Choosing a Cat-Friendly Apartment (What to Look For!)

Apartments can be great homes for humans and cats alike. Although not providing the same amount of horizontal floor space as houses, it can still be a very engaging and productive place to live for cats and their butlers. Though choosing the right apartment can be difficult sometimes for cat-owners because there are just so many options and choices. This is especially true in Asia, where I currently live.

A lot of people might not think about their cats or pets when choosing a new place but putting in some thought about how your feline friends might use the space is important in preventing problems the arise with having cats/pets indoors. These problems might include behavioral issues, bad odors, and general stress from having an unoptimized living area for cats.

There are 3 main points that I look for when choosing a cat-friendly apartment.

• The first thing to look for is to make sure there are enough windows or large enough windows for ventilation.
• Glossy surfaces to mount suction cup ledges to catify and create your cat superhighway.
• A semi-enclosed area so for the litter box to prevent tracking and minimize the amount of cleaning required.

Common Problems Having Cats in Apartments

Apartments are smaller, this can introduce some problems and issues that larger places might not have when you’re living with cats. While they are not make-or-break issues that prevent you from having a cat altogether – it’s important to factor in. This is to ensure that both you and your cats can have the highest quality of life possible despite living in a much smaller living area.

Usually, the most common problems include:

• Smells when your cat does its business
• General stuffiness
• Easily messy
• Fear of damage (if you’re renting)
• Not stimulating enough for the cats

Importance of Windows in a Cat-Friendly Apartment

Most apartments will have one window at least but the question to ask yourself is if it is enough sun and ventilation for you and your cats. Proper ventilation really takes care of odors that might persist and especially during the summer, where it becomes humid – having a large enough window to aerate the apartment can really alleviate some of the stuffiness that comes from that.

In general, if the window can accommodate two or more cats to either be on the window sill or a window hammock, it should be fine. For me, the larger the window the better – not only does it let in light, it really makes you feel that you’re not really in a small space. If I had the choice between a little bit larger place or a smaller place with a large window – I would likely choose the place with the large window.

Also, windows also serve as a great tool for what I’m going to talk about in the below section – windows are glossy so it’s a great surface area to put suction cup perches/hammocks/caves. A large window can bring a lot of options in terms of how cats can navigate the room!

Lounging in the sun is a pastime of many cats, so having the space for cats to do that is very valuable. Bonus points if it has a balcony or mini-balcony (just make sure to cat-proof it!).

Look for Glossy Surfaces (For Catification)

The second thing I look for in a cat-friendly apartment is if there are a lot of glossy or smooth surfaces. Suction cup catification is one of my favorite ways to catify a space but especially apartments because it is a very efficient use of space. It doesn’t take up any floor space and provides our feline friends, places to navigate, lounge, and play!

The best part about suction cup products is that it’s strong, sturdy, and doesn’t require any nailing or screws to keep it in place. Only a glossy/flat surface is needed! The most obvious things people think about are windows, but there are so many more places we can place them! Cabinets, refrigerators, mirrors, or even walls (marble, or similar smooth textures) can be used as places cat owners can stick suction cups.

Again, think about where you want your cats to go (or not go). If you don’t want them to be near your computer, maybe put some of these perches and ledges away from the computer zone. If you want them to be around you while you work, then maybe put some near to your desk. If they have a habit of going behind the tv to reach the other side of the TV (and accidentally knocking stuff over), put some perches around so they can do it without going behind the TV.

Ledged Area for Litterbox

For cat owners, litter is a big source of pain and I’m not talking about the smell. Litter tracking (when litter sand/pellets get picked and brought around from the cat’s paws) is super annoying. It can get everywhere!

A designated zone for the litterbox is crucial to minimize tracking and to make cleaning the litterbox area easy. So knowing where to put the litter box is going to save your life or make it very difficult for you. In Asia, the entrance to every home has a shoe area that has a small ledge. It is simply the best place to put the litter box in my experience. The area is for shoes which means it’s mean to be a little bit messy and the ledge keeps in most of the litter that gets out from the litter box.

So when you scoop/clean up the litter area, you’re also cleaning up the shoe area from the dirt and dust you brought from the outside too! So taking out two chores at the same time is a lot better than doing both separately! So keep an eye out for these types of areas.

Click here for more tips on how to prevent litter tracking (including the best litter/litter box combination!

Conclusion

In conclusion, if you stick to these factors in choosing your apartment, your time with your cats will be quality time rather than time fixing problems or cleaning up after them – not to mention saving time for yourself too! Even butlers need some time off!

I have dedicated this website to help people care for their pets in apartments and for more tips about how to entertain indoor cats or cats in apartments, click here!

For a more general guide about how to live with pets in apartments, check out these 5 principles!