Nine Design Choices To Stimulate Your Cat’s Brain

It’s no secret that cats are predators in the wild, despite being cute cuddle buddies in domesticated settings. However, it’s a mistake to neglect your cat’s need to exercise and tap into their primitive mind at home. That’s why we compiled 9 design choices to stimulate your cat’s brain. 

Design choices like installing cat shelves and cat trees near windows can stimulate your cat’s brain. It’s also a great idea to set up puzzle-based treat dispensers throughout your house to make your cat think. Exercise wheels, scratch posts, and water fountains can also enrich your cat’s brain in the best way possible. 

You can even stimulate your cat’s brain if you put nature programs on the TV. Follow along as we highlight 9 design choices to stimulate your cat’s brain at home. 

How To Make A Cat-Friendly House

1. Provide Plenty Of Options

Your cats will quickly get bored and even depressed if they only have one area to have fun. Ideally, you should set up several cat “play stations” to have fun throughout the day. It’s a great idea to set up 1-2 cat scratch posts per cat.

This helps them each feel secure, and it also helps reduce fighting between your cats. You also want to make sure to set up several small cat beds in different parts of the house. Depending on how much space you have, you may want to install several cat trees. 

Put your cat tree in areas with windows so they can see outside. This helps stimulate their brains and can entertain them for a long time. Cat trees can also help them stop scratching furniture. 

2. Give Them Space

Cats may love to play with their owners, but they also love some alone time. That’s why it’s important to designate several places for them to play and sleep in private. For example, you can designate a corner or two for private toys, scratch posts, and beds. 

Cats love boxes, cushions, and small furniture, as it gives them hiding spots. You can even get creative and cover cat beds and furniture with a tented blanket. It also helps to lay everything out like an obstacle course to make it fun for them to traverse.

For example, you can set some objects higher than others and get creative with the layout. It’s also a great idea to put comfortable cat beds beneath small side tables and coffee tables. This helps cats feel enclosed and comfortable. 

3. Install Cat Shelves

Cats love jumping vertically, and it helps feed into their primitive predator minds. You may have seen fun pictures of cat shelves online and on social media. Cat shelves give cats the chance to get exercise and stimulate their brains. 

However, you must be careful when you choose where to install cat shelves. The last thing you want is to install cat shelves on a wall with picture frames and decorations. Your cats can easily knock decorations off the wall from the impact of them landing on the shelves.

It’s also important to consider the distance between each of the shelves. Cat shelves should be no more than 12”-18” apart vertically and 12” to 16” apart horizontally. However, you may need to use your judgment based on your cat’s physical limitations. 

4. Prioritize Interaction

Interaction is essential to keep your cat’s brain stimulated. Static toys may be fun for a bit, but they won’t do much for your cat’s brain. Set up toys throughout the house that require your cat to do specific things.

For example, you can find cat toys that include ball tracks where the cat must do something specific to remove the ball. Today, “cat curl” type toys are quite popular. These cardboard toys include a ball track slot, and they morph based on how your cat manipulates them.

Your cat can spend a long time trying to get the ball and manipulate the toy’s shape. You can also find interactive feeders that require your cats to do something to trigger the food dispensing. 

5. Provide Views

As previously mentioned, cats love to look out windows. However, you can work wonders to stimulate your cat’s brain if you provide an extra exciting view. For example, you can set up a bird feeder outside your window.

Your cat may get noisy, but it’s great for them as it helps stimulate their predator mind. Make sure the cat tree or scratch post is tall enough for them to get a great view. It’s also a great idea to pick a window with shrubs and plants that attract lots of insects, like butterflies. 

6. Use Your TV Wisely

Cats may not care about the show you're binge-watching, but that doesn’t mean they’re disinterested in your TV. Many cats respond well to nature shows and dynamic screensavers featuring bugs and animals. You can even find 24/7 nature feeds on YouTube meant to stimulate your cats. 

This paired with a cat tree and toys in the room can occupy your cat’s mind for hours. The images on the TV will excite your cat, and the nearby toys let it act on their excitement. 

7. Set Up Treat Dispensers

Treats are more rewarding if you have to work to get them, even if you’re a cat. Today, you can find many treat dispensers for your cats that serve as physical puzzles. For example, some treat dispensers are shaped like balls that they have to rock at a specific angle to get the treat out. 

It’s a great idea to put your treat dispensers away until you want to distract your cats for a while. When you’re ready, you can fill 1 or 2 dispensers with treats, put them in separate places, and let your cat play. Set your treat dispensers up in an area near your scratch posts and toy stations to provide extra stimulation. 

8. Encourage Exercise

Of course, feline obesity is on the rise and unhealthy, so cat owners must do their best to discourage it. Playing with them helps keep them in shape. However, cat wheels help encourage exercise when you’re too busy to play with your cats. 

Cat exercise wheels typically cost between $40 and $250, and quality is tied to the price. It’s worth getting 2 exercise wheels if you have 2 to 3 cats. Place the exercise wheel in an area with other things to stimulate their brains, such as treat dispensers and scratch posts. 

9. Provide Open Space

Cats thrive when they have plenty of space to run around. The more open space you provide, the more likely your cats are to exercise. Avoid design choices that enclose your cats and limit their ability to run around your house. 

Summing It Up

Set up several scratch posts and puzzle treat dispenser toys throughout your house to stimulate your cat’s brain. Place a tall cat tree near a window, so your cats can watch birds and bugs outside your home. It’s worth installing cat shelves and an exercise wheel to tap into your cat’s primitive mind.

Related Guides:

• How To Protect Christmas Trees From Cats
• How to Protect Your Plants From Cats