Cats living in small spaces can lead a stimulating and rewarding life. You just need to approach decorating your living space with these cat tips in mind. We will look at multiple aspects of cats living in small spaces and how you can improve your cat’s life with small changes in the environment. Everything is on the table – cat beds, litter boxes, perches, toys, cleaning products, and more.
Let’s go!
Help Your Cat Get High
Cats enjoy observing their territory from a lofty perch, a la Lion King. It’s ingrained in them as a survival instinct. That is the cat tree’s concept. However, if you’re not looking to spend a lot of money on fancy cat furniture, or if a huge carpeted tower doesn’t fit with the design of your house, shelves are a far more attractive and cost-effective option.
Your cat can have multiple spots to relax and safely reach the ceiling with simple wall-mounted shelves arranged in a strategic pattern.
If your cat likes spending time in the kitchen with you (with all the exciting sounds and smells that happen there, most cats do) keep the top of your refrigerator cleared off, too. It gives a cat a place to hang out and inspect all the exciting kitchen happenings from on high, without getting any fur in your dinner.
Deck Out Window Sills
With hours of captivating, ad-free programming featuring people, birds, and noises that pique cats’ hunting instincts, the window is like television for cats. It follows that making your window sill cat-friendly is essential.
Connect a tiny shelf to the ledge if it’s too narrow for a cat to lay on comfortably. This will increase width. If you want your cat to be able to relax while watching Netflix in the winter, fold up a warm blanket and place it on the sill.
Select the Right Plants
Catnip is usually a safe bet, but the ASPCA has a comprehensive list of plants that are safe for pets. Another green option is a cat bed made entirely of grass, which you can DIY in two easy steps, as demonstrated on GrowsOnYou. Help your cat embrace his jungle instincts with some nice leafy plants he can hide behind or even gnaw on. However, be careful: Not all plants will make your cat’s life better. Some plants are poisonous and can cause serious illness or indigestion in cats.
Aid Them in Obtaining Their Scratch Upon
For cats, there are multiple benefits to scratching. Cats that scratch can mark their territory and maintain the health of their nails. Many cats will still scratch up furniture even if they have a scratching post because their nail beds enable them to leave a chemical fragrance behind when they leave scratches.
Make sure your cat has a place to scratch in each room to stop this tendency. Not every post needs to be a post: you can purchase doorknob-hanging scratchers or make easy DIY wall scratchers that your cats will like.
Take out Some Toys
Your cat’s favorite toy might be a feather on a string, but make sure you have a few other toys in your house that he can use to pass the time, such as an interactive game that gives him goodies or a fluffy mouse filled with catnip.
Give him room to breathe.
It can be challenging for a cat to have privacy in a small apartment or studio, but even the most social cat occasionally needs some alone time—which is, let’s be honest, extremely relatable. An enclosed cat bed, such as the Mod Dream Pod, offers your cat a warm and inviting place to lounge while also acting as a little amount of human protection.
Utilizing Vertical Area
Go up when there’s not much floor area available! Installing cat shelves on your walls will allow your cat to have a place to rest and make use of the space. Our feline pals can climb on cat shelves to have a better view of their kingdom and to get some ZZZs. With the Katris Mix & Match scratcher, which can be used with the Katris wall mount kit to hang on the wall like a shelf, you can let your cats climb and scratch.
According to Wilbourn, “a few scratching posts” also satiate your cat’s scratching urge and take up little room on the floor. A cat tree is an additional choice that fulfills a cat’s need to climb and scratch, according to Wilbourn. An escalator
ADVERTISE: SWEEP AND VACUUM OFTEN.
Nothing spreads out the ridiculous amount of cat hair shed to the point where you hardly notice it like a large living area. Not the case with a tiny flat or apartment.
Cat hair is probably less of a problem for you if your apartment or flat has carpeting than it would be if it had hardwood or laminate floors. Cat hair sticks to carpeting and nearly disappears—that is, until it’s time to vacuum.
Additionally, vents—in Canada, the central air vents I feel like a ton of cat hair has been swallowed.
Since central air is uncommon in the UK, I find that I need to sweep far more frequently, even i end up seeing tufts of fur dancing around the flat like tumbleweed even after a single day. If this is allowed to collect for too long, kitty’s going to be ingesting a lot more of the fluffy stuff, which could lead to a lot more hairballs.
Assume when you move into a small space with a cat that you’ll need to be sweeping/vacuuming much more often. In addition, you can use deshedding and hair removal tools like these to brush your cat more frequently or to remove pet hair from your hands by patting down your cat on a regular basis. While these methods won’t eliminate the need for frequent vacuuming and sweeping, they can significantly reduce the frequency of these tasks overall, particularly if you can find a short window of time each day to dedicate to grooming your cat.
THE PROS OF A CAT
Although there is a lot of hard work to come, let’s think of the positive aspects that a little kitty could add to someone’s life. There are even a few myths to debunk about life with a kitty!
LOW MAINTENANCE LIFE
Cats are very low maintenance friends, in contrast to other pets. Actually, all most cats need for a healthy and happy life is a litter box, food, and water. They should, of course, receive the same love and attention as any other pet. Cats are highly autonomous animals, particularly in terms of personal cleanliness. Since they want to clean themselves throughout the day, baths are rarely a problem. As an added plus, you probably won’t have to worry about unintentional shocks in the restroom or potty training. In reality, if they have enough food, water, and safety precautions, they may go for extended periods of time without the need for a pet sitter.
FELINE AFFECTIONATE
Many people may think that cats are not as lovable as dogs or other pets, but that myth is completely untrue! A cat’s love and affection is frequently earned rather than freely given to everybody they meet, which may come off as aloof and boring at first. However, it’s important to realize that cats approach affection in a very different way, which is incredibly adorable. Cats frequently have to develop a bond with their owner, which can lead to greetings at the door, cuddling into their lap after a long day, or even exposing their belly for a gentle belly rub. Owning a cat can be very therapeutic because of their calm and loving manner of showing affection.
With bonding in mind, it is also important to realize that a cat’s attachment to you can become sour if they are forced to be lonely for most of the day. If this is a possibility due to a heavy work schedule, it may be a great opportunity to adopt in pairs. Then, your cat can have a little friend with them at all times while you’re away.
HISS-TERICALENTERTAINMENT
A game of chase never gets old to a cat, not to mention when their ‘zoomies’ have kicked in. There are so many fun toys you can spoil your cat with as well, but they may even find more enjoyment in the box! Ironically, a cat can find fun in almost anything, whether it’s a box or a piece of furniture. If you think a cat would be a boring pet to play with, then you haven’t seen anything yet! Kittens are some of the most energetic creatures ever. They have a wild personality of their own and love to actively explore the wide new world around them.
ASSIST IN THE HOUSEWELL
Additionally, cats are naturally good hunters, which you may take advantage of. Cats were, after all, first tamed to trap pests for their prehistoric masters. They make excellent small companions and also function as a handy exterminator for your home because they enjoy hunting so much.
Cats are not just minimal maintenance but also accustomed to living in close quarters.
A cat can be the right pet for you if you live in a small flat! All that cats want for are a good window, a comfortable seat for naps, and a place to sit up and observe from above. Cats also keep themselves occupied and active for the majority of the day, so they don’t
THE CONS OF A CAT
Cats are very loving and adorable, looking at their advantages its tantalizing to have one, let’s look at the disadvantages to help you have control over your little fur friend.
LITTER BOX WOES
For one, cats can’t take their litter box out themselves, as much as we all wish they could. Even a day or two of putting off cleaning can manage to stink up a whole bathroom. For this reason, it may be a good idea to find a good litter that holds odors in well, as well as keep a litter cleaning schedule up to date.
A “HAIRY” CONDITION
Although these tiny balls of hair can be very cute, if their fur is not properly handled, it can occasionally become a problem. Shedding is a major issue for many homes, particularly those with long-haired cats. Nothing on the furniture is usually safe from their tiny little paws. Although you might not mind, if family members or friends have allergies to fur, this might cause problems for them. Adopting a short-haired cat, who typically sheds less, and brushing them frequently to keep hair off your couch are some strategies to fight this reign.
Together with being entertaining, this exercise can help you and your cat bond! When correctly executed, a few minor allergies can be combated with regular house maintenance and occasional allergy pills.
‘CATTY’ ATTITUDES
As the stereotype goes, cats really do have a mind of their own. Therefore, it is important to keep in mind that saying ‘no’ may not always have the outcome that you expect. Cats are spunky, and will usually sit, play, and together their paws on a lot of stuff despite your pleas not to. As many owners can attest to, this can especially be true for clawing.
Furniture is a perfect victim for a scratching post, after all. Although you can’t change your cat’s strong- willed personality, not all hope is lost. At least for younger kittens, consistent training and early boundary setting (such as staying off counters and tables) can prove to be very effective if enforced well. Even when older, some deterrents can keep them away from destructive behavior such as a dedicated scratching post and cat deterrents.
VISITS TO THE VET
Regretfully, a common worry for a new pet owner is also vet expenditures. Vet bills can add up rapidly when your cat gets older and becomes ill or injured. Naturally, the majority of veterinary visits are restricted to routine examinations and immunizations. Visits should be minimal as long as you remember your cat’s health when feeding, supplementing, and maintaining their hygiene.