How to Keep Indoor Cats HAPPY

hey everybody jackson galaxy cat daddy on the job  again as usual and with much glee because i love   you guys i i love talking to you i love talking  to you about what nope not food not cars cats   you know the concept of our cats being indoor cats  uh i've talked about a lot and i do have a video   all about the indoor outdoor debate but i think  that we can all agree that cats for the most part   are indoor cats now and i like it that way  personally i mean i'll just put it out there   i would rather err on the side of my cat maybe not  getting every little bit of the outdoor experience   in exchange they live a longer life but that gets  us to the point of today's video the big debate   about indoor outdoor usually centers on our cat's  happiness and the folks who say i will always let   my cats outside say that because they feel like  they are greatly sacrificing their cats happiness   keeping them indoors and then the debate will  go well if they live a shorter life it was a   shorter happier life and i would hate for that to  have to be your choice so today's video is how to   keep your indoor cat happy so let's get going  actually before i start this i'm just gonna   i really thought of a caveat that i want to say  now because if i save it to the end of the video   i'm just inviting a whole barrage of comments  from uh you cat mojo tears in the uk and other   places in europe and around the world actually  where indoor outdoor is a much different picture   than it is in the u.s so i always get that  feedback like i don't know what you guys are   talking about keeping your cats indoors that's  crazy you know because culturally it it is   live your life man if it's different where you  live it is but for those of you you know you   wouldn't be watching this video right now if  you weren't trying to figure out how to keep   your cat indoors and happy right because you  saw the title of the video and everything so   why am i spending all this time  apologizing my god what's wrong with me   let's get to the list man the first surefire  way to keep your cat happy is catification doing   your best to bring the outdoors in the things  that make up that sort of outdoor experience   much of which is climbing different vantage points  different camouflage places different ways around   the house it's not just going from a to b on the  floor but there's all these places for us to go   making sure that there are places in windows  for your cats to go so they can get enough sun   so that we allow them to follow the sun like the  feline sundials that they are and and give them   that experience that they would be getting outside  there are places on the vertical axis from ground   to ceiling where different cats will find their  mojo and they're able to find that more outside   than in and of course the way to solve that is by  you fixing it with cadification with environmental   enrichment i have so many videos on the topic  of cadification i got two whole books written   with kate benjamin about cadification so i don't  want to you know just go on and on and on about it   but when we talk about what raises cat mojo it's  remembering the experiences of tens of thousands   of years that inform the cat that's sitting right  now maybe even on your lap they're all the same   they are all fed the same information through  their dna about how to get through the world   which is just a fascinating aspect to cats if you  have the ability to build a catio for your cats   man well that's game over right there now why  are we even talking about them going outside   because we have a catio a catio is cat patio  get it it is an enclosed area off your house   um you should really watch this video right  here which was uh the cat daddy dictionary   what is a catio and it shows you all different  types of ideas that other people have sent in   to us i gotta tell you if you got a house uh  it's it's the way to go and uh hopefully you'll   get some inspiration but that is the ultimate  environmental enrichment for your indoor cat is   having something that's half in half out also just  little addendums here to the catification point of   keeping your indoor cats happy litter boxes  count having litter boxes in different areas   of your place not just in one place spreading it  out so that territorially it also has importance   along with just a place to eliminate it really  does wonders for your cat's sense of territorial   security another thing is scratching surfaces so  either we're talking about scratching posts the   horizontal scratchers the ones that go in an angle  all of the above scratching is just a part of a   cat's makeup to exercise the top parts of their  body to remove dead sheaths of nail and to mark   visually and scent wise all part of scratching  which is why you see trees scratched up whether   they're little cats or lions in the savanna on  acacia trees you'll still see all of those marks   on trees that's how a nade it is so providing  them with sturdy acceptable scratching surfaces   and finding out whether your cat likes it to be  lengthwise height wise incline wise whatever it   is or all of the above really goes a long way to  upping confidence which keeps them happy another   way to keep your your indoor panther happy is play  play with your cat play with your cat play with   your cat it's not just about getting energy out of  them it's about reminding them who they are they   are hunters not only are you using an interactive  toy and you're moving around the house and you're   you're not just standing still and waving that  wand around but you're doing it with a purpose you   that you're allowing them to mimic that hunt and  to get that deep sort of almost reptilian brain   satisfaction of hunting but that's when we  follow up with a meal afterwards so they do what   hunt catch kill eat honestly i can't even tell you  how big a deal this is there are so many people   who used to make fun of me because they would tell  me what their problems were with their cats i was   like play with your cat play with your cat every  day they're bored they're frustrated they've got   all this built up raw cat energy they need to  play they need to get it out of their system   now check out the video that should be floating  up over my head right now about the way to play   with your cat i talk about it all the time if  you don't have the book total cat mojo pick it up   because there's a whole chapter there about how  to play with your cat but there's videos as well   that's why i'm saying it's such a big deal i've  written volumes on it because it makes cats happy   and that's what this video is about making  your indoor cats happy play with your cat   so another way of making our indoor cats happy  is to remember you know one of the things they   would do outside it's not just hunt part of  it is problem solving territorial problem   solving hunting problem solving staying out  of trouble while still hunting problem solving   those are things that are hard to duplicate  indoors but keeping the mind and the body sharp by   still talking to their raw cat is important  so one of the easiest things is puzzle toys   they want food and in order to get that food they  have to solve a problem there are plenty of puzzle   toys out there that really satisfy that sort of  scavenging and hunting need at the same time and   also you're not just dishing out food which will  also go a long ways to making your indoor cat an   indoor chunky cat so there's a website called food  puzzles for cats check that one out because it's   made by a couple of friends of mine  who are behaviorists in their own right   and uh have spent a lot of time studying these  food puzzles and uh ranking them and you know   are they for beginners or experts and just go to  that website it'll tell you all about puzzle toys   another way of occupying mind and body and also  just sort of increasing the bond between you and   your cat is clicker training clicker training is  great if you don't know about this jackson galaxy   project has a a program called cat positive where  we go into cat rescues and shelters teach folks   the basics of clicker training just  fun little things like high fives and   spin arounds and sits and things like that  cat agility courses yeah that's a thing cat   agility is the thing or just obstacle courses  just ways to keep your cat focused on you   they they have to give to get in terms of treats  and praise and they are solving a puzzle in that   way and in the meantime they're doing something  you might want them to do as well there's also   a video on this channel where my good friend  samantha bell was teaching it at one of our recent   cat camps and we captured that on video so check  that one out right there if you want to know more   about clicker training your cat clicker training  is is a great thing but clicker training can also   lead to something else just something else but  something else but something else but something   else but something else to something else to  something else to something else to something   else to something else to something else to  something else to something else to something else   harness training it is the way of the future you  guys taking your cats for walks is just a great   way for them to get outside to get that exposure  problem solve a little bit to say okay what's   this little log about how am i going to get up and  over it you know how am i going to solve problems   but also just to get all of the information the  natural world has to offer them but you're doing   it totally safely i can't recommend it enough two  quick things well three quick things one is that   harness training is for the cat that wants to go  outside don't try to turn your indoor cat in into   an outdoor cat just because you want them  to be there are some cats who the harness   is not a great experience but getting outside  is a terrifying experience and we have to know   is it something that is good for this cat or not  you know if your cat gets just as much pleasure   from looking out the window it's all good you  don't have to do it the second thing is that you   want to make sure that you're finding a harness  that your cat can't get out of that once you get   them acclimated to the harness then you put a  leash on it and you walk them around the house   and if there's anything they're getting scared of  believe me they're going to get out of that thing   unless they just can't i really like working with  harnesses that are more like vests they're they're   walking vests we do sell a couple of those on our  websites just go to jacksongalaxy.com and you'll   see the ones i'm talking about but they have  velcro attachments they have the clips around them   the ones i don't like are ones that we would  call the figure eight where you have a loop   around the neck and a loop around the middle  and just something attaching it i've just seen   too many cats wiggle out of those so just make  sure it's wiggle proof and the third point about   harness training is watch this video this one up  here all about harness training your cats and the   benefits and all the other stuff i just talked  about it just goes into it in much more detail   you're going to hear competing points of view  about this but hey you're watching my video so   whatever my point of view is that cat should be  with other cats i really do like to see cats with   other cats i mean sure there are cats out there  who just want to be alone but i would say that   that's not the majority and if the introduction  is done well then you're going to be just fine   if you are and i've said this so many times  my face is going to fall off from saying it   whoop there goes my face if you're adopting  a kitten please adopt two it's just you think   it's going to be twice the work it's not  twice the work it's twice the companionship   they learn from each other they grow together they  may not go through their entire life sleeping in   the crook of each other's arms but they might they  learn how to relationship uh with other cats and   other animals and other things that are not human  things and that is just really beneficial and   i think a way to keep your indoor cat happy  the next way to keep your cats happy is through   something i call the three r's what are the  three r's you ask i'm glad you asked it's routine   ritual rhythm the idea here being that cats  just really are happier when they have a routine   cats are crepuscular which means that they're  dusk and dawn hunters and they know that when the   sun is setting to a certain place time for me to  hunt so my sleeping and my eating all come around   that how do we do that in our homes and how do  we satisfy that need to be uh to have a rhythm   right there it is that's one of the ours we start  by having routines in the house that's why i tell   you guys not to free feed your cats but to  feed meals because that is the backbone of   the three r's is having set eating times  and getting them to eat meals having their   circadian rhythms their body clocks coming more  into focus and and more into rhythm with us is a   way for us all to be happy in the long run so i'm  using meals as an example but once you start doing   something every day at a given time that routine  after it's been repeated over and over becomes a   ritual meaning that now it's got importance now it  is really like part of the fabric of my very being   is this routine once we've turned a routine into a  ritual that ritual becomes the rhythm of our lives   that is a circadian rhythm i know what happens  when i wake up i get a sense of security knowing   that i have repetition in my life based  on where the food supply is where the sun   is where my sleeping spots are where the humans  are my body following that rhythm makes me happy   another way to make your indoor cats happy and  there's a big one you guys uh this is not a small   point but that is spaying or neutering your cats  have your pets paid or neutered goodbye everybody   all cats who are adopted from shelters or  rescues come spayed or neutered at this   point the one thing that's going to make your  male or female cat happy if they're indoors   is not if you're a female going through a heat  cycle and if you're a male not smelling females   and males outside and having all of your hormones  do the talking because all you're going to want   to do at that point and i mean all you're going to  want to do at that point is go outside get outside   you know break through the window break through  the screen run through the door get out there   and do what your hormones are telling you to do  which is to propagate and defend your territory at   all costs those are the things that drive the  machine when hormones are doing the driving that   need goes away with spaying or neutering your cats  it just makes for a cat that's just not conflicted   and having just like a primary purpose that's  not being met so by far if your cat is not spayed   or neutered and you want a quick and easy way to  make your indoor cat happy that's the way so do it   now our final way to make our indoor cats happy  and this should be easy for you guys man because   hopefully you're doing this already but it's  making space in your day to spend with your cats   spending some time investing in your relationship  is really what that comes down and however that   looks like to you again it could be as simple as  you know any of the things we've talked about with   play or in other videos i've talked about clicker  training and things like that that are just   you know bond building activities just hanging  out just you know calling them over and having   them come over and maybe it's a scritch on the  head or maybe it's just them sitting next to you   and you talking to them gently whatever it is and  again you're like jackson what you really got to   tell us that i mean if we have cats in our lives  it's because we want the companionship of cats   yeah but that is a key word companionship that  that especially these days we might just sort of   gloss over so i'm just here to remind you you know  it's not just play with your cat play with your   cat play with your cat it's about you know be with  your cat be with your cat be with your cat and   that's it that's the easy one that i'll leave  you with today all right you guys thank you   again for all of the suggestions for videos that  you've given because that's how these videos get   made is that you clearly want to see them  so don't forget to put your suggestions   in the comments don't forget also that we uh  premiere new videos pretty much every saturday   morning along with the shorts that we're now  putting out so that leads me into telling you to   subscribe to this channel and to ring the bell so  that you get notifications whenever either a post   goes up or a poll or i'm gonna go live you get you  get uh notifications if i'm going live uh when we   have the premieres when we have special chats i'm  doing lots of stuff on this channel and you know   you could easily forget and i don't want you  to forget ever alright everybody until next   time keep those suggestions coming go and be with  your cat all light all love all cat mojo to you yeah the cat then becomes a car and  the hormones become the gas in the car   but then with that kind of gas in the  car your cat is just gonna crash the car or get the car pregnant okay i am sure that's not gonna make  it into the video but there you go um meow

Channel: Jackson Galaxy

Views: 2,298,867

Keywords: keep indoor cats happy, jackson galaxy, cats, my cat from hell, animal planet, cat whisperer, cat guy, cat guy animal planet, cat expert, cat advice, cat health, cat behavior, cat breeds, types of cats, cat care, cat training, cats and kittens, cat psychology, taking care of a cat, cat behavior problems, jackson galaxy videos, cat daddy

Id: EaVttlOqcX4

Length: 18min 49sec (1129 seconds)

Published: Sat Nov 20 2021