Indoor Cat Boredom Test
Ten questions about your cat's behaviour, an honest boredom score and a personal enrichment plan for the whole week.
1/10 · How much does your cat sleep during the day?
2/10 · Does your cat destroy things (scratching the sofa, knocking things off tables, tearing wallpaper)?
3/10 · What about washing and grooming?
4/10 · Does your cat whine or meow at doors, windows or the hallway?
5/10 · Night crazies: racing around and hunting ghosts at 3 am?
6/10 · How often do you actively play with your cat (wand toy, hunting games)?
7/10 · How does your cat behave around food?
8/10 · How is the interaction with you?
9/10 · How many climbing and vantage spots does your cat have indoors?
10/10 · How often does your cat get something new (toy, box, scent, puzzle)?
Answer all 10 questions to calculate the score.
Boredom in indoor cats: quieter than you think
A bored cat rarely sits on the sofa sighing dramatically. Boredom in cats is usually silent: sleeping more than normal, excessive grooming, overeating, or the exact opposite — midnight sprints, meowing for attention, knocking things off tables and hanging off the curtains. Indoor cats are particularly at risk: in the wild a cat spends a large part of the day hunting, stalking and patrolling, and that need does not disappear just because dinner comes from a bowl.
The boredom test translates ten behaviour questions into a score from 0 to 100 and couples it with a concrete weekly plan: one to three small enrichment activities per day, spread across hunting, food, play together, climbing, scent and training. The fastest win is almost always food enrichment — see the 13 DIY puzzle feeders you can make from kitchen rolls and egg cartons. Want to make your home structurally more cat-friendly, with pathways, climbing spots and vantage points? Follow the free micro-course The perfect cat home.
Frequently asked questions about boredom and enrichment
How do I know if my cat is bored?
Watch for behaviour changes: sleeping excessively, overeating, over-grooming (sometimes to bare patches), destructive behaviour, excessive meowing or your cat following you constantly through the house. ‘Naughty’ behaviour like knocking things over is often simply a cat looking for work for its hunting brain. Bare patches or sudden behaviour changes can also have a medical cause — have your vet rule that out first.
How much playtime does an indoor cat need?
Two to three short play sessions of ten to fifteen minutes a day is enough for most cats — short and intense several times a day is better than one long session. Ideally play around sunrise and sunset, the natural hunting times, and let your cat actually ‘catch’ the prey at the end.
Is it cruel to keep a cat indoors?
No — an indoor cat actually lives on average longer and more safely than an outdoor cat. But the indoor life must have something to offer: climbing routes and vantage points, scratching furniture, food puzzles, daily play sessions and a window with a view. A bare living room with only a food bowl is indeed too little for a cat.
What exactly is enrichment for cats?
Enrichment is anything that lets your cat do what it is naturally built for: hunting, climbing, sniffing, scratching and puzzling. It doesn’t need to cost anything — a scrunched-up ball of paper, a box, hiding kibble around the house or five minutes of wand-toy play often works better than expensive toys sitting unused in a basket. The weekly plan from the boredom test gives you a few of those small tasks every day.