Small Space Living with Cats
In DC we have a lot of small apartments and a lot of cats! Even though cats don’t need a lot of space to be happy, there are a few ways you can make even the smallest studio apartment a cat paradise without sacrificing your own living space.
First, where is the best place to stash the litter box?
In a house, it can be easy to designate a spare bathroom or even the entire basement to your kitty’s toilet. Most of us don’t have that luxury and we have seen a lot of really creative ways to hide and camouflage the litter box. There are ready-made hideaway boxes that are disguised inside end tables, benches, and other normal looking furniture available for purchase online. If you’re feeling creative, you can make your own and turn any piece of furniture into a hidden box. Our favorite was a set of plastic storage drawers - the bottom drawer was the litter box, the middle drawer was removed for easy access, and then the top drawer was still usable for storing other kitty goodies!
What about play time?
There are hundreds of different toys available for cats. Something simple like a wand toy will keep them active within a small area and will be fun bonding play for you both. An easy way to keep things exciting is to only have a few toys out at once. Rotate through the toys regularly to spark their interest in a “new” toy.
And for lounging space:
Cat trees are a great way to make use of vertical space in any room. If things are really tight and you don’t have space for another piece of furniture, you can find cat perches that are designed to hang over a door or you can securely mount floating shelves to the wall. If you have space above your kitchen cabinets or refrigerator, stick a bed or comfy towel up there too.
Bonus points for creating a perch on a window sill. I like to call that “Cat TV!”
To finish off your kitty’s apartment (let’s be honest about whose it is!) you’ll want some scratching posts. They come in all shapes, styles, and textures, so if your cat doesn’t seem to be going for one try mixing up the material (cardboard vs rope) or switch a vertical scratcher hanging from the doorknob to a horizontal scratcher tucked away near that chair she likes to dig into.
Be sure to keep a carrier stashed away somewhere in case of any emergencies. Hard plastic carriers are great for travel and can usually be taken apart for storage, but in a true emergency like a fire, you’ll be able to open up a collapsed soft-sided carrier a lot easier.
No matter how much you enrich your kitty’s environment, they’ll still benefit from companionship while you are away. We’ll be happy to play their favorite games or provide a warm lap to snooze on while you travel! Click here to book our team for your next trip!