Research overview: integrating behaviour and cognition into cat welfare

Understanding behaviour and cognition is central to safeguarding feline welfare, and this overview surveys how research translates into care. It covers welfare frameworks that incorporate the cat's evolved needs as a solitary-capable, control-seeking predator, the use of behavioural and cognitive measures such as judgment bias and personality profiling to assess affective state, and evidence-based environmental enrichment that satisfies hunting, exploration, and social preferences. It discusses how stress, social conflict, and barren housing undermine welfare and how knowledge of communication and learning improves handling. It connects basic science to applied practice across homes, shelters, and clinics. The topic shows how behavioural and cognitive research underwrites modern, welfare-centred care of cats.