It may surprise you to learn that cats can be a great choice for apartment living – they easily adapt to an indoor lifestyle and make the purrfect pet for people with busy lifestyles.
Although cats don’t require regular walks like dogs do, they still require attention though, which is why it’s important to consider your lifestyle if you’re planning on adopting a cat. You also need to consider how suitable your apartment is for a feline companion, and how you can make it even more suitable – a design strategy which is popularly known as ‘catification’.
Ideal Temperament for Apartment Living
Whilst there are many breeds that are suited to apartment living, you’ll need an cat who possesses the following temperament and personality traits:
- Easy-going, calm and relaxed
- Happy to entertain himself
- Comfortable being alone during the day if you work
- Quiet rather than excessively vocal (unless you want to upset your neighbours!)
Luckily, there are a number of breeds who seem particularly suited to apartment living.
Cat Breeds That Suit Apartment Living
The following four breeds have the personality traits that make them a good choice for apartment dwellers with busy lifestyles. Of course, you don’t need to adopt a pure-breed cat – many domestic cats also have these personality traits and are well suited to living in an apartment. Talk to your local cat rescue organisation and ask which cats in their care would best suit your living situation and lifestyle.
- British Shorthair – Quiet and laid back, with a friendly personality that makes him perfect if you’re looking for a cat to cuddle up with at the end of the day.
- Persian – Known as the quietest, most laid back of all the cat breeds, your Persian will probably be perfectly happy to chill out in the apartment while you’re out at work. But just because he’s laid back, don’t think that he’s a low maintenance cat – his long hair will need regular grooming. If you’re looking for the easy-going personality without the regular hairstyling, his short-haired cousin the Exotic might be a better choice.
- Ragdoll – Quiet and gentle, he gets his name from the breed’s tendency to go limp in your arms when picked up. Ragdolls are generally a very docile breed, so could well be the choice for you.
- Javanese – Javanese are known as one of the most independent breeds, so won’t rely on you to keep him company all the time. Saying that, they’re a very playful breed, so he’ll need plenty of environmental enrichment and stimulation to keep him entertained.
How to Catify Your Apartment
Keeping your cat in an apartment doesn’t need to restrict his lifestyle. Create plenty of vertical spaces (either shop bought or with clever use of existing furniture and shelves) and places for climbing, and plenty of comfortable, private places for him to enjoy when he needs quiet time. This creates space for him, and is especially important if you have more than one cat.
Interactive toys that don’t need you to be there will keep him occupied while you’re at work, and you could even consider ‘Cat TV’ – a bird table on your balcony (if you have one) for him to admire out of the window. Speaking of a balcony, if your apartment does have an outside space, you could consider making it into a secure, cat-friendly area and letting him enjoy the fresh air.
Do you live in an apartment? What breed of cat do you have? Have you made any modifications to your living space to accommodate the needs of your cat?
