Sample Shelter/Rescue Enrichment Guide

This resource is specifically crafted to assist staff and volunteers in shelters and rescues by providing valuable insights into the significance of enrichment and offering easily implementable ideas to support the emotional wellbeing of cats in your care. While it can serve as a guide for your facility, it also serves as a foundation upon which you can further develop and customize according to your unique needs. I employed this specific guide while volunteering at a high-volume shelter.

Recognizing the challenges often faced by shelters and rescues, including limited resources, staffing constraints, time pressures, and budget limitations, I have intentionally structured this guide to prioritize simplicity and practicality. Despite the availability of more intricate enrichment options, the focus here is on delivering easily executable and cost-effective enrichment activities that align with the realistic constraints of many shelters and rescues.

Key features include:

• information on the importance of enrichment
• enrichment considerations and adaptations for cats experiencing higher levels of FAS (fear, anxiety, and stress)
• options for different types of enrichment, including physical, cognitive, social, environmental, sensory, and emotionally supportive
• some DIY and budget-friendly enrichment activities
• sample enrichment schedule