Research overview: agency, choice and control as welfare requirements for captive cats

A growing body of welfare thinking holds that giving animals control over their environment, the ability to make choices and influence outcomes, is itself a key contributor to good welfare. This overview surveys evidence relevant to captive felids: classic findings that predictability and controllability buffer stress, the welfare value of offering choices among resting sites, hiding places, temperatures and social contact, and how training that lets cats voluntarily participate in care provides agency. It examines contrafreeloading and the apparent value animals place on working for rewards, the concept of a stimulus-rich environment that supports decision-making, and how lack of control underlies many captivity stressors. The synthesis frames maximising meaningful choice and control as a unifying principle across felid housing, enrichment and management.