Living in a small apartment or condo, your cat can adapt to your room and thrive in a comfortable living environment. 🐾️🏠
Your pet's living environment doesn't just depend on the size of your home. As a pet owner, it's important to spend time giving love and attention while creating a conducive environment for your furry friend. This means you need to make use of vertical and three-dimensional space in your apartment, such as areas around or behind furniture, so that your cat's living area is more than just the floor.
Equipment such as cat trees and the use of attractive cat toys can help you create an engaging playground in a small apartment.
To create a cat-friendly environment in a small apartment or condo, try the following ideas.
10 Tips for Living in a Small Apartment with Cats 📝
1. Find the perfect place for your cat’s litter box 🗑️
There are many considerations when it comes to cat litter. However, your main concern may be odor and mess in your apartment, but this will largely depend on where you place the litter box. The ideal place is often a balcony or bathroom.
If you have a cat-proofed installation, a balcony is perfect because it is well ventilated and the smell won't linger. However, the bathroom is often a good choice for indoor pets at night or when you're not home, although this room may often lack ventilation. Overall, you need to find the perfect smell-proof litter box.
2. Choose the right plants 🌿
Help your cat express their wild instincts with some attractive leafy greenery that it can hide behind or nibble on. However, be careful, as not all plants will make your cat's life better. Some plants are toxic to cats and can cause serious illness or digestive upset, so make sure to look for plants that are safe for your pet.
There are many pet plants, but catnip is generally the safest for cats. Another great option is a cat bed made entirely of grass, which you can make yourself.
3. Provide cats with something to grab 🤺️
Scratching is very healthy for cats. In addition to keeping your cat's claws sharp and healthy, scratching helps cats mark their territory. The curve of their claws helps them leave a chemical smell wherever they scratch, which is why most cats will scratch on furniture even if there is a scratching post.
To curb this behavior, make sure your cat has somewhere to scratch in every room. It doesn't have to be a post. You can buy scratchers that hang on door handles, or make your own simple wall scratchers that your cat will love.
4. Use toys that stimulate excitement 🧸
A feathered rope may be your cat's favorite toy. However, make sure you have a few extra toys around the house for your cat to entertain himself. These might include a stuffed mouse filled with cat mint or an engaging game that motivates your cat to participate by rewarding them.
5. Give cats space 🛌️
In a small apartment, it can be hard for cats to have privacy. However, it’s understandable that even the most social cats need some alone time every now and then. An enclosed cat bed provides your cat with a comfortable resting area while also giving them a bit of shelter from humans.
6. Help cats climb (not just with cat mint)🗝️
Cats love to sit up high, from where they can look down on their territory like a lion. It's one of their deep-seated survival instincts. That's why you need a cat tree.
However, if you don't want to invest in luxurious cat furniture, or a large carpet tower doesn't fit the style of your home, there is a more affordable and attractive solution: shelves. Simply mounted next to a wall, a shelf can provide multiple resting places and allow your cat to safely jump to ceiling height.
If your furry friend enjoys spending time in the kitchen with you, you'll want to keep the top of your fridge clean, too. It provides your cat with a place to rest and observe all the exciting kitchen activity from high above without dropping hair into your meal.
7. Decorate your window sills 🌅
Windows are like television to cats, with countless hours of exciting, commercial-free programming, including people, birds, and sounds, to stimulate their hunting instincts all day long. This means that your window sills are very important to cats. If the window sill is too narrow for cats to rest comfortably, add a small shelf to increase the width, such as a hanging cat perch.
In the winter, fold a warm blanket and place it on the windowsill so your cat can watch their "movie" without getting too cold.
8. Clean the litter box every day 🧹
Most pet owners, especially those who live in apartments, can become a little lax when it comes to home maintenance, especially when it comes to their cat’s litter box. However, if you are a cat owner who lives in a small apartment, you need to clean your cat’s litter box at least once a day. Not only is this hygienic, it will also prevent odors from spreading throughout your limited space.
In addition to hygiene, a clean litter box can also make your cat happy. Cats are more likely to become destructive or distant if their litter box is dirty because they are not comfortable going there. However, if they know their litter box is a clean place, your cat is less likely to cause accidents.
9. Clean and vacuum regularly 🧹
Regardless of their hair length, cats shed. Since they groom themselves frequently, you may not see much hair, but their hair can accumulate on furniture and carpets. However, in a small space like an apartment, their hair can be more noticeable.
If you're a cat parent living in a small apartment, you'll want to invest in a vacuum cleaner designed to remove pet hair from furniture and carpets. When you sweep and vacuum regularly, you'll also get rid of cat litter that your cat accidentally brings out.
It's not their fault, as sometimes some of the litter gets stuck between their paws and the mat and falls out. However, there's nothing more annoying than having what feels like sand everywhere when you're walking around the house barefoot. It's also not very hygienic.
10. Make your apartment cat-safe 🔒️
Some cats are so smart that they can learn how to open doors or windows. If you have a cat in your apartment, you need to reinforce your window screens. That way, if your cat sees something it likes outside the window and the window is open, it is less likely to jump through the curtains.
Alternatively, if your cat has learned how to open the window, you can choose to install a physical locking mechanism on the window.
Also, if your cat has learned how to open doors, buy childproof door handles so your cat can't let himself out in the middle of the night to find a snack. In a space where even a toddler can't fit through, it will be difficult for your cat to get through a door handle that doesn't have a prominent push-button.
Summary
Don't give up on the benefits of your cat's company because you worry about sharing limited space. With creative thinking and patience, you can create a home where you and your furry friend can live in harmony and happiness. The positive attention and love your cat receives is far more important than the size of the apartment.