Last year, I adopted a very cute and rather cross-eyed six-year-old Burmese called Merlin. Like many cat owners, particularly with an interest in wellness, I assumed I’d naturally make “good” choices for him. Quality food? ✓A clean and relaxing home environment? ✓ Love, affection, and safety? Absolutely ✓. What I didn’t realise was how many well-intentioned, everyday habits could quietly undermine a cat’s physical and psychological health - even when they appear “fine.”
After listening to a veterinary behavioural deep-dive that genuinely stopped me in my tracks, I began researching feline wellbeing more seriously. What I discovered was confronting: many pet cats aren’t thriving - they’re coping, particularly the apartment cats. And cats, as masters of disguise, suffer in silence. This isn’t about blame. It’s about awareness. Below are some of the most common - and surprisingly damaging - wellness blind spots for cats in the modern home, along with what we can do differently.
The Litter Box Problem: Bathroom Stress We Don’t See
Cats are instinctively clean animals. In the wild, they do not urinate and defecate in the same place.
Using a single, scented litter tray, especially if it’s not cleaned daily, creates stress so intense that cats may hold their urine, increasing the risk of painful urinary tract infections.
Wellness signs to watch for:
- Avoiding the tray
- Urinating elsewhere
- Frequent trips with little output
Wellness fix:
- One litter tray per cat + one extra
- Unscented litter only
- Quiet locations, away from food and water
- Daily cleaning
Water Bowls & Dehydration: The Silent Kidney Threat
In nature, water near food often means contamination (think dead animals near water = contaminated water). This is why cats avoid bowls beside their meals - and why they’ll often drink from a tap, sink, or your glass. Chronic dehydration is a major contributor to kidney disease, the second leading cause of death in indoor cats.
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Wellness fix:
Separate food and water locations - Use a cat water fountain (flowing water = safety)
- Offer multiple water sources throughout the home
Boredom Isn’t Laziness — It’s Depression
A cat sleeping 16-20 hours a day isn’t “relaxed.” It’s often under-stimulated. In the wild, cats spend up to 8 hours daily hunting, climbing, and surveying territory. Indoor cats without stimulation can develop OCD behaviours, aggression, or excessive grooming.
Warning behaviours:
- Over-sleeping
- Over-grooming
- Eating non-food items
- Sudden aggression
Wellness fix:
- Puzzle feeders
- Rotating toys weekly
- Window perches
- 15 minutes of interactive play, twice daily. (Don’t use laser pointers!)
The Toxic Home: When “Clean” and “Calming” Become Dangerous
This was one of the most alarming discoveries for me - Watch for toxic cleaning products where your cat treads. Eg Floor cleaners with harsh chemicals and bleach are seriously toxic, even when dry! Even more surprising - many essential oils and incense, even natural ones, are toxic to cats. Their livers cannot process these compounds. Oils and chemicals settle on fur, are ingested during grooming, and cause cumulative organ damage.
High-risk items include:
- Essential oil diffusers
- Plug-in air fresheners
- Scented candles
- Incense
- Standard cleaning products including furniture polish (even some supposedly “pet-friendly versions)
Symptoms often mistaken for “nothing”:
- Vomiting
- Drooling
- Lethargy
- Tremors
- Breathing changes
Wellness fix:
- Eliminate diffusers (and scented sprays) - Lavender, eucalyptus, tea tree, peppermint, cinnamon, citrus oil, clove, sweet birch, pine, ylang ylang– all poison!
- Use pet-safe cleaners (enzyme cleaners or a homemade mix of vinegar, baking soda and lemon for floors, and olive oil for furniture)
- Ventilate thoroughly
- Keep fragrance use minimal and well away from cats
- Incense – there are a few types of incense that are safe for cats – Sandalwood, Frankincense, Cedar, Chamomile, Lavender, Catnip, Valerian. But always best to burn well away from the cat, use only natural high quality
Food Bowls, Feeding & Weight: The Quiet Metabolic Crisis
Deep bowls can cause whisker fatigue, a painful sensory overload that leads cats to avoid food or paw it onto the floor. Free-feeding, meanwhile, is strongly linked to obesity, diabetes, arthritis, and shortened lifespan. Equally mainstream treats = feeding your cat McDonalds every day!
Perspective check: Just 900 grams overweight on a cat is equivalent to over 13 kgs on a human. Your chubby kittie is morbidly obese!
Wellness fix:
- Flat plates or wide, shallow bowls
- Cats need routine. In the wild they hunt at dawn and dusk. Schedule meals (2–3 per day)
- Treats ≤10% of daily calories = approximately 4-5 small cat treats/day. Choose single-ingredient freeze-dried meats
- Soft high protein food with no grains or fillers, 0 preservatives are best. Preferably dried meats. You can add some dried more natural kibble.
- Tough love saves and extends lives
Vertical Space, Hiding & Territory: Safety Above All
Cats are climbers. In nature, up to 50% of their time is spent elevated. Without vertical space, indoor cats experience chronic stress and depression. They also need multiple hiding spots to regulate cortisol. Night time spaces need to be dark – no night lights.
Wellness fix:
- Cat trees (at least 1 ½ times their height) or wall shelves
- Clear a bookshelf
- Cat caves, underbed access, boxes, covered beds, keep a wardrobe ajar (and remember not to close it!!)
Social Isolation: The Myth of the “Independent” Cat
Cats form attachment bonds similar to young children. Long hours alone without stimulation can lead to separation anxiety, immune suppression, and behavioural issues. Ignoring attention-seeking behaviour isn’t discipline - it’s emotional withdrawal.
Wellness fix:
- Daily engaged interaction – eg 15 minutes 3 x per day.
- Respond, even briefly, when your cat seeks connection
- Consider cat TV, puzzle feeders, or a pet sitter if you’re away often
Dental Health, Temperature & Routine
By age three, over 70% of cats have periodontal disease - often hidden until organs are affected.
Cats also prefer warmer temperatures (26–30°C) and rely heavily on routine for nervous system regulation.
Wellness essentials:
- Start tooth brushing early, and have annual check-ups
- Provide warm blankets or heated pads
- Maintain consistent feeding and play times
Vitamin deficiency and collar hell!!
Window sunbathing is not sufficient for your cat’s Vitamin D, and they do not synthesize it through diet. Vitamin D deficiency causes muscle weakness, bone pain, increase cancer risk, immune system failure and kidney disease. Indoor cats also need cat grass for fibre and hairball elimination – if they don’t find it they may start nibbling your toxic houseplants! As for collars - imagine a bell ringing in your ear every time you moved, particularly as a natural hunter? Not to mention the safety issues of a non-breakaway collar if they get stuck - need I say more ?!
Wellness fix:
- Supervised outdoor time or special UV pet lamps (not regular UV for humans)!!
- Provide warm blankets or heated pads
- Buy cat grass, rotate weekly
- An indoor cat does not need a collar. Outdoor cats - remove the bell and buy a break-away collar
A Gentle Reality Check
If you’re making more than half of these mistakes, you aren’t failing - our education system is. Clearly not everything is practical or possible, but start with five of the most toxic changes and work down the list. Many cat parents notice improvements in behaviour, appetite and mood within days. Merlin is certainly enjoying the recent changes. Wellness, after all, isn’t about perfection. It’s about noticing what our loved ones can’t tell us -and choosing to do better, one small shift at a time.
Disclaimer
I am not a veterinarian or medical professional. I share insights from research, expert sources, and lived experience, with the intention of helping others make more informed, compassionate wellness choices in their lives.
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