officially considered a ‘senior’ and then a ‘super senior’ at 15. This doesn’t mean your cat is destined to experience a deterioration in health – in fact, many cats enjoy excellent quality of life well into their teens. Senior cats may not always show any signs of ageing on the outside, so you will need to monitor your cat closely for any changes in their health or behaviour. Feeding the right food is especially important as many older cats benefit from a diet specially formulated for their life stage or specific health condition.