How to Keep a Cat(s) in One Room

Whatever your conditions are, there are times when we have to either keep our cats in one place for their safety or simply if there just isn’t enough space. For example, in certain places in the world, it’s very common for people to live in one-room apartments with their pets.

Many people think it’s cruel to keep their cats in one room but it’s most of the time it’s crueler to keep cats outside where there are a lot of risks, disease, and danger.

So is it possible to keep cats in one room? Keeping cats in one room is very possible if it’s at least 15 square meters and as long as there are adequate amounts of elevated areas for the cats to escape to if necessary. Keeping cats in a small space means that should be more stimulation in their environment (proper furniture) and more playtime to compensate for the lack of space.

How small is too small? Read more about how big your room or apartment should be to have a cat: Is Your Apartment Big Enough for a Cat or Multiple Cats?

Of course, there are a lot of factors but as long as owners understand the needs and requirements of their cats, they will be more than satisfied.

Here is how to keep a cat in one room:

1. Make sure that they have their basic requirements met (meaning physical requirements).
2. Then make them stay in that room of their own choice by fulfilling their instinctual requirements and emotional requirements!

As mentioned before, I live in a small studio apartment right now and use to live in an even smaller studio apartment with my cats (4 at this point). I go to work in the morning and come back in the evening like many people and when I come home, the cats greet me and they’re very affectionate. So take it from me, it’s very possible.

Room Essentials For A Cat

So if we start to think about what a cat needs to feel stimulated and satisfied, it’s really not all that complicated (so don’t feel bad or guilty!) (so don’t feel bad or guilty!). Cats need all of these things to prevent negative behavioral or health issues. Some of these being obesity, destructive behavior, lethargic behavior, and even aggressive behavior towards you or your other animals.

Physical Essentials

• Food
• Water
• Litter Box

These are straightforward. Cats need food, water, and a litter box to relieve themselves. A lot of people think that this is the end all be all of owning a cat and unfortunately they quickly realize that there’s more to it.

This is the starting point but it’s easy to build off of this to create an environment in one room that can satisfy more than just a cat’s physical essentials.

Instinctual Essentials

• Proper scratching post
• Elevated surfaces and vertical space (*Bonus, place to perch on the window)
• Play-time

Now let’s think about what a cat needs to do to feel like they’re cats. Cats are hunters and hunters have their weapon of choice and for cats, of course, it’s their claws. A cat will find the sturdiest, tallest, and most resistant thing in your bedroom to be a claw sharpener, so unless you have a proper cat scratcher such as the ultimate scratching post, they will find other things to scratch (usually things we don’t want it to scratch). So provide them with a good scratching post.

The next thing to tackle is their hunting instincts. When I lived in a one-room apartment with my cats, I had to play with them every night before I slept. Why? Because they wouldn’t let me sleep otherwise. A good play session with your cats is the difference between a well-adjusted cat and a demon cat. Read more about the importance of play and how it affects your cats.

One thing to note is that the type of play is important as well. Cats love to hunt so use something that allows them to chase, climb, or burrow. Interactive wand toys and fetch will allow them to do these types of things while things like a stationary toy that they bat around can easily get boring.

The amount you need to play with your cat will be dependent on how active your cat is. I recommend at least once per day in the beginning and then when they get used to the schedule, once every two days will be enough to satisfy them. This may also depend on if you have more than one cat. The main point to get across is that play is essential. For more details on when the most optimal time to play with your cat, read about it here!

The last thing to touch upon is their territorial instincts. We also have to remember that in the wild cats are also prey to larger animals. Therefore, they feel the safest when they are in high places.

Allow them to get away from danger or uncomfortable situations by giving them these spaces so that other rooms aren’t necessary. A good way to provide this is with window hammocks or other types of platforms. Read more here about how to provide these types of places for our cats!

Emotional Essentials

• Cat – human interactions
• Having a schedule for play and meals
• * Bonus cat to cat interactions (not essential but recommended)

What’s the point of owning any pet if we are not going to be interacting with them? Or allowing them to interact with us? Every living thing wants attention and as the owner, being social and involved with your cat is important for its emotional development.

Having a schedule and a routine for you to interact with your cats is integral for your bond with your cats. Cats are habitual creatures and as they recognize that you are involved with their daily lives, they are able to create those bonds with you.

Other than creating bonds, having a hectic or frequently changing household environment can be very stressful for certain cats. This increase in stress and stress hormones caused the cats to be twice as likely to be ill or sick in recent studies.

While many people might only want one cat in their lives, I believe that cats are innately quite social and love the extra company by another cat friend. Being able to do things together and even just being in each other’s presence is great for the mental health of your cat. Not only that, it allows you some breathing room so that you don’t have to plan everything around your cat if you have a very active breed (such as my Bengal).

Preparations and Things to Avoid When Living With a Cat in One Room

• Clutter – the first thing to avoid is clutter. Being highly organized and neat is one of the main ways to get your cats out of trouble and to keep you sane. It also teaches your cat what is acceptable or unacceptable to play with.
• Cables – get cables under control. For the same reason as above, young cats if allowed to bite cables, will continue to bite cables as they grow up. Not only will it destroy your items, but it’s also dangerous for your cats for obvious reasons.
• Unders – A word that cat people invented to call the space under your bed, couch, and other small spots underneath. For cleaning, they are terrible for cleaning and organizing because it’s a pain to get everything under there and somehow cat hair always ends up collecting there. Unders also prevent cats from going out of their comfort zone (if they’re a new in the household), so it might complicate introductions in a multi-cat home.

Other Recommendations For Cats in One Room

These are the things that I want to recommend quickly but are not mandatory. They just help with either convenience or better for sanitary/safety reasons. If you want or have the time, you can read more about these topics following these links:

• Use pine litter
• Keep cats off of the ground
• Invest in an air purifier and robotic vacuum for cat hair/shedding management

When Keeping Your Cats in One Room Wouldn’t Work

If you are keeping your cats in one room just because you want to hide them for some reason or can’t pay attention to them for longer than a day, it’s best to avoid having any animals in general. Like any living thing, they crave attention and want to socialize.

With prolonged neglect or lack of interaction, indoor cats can become more stray-like and return to a more fearful state, resulting in distrust and aggression. Therefore, if this is the situation that you might be in, it’s best to avoid having cats until you’re ready to take responsibility to satisfy these requirements!

Final Thoughts

Those that are considering having a cat in their place and are concerned about a small living space, be assured it’s entirely possible to give our furry felines a stimulating and fulfilled life!

Are your cats living in a single room, or a in a small space? Share your experiences or ask any questions down in the comments section.