Cats and Snow: A Cat Enrichment Study

Hi, I’m Dr. Lauren! Read my introduction to learn more about me and my two adventurous cats, Pancake and Tiller.

One of my favorite cat memes of all time is this zinger—a simple commentary on such a complex creature: the cat.

Snow is cold, unpredictable, wet—all conditions cats are known to hate. We were treated to a suggestion that the cat looked at the white object, and marched back inside.

Sounds simple, right? But like cats themselves, the subject is complicated beneath the surface.

Cat and Snow (Shoving in Feline Enrichment)

This article is about cats and snow, but in reality, it’s about a bigger topic. Unless they’re stepping outside, you can’t specifically talk about snow and cats.

This requires digging deeper (or rather, to stay with the snow theme) into enriching the lives of cats, whether through snow, or other means. How can we, as cat owners, best answer the question: how can we best enrich the lives of the creatures that enrich us?

Feline Enrichment: The Flurries Start

I’ve seen veterinary practice in many different countries, and there seems to be a definite line when it comes to cats and their lifestyles. Interestingly, many countries around the world agree: it’s borderline barbaric to keep cats indoors. This is a complex discussion, and in no way can be resolved in this forum, but this perspective is important to set the scene.

Feline medicine began to embrace cat behavior in the 2000s, a development driven by issues such as Feline Environmental Enrichment (EE).

Although definitions vary, this origin says:

As a veterinarian, what I find interesting is that most of these tools (‘factors’) are meant to simulate things that a cat would encounter in everyday life—if they were allowed to have of external access. The implication is that cats are only kept in poor environments, to begin with.

Obviously, this is not always a simple situation, for example, enrichment can be very important for cats in shelter environments, overweight cats, and cats that must live indoors for medical reasons, to mention a few.

But sometimes, we seem to complicate things too much to end up where we started.

Does EE work?

Creative and entertaining minds have great ideas about giving cats all kinds of EE:

They are well thought out and developed ideas. And showed great care and compassion for the welfare of our feline friends.

But there is little or no discussion about having cats on leads and taking them outside… if anything, that seems to be taboo. Instead, enrichment seems to focus on trying to bring in the outside inside the house.

But, being inside, no matter how rich the environment, can never truly be like the outside.

Let It Snow: The Weather Outside Is…Scary? Really?

In humans, research has shown improved mental states, lower blood pressure, and other positive health effects from spending time in nature or inhaling scents from certain plants known as volatile organic compounds. And bird song is regarded as another positive mental health booster.

Although there are many left studied and clarified, and obviously, they haven’t been studied in companion animals like cats. However, the potential for similar medical benefits is not so immediate, as aren’t all creatures genetically derived from living outdoors, in a natural environment?

In addition to that assumption, studies suggest that reward centers are activated during birdsong is conserved across mammalian speciesnot just people.

So, being outside seems to have a positive effect. No wonder, as if you spent your whole life in a house, never stepping outside, or making new friends, never eating with colleagues, jogging, lying under the stars, or swimming in the cold water in a lake or ocean, life can seem pretty dull. And if that’s the case, would having a PlayStation and the latest cell phone along with the best furniture and most tech-savvy appliances really be any better?

Many Words For Snow

The dichotomy of how different societies view the best ways to enrich the lives of feline companions is also very interesting. And, I think, it’s a bit like snow, in the sense that every society has a different perspective on the matter, like many societies there are different terminologies for different snows based on their geographic location and culture. Which brings me back to this week’s original topic: snow.

Any novel, in short, is entertaining. However, I would argue that anything inherent in a person’s evolutionary behavior will have the most profound and lasting effects.

When I first adopted Pancake and Tiller, I had an “indoor-cat-only” mindset. After that, they go paddleboarding, sailing, walking outside…and they enjoy it. So I’ve seen both sides of the equation. A new term has also been coined for cats that carry out such activities: Adventure Cats.

Snow and Cats: Whiteout Or Wonderland?

So, snow. The risks are certainly real. Just like the neighborhood kids might hit you with a soccer ball when you step outside…there are small, but potential concerns for leaving home. But does that stop a kid from playing soccer? Should it? One of my veterinary mentors once said: deal with what is in front of you, not the possibilities of what might happen.

Potential Dangers Of Cats Exposed To Snow

• Frostbite: Snow means freezing temperatures. Having worked in the Midwest for many years, I have seen frostbitten cats, firsthand. It tends to be the paw pads and ears, although other extremities (and indeed, the whole body) are vulnerable to the cold. A simple rule of thumb: if it’s too cold for you, it’s probably too cold for your cat. Just as you can peek outside for a minute or two, then come back, your cat should have the freedom to do the same.
• Pawpad cuts: Cats, although more often than dogs, can get cuts from walking on ice, which we tend to forget can be sharp, while we wear shoes.
• De-icer: Even pet-safe deicers can cause issues for cats, but others can be even worse. If your cat is outside, avoid deicers in areas where they are.

Potential Benefits?

But are there benefits from being exposed to snow? Although scientific data on cats is lacking, given the above benefits of being exposed to nature in general, I would argue that the potential benefits should (generally) outweigh the concerns, given the appropriate supervision.

I would go further to argue that potential new stimulation, in the real outdoor environment, could be some of the best EE out there. Some might even say: the original EE. The smells, the sounds, maybe a bird or two, should certainly be equal, if not more, than a plastic mouse and a shelf or two. Give me a good snowball fight, on the latest entertainment console, any day. Chasing friends, the feeling of the cold (but not too cold) biting your face, the beauty of the snow as you run and the flakes fly…those things are priceless. They make you feel alive.

For humans, and for cats.