Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month is observed during April, and International Pet Day is commemorated on 11 April.

In the past, animal welfare science focused on “What NOT to do”, or how to prevent an animal from suffering. Although this had a fundamental effect on promoting and ensuring the welfare of animals, this approach did not fully consider the mental aspect of what an animal experience or answer the important question: “Is the animal happy?”.

While preventing overt physical harm is essential, true animal welfare extends beyond mere survival, requiring us to actively combat the subtler cruelties of neglect and boredom that can rob pets of their joy.

Happiness, or mental well-being, is surely more than just the absence of suffering. In recent years, the definition of animal welfare has been updated to include this aspect. The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) now defines animal welfare as “the physical and mental state of an animal as it relates to the conditions in which it lives and dies.”

It is not just the scientific landscape but also the legal landscape of animal welfare that is rapidly changing in South Africa. In the 2016 court case NSPCA v Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development the court repeated a statement from a 2014 case, saying that “[c]onstitutional values dictate a more caring attitude towards fellow humans, animals and the environment in general”. This is an encouraging development in the progress towards improved animal welfare in our country. So, as the next step, we must ask ourselves the question, “What is a more caring attitude?”. We can also ask ourselves, “What is a happy animal?”.

Going beyond the Five Freedoms of animal welfare

Based on the previous definition of animal welfare, the basic needs of animals are usually addressed by meeting general standards that are termed ‘the Five Freedoms’. These give us the “What NOT to do”.

The five freedoms state that an animal must be free from thirst, hunger and malnutrition; free from discomfort and exposure; free from pain, injury and disease; free from fear and distress; and, finally, free to express normal or natural behaviour.

Once we have complied with all these freedoms, however, how do we ensure that the animal is also happy? Another way of putting this question is, how do we create positive experiences for an animal? How do we take them from a life that is only ‘free of suffering’, toward a good-quality life that is worth living?

Environmental enrichment refers to the concept of enhancing the environment in which an animal lives, by providing opportunities for mental, physical and/or social stimulation. This improves animal welfare by promoting the freedom to express natural behaviours, prevents boredom, and may assist with reducing stress and improving well-being. Many pet owners may immediately worry that they do not have money to buy extra toys and food puzzles. However, it is important to realise that enrichment can cost very little; in fact, it often only requires a bit of imagination.

For example, dogs like to use their noses and cats like to climb and play with moving objects. What if we use our homes, gardens and rubbish to make our pets happy by allowing them to do just that?

Some of the ideas you can use for enrichment include:

• Hide treats in the garden and house for your dog to find.
• Attach a bird feather to a stick and move it around to allow cats to ambush it.
• Crumple paper into a ball to roll around for your cat to chase.
• Drill holes in a plastic bottle and fill it with treats so that your dog has to move or shake it to get them out.
• Create a ‘lick mat’ by smearing soft food on an old ice cube tray so your dog can enjoy licking it off.
• Leave out a cardboard box to allow your cat to hide in if they feel scared.
• Nail a few pieces of wood stepwise to a wall to allow your cat to climb upwards.
• Take your dog for a walk to lower both your stress levels.

And if you cannot think of any ideas to make your best furry friends happy, there are a lot of very innovative people who share their ideas on the internet. Just remember to always supervise your dog or cat while they’re playing with physical toys!

Let’s not only prevent cruelty to animals this month. Let’s also enhance their environment and allow them to express their normal inquisitive behaviour and be happy!

   Dr Elize van Vollenhoven, Veterinary Specialist: Animal Welfare and Behavioural Medicine and Senior Lecturer in Ethology (Companion Animal: Behaviour, Welfare, Ethics and Law) in the Faculty of Veterinary Science at the University of Pretoria