So. If everything goes well, I'll get to move to a new flat in a few months. Once I've settled into the flat, I really really want to get a cat. But if I can't provide a nice home for it, I won't get one, that would be selfish. And I don't know how cats work, please advise. The flat is about 30 square meters large, (320 square feet) plus balcony. It's on the fifth floor, so the cat wouldn't have a chance to go outdoors and explore stuff on its own. It could get 'outdoors' on the balcony, but then again the flat is on the fifth floor, and falling from that height is pretty lethal. So basically I'm asking, is 320 square feet enough room for a smallish cat, if I give it a climbing thingy and toys and attention? Or is it claustrophobic and bad?
i think it'd be okay, as long as they maybe had a window they could sit in and look out? all the indoor cats we've had before have pretty much been satisfied with that because of the sunbeams and some would actually freak if you tried taking them outside. i'd also consider getting a cat that's not a kitten but maybe a little older (like two or three at least) because even though raising a cat from kittenhood is fun, it's much easier to tell a cat's temperament and get an idea of how big it'll get if it's already older. you also have to consider if you'd be able to keep up with their box, because it'll stink up a smaller place really fast and it wouldn't be any fun for you or kitty. last but not least, if you still want your cat to get outside time you can get things like cat leashes and harnesses and let your cat wander a bit outside with you. they'll mostly just roll around and rub things for a bit in my experience. but yeah it sounds fine to me.
It is totally doable! Deresto has really good advice, and I might accidentally repeat some of it, but yeah. 1) Getting a 2-3 year old at the youngest is a great idea for a first cat, because it's much easier to get an idea of their temperament once they're settled into adulthood. In a space that small, you do NOT want a mad-scientist, zoomies-all-the-time cat; you want one a bit more laid back. 2) With that small of a space, you'll want to make sure you are spending some time wearing them out with play. Wand toys are really good for this! It will help cut down on incidents of running around knocking stuff over at 3AM if they've gotten good attacking-things-time when you're awake. 3) If you want to let them on the balcony but are scared of them trying to jump off, look into building a 'catio' - if you google that there's lots of advice about ways to discourage escaping and encourage good outdoors time. I adore cats, own two, and kind of have a special interest in cat care and behavioralism so pls feel free to hmu anytime with cat questions :D
In re cats: You gotta think about cat claws, too. Cats will claw and pick at things, so you'll want to be prepared or they'll end up trying to tear off pieces of carpet or couch. (Plus if the floor's damaged, you might not get your security deposit back.) Pick at least two of the options below: - A lot of cats love shredding cardboard. You can get big things of cardboard for them to shred, but that isn't necessary: look at what they look like in the pet store, then cut old cardboard boxes into strips and hot-glue them together in that shape. If you don't have cardboard boxes, ask at the local grocery store or dive in the apartment dumpsters. (If you get strange looks for this, "I need moving boxes" or even just "my cat loves boxes" is a good excuse.) - Get scrap lumber, scrap carpet, and a handful of nails from the hardware store. Nail the lumber together until it's in a stable, vaguely cat-treeish shape about a foot or two high (don't go higher; you don't want it falling over with the cat still on it). Cut the scrap carpet; nail it around the scrap lumber in several spots (it's okay if it doesn't completely cover the wood). This should cost you less than $20, even if you need to buy the tools. This will look terrible if you don't have much experience, but that's fine; I'm gonna ping @Void here to tell the saga of table.jpg (if they so choose). - Train your cat to be okay with you fiddling with her paws, so you can clip her nails yourself. You'll need to do nail clipping periodically, but as long as you can do at least once a month it should be okay. - There are little rubber tips called "Soft Paws" for covering cat claws; you have to clip the cat's nails and then Superglue the tips on, but they last for 6-8 weeks, and they come in fun colors. You can get sets of them off Ebay for very cheap; they're just as good as the ones in the pet stores, they just take longer to ship. - If your cat categorically refuses to let you touch her paws or clip her nails, you can take the cat to the vet and make the vet do it. This costs money, but clipping domestic cat claws is important so they don't get ingrown claws, so vets will pretty much always agree to do it. Once you have a safe clawing surface set up, you can put double-stick tape or aluminum foil on places you don't want the cat to claw, and sprinkle or rub catnip on places you do want the cat to claw (depending on the cat's response to catnip; I had a cat who just facerubbed catnip, so this wasn't useful for her). It is sometimes helpful to think of a cat as being autistic. This is not a perfect analogy, but in my experience it does seem to help with behavior-troubleshooting.
You are not the first person to notice this, there's literally a book titled "Why cats are autistic." actually, i think there's several books to this effect. cats absolutely do alright in apartments, just remember that you will need to figure out what toys said cat would like. also really supporting getting an adult cat, as temperament is much more stable and easy to tell when they're all grown up. A lot of people overlook adult kitties, and that's just plain SAD. they need the love too. if you put chickenwire around the balcony railing, it should dissuade the kitty from falling. but they'll likely be inclined to want to at least check out the balcony, so if you decide to sit out there, maybe let the kitty hang with you. they tend to be pretty okay at not falling off of high things. (but it's always good to be able to supervise, just to prevent accidents.) cat trees are excellent, because cats LIKE to be up high. a happy and confident kitty will want to sit in the highest spot in the room. which if you get a cat tree, hopefully will be that. instead of ruining the back of a chair, or your couch, with claws. also if you plant to build a cat tree yourself, make sure you have some sort of plan beforehand on HOW you want to do it. also wrapping the main "pole" in rope is about as good as carpet, as cats love to scratch that as well. just go for some rope that is really rough and "natural" not plastic/nylon/cotton. table.jpg is a shitty table me and wiwaxia built that mostly was unplanned and poorly executed and nearly broke apart. you really want something stable for a cat tree, so it doesn't fall over. unlike our weird three legged table. i've owned several cats over my lifetime/lived with lots of cats before so mostly a tip i can give is "google seriously can be your friend." make sure you've got probably two litter boxes, i don't know why cats can be so picky, but you REALLY wanna be more safe than sorry. just put them in opposite ends of apartment and you're good
If you can afford a cat tree, definitely get one. We have one for every cat, and it's really good for them to have a stable piece of furniture that they can mess up and run around all they want; if you put it next to a window and open it if it has a screen, that solves almost all of the getting high up and seeing outside problems you'll have. Seconding the two litterboxes, and getting those "vacation" water dispensers (that are basically giant water coolers on a bowl) is a good idea. Any variety of toys can work for your cat, but they're going to prefer one kind over another. Try getting a wand (NO CAPS ON THE END okay the little rubber caps? They're just large enough to get stuck in a cat's small intestine. If your wand has a cap, pull it off and toss it.) a catnip kick toy, and a jingle ball or two. They'll like at least one, and appreciate the variety. If your shelter allows it, try and chillax with the cats in it for an hour or so. Young adult cats (2-3) are going to be the best for you as a first cat, and you'll get a better idea of how they interact with you over a period of time. Shorthair would probably be best for a first time cat too, since you'll still want to brush them but they won't be absolute hell if you don't. Also, older cats are usually cheaper to adopt and fixed already, so that's some extra expenses you don't have to worry about. When working on clipping claws, the way that works best for us is teach them by treating. Treat after each paw and once you're done with all four, because cats do learn very quickly! Two of ours are completely docile when we clip their claws, and the other two are only fussy because they were feral for a while and still aren't happy about having their claws clipped. (Opinions on outdoor cats are divided; if you want them to go out, leashes are a good way to do it. Since your balcony isn't screened in I'm assuming, make sure they're on a leash out there too. Unsupervised outdoor visits is a really good way to get your cat sick/injured, and indoor-only cats are perfectly healthy and happy, so if you're wary of letting them out, it's okay to keep them inside. They will get curious about the door, and if it was feral before it might be a bolter, but most cats settle into a territory pretty easily and don't get too fussed about going outside.)
I'm generally an advocate of "indoor only unless on a leash or in a supervised screened in area" because cats that roam outdoors alone with no supervision tend to end up in a heap of bad. injuries, illness, and parasites are common and generally Bad News for your kitty friend. But if you're in a 5th floor apartment, i'm not really sure they'd have more access to the outdoors beyond your balcony. agreed with the toys thing, and also putting the cat tree near a window! going to a shelter and meeting kitties and hanging with them is a good way to figure out what cat fits you. totally, totally see if your local shelter allows that.
Being able to look out the window is definitely a big thing for indoor cats - mine rotates between three places she can see outside throughout the day. Having somewhere it can hide is also a good idea, especially when it's new to your home and everything is scary. My cat does not care for most cat toys, but there are these little crinkly balls that go for 99 cents at the pet store that she absolutely adores. She also goes crazy for emery boards.
This is a cheap and durable kick toy: Take two washcloths and some sewing thread. Ball up one of the washcloths and use it as "stuffing" for the other one, as if you were gathering a drawstring bag. Sew through the top a lot to secure. This one is pretty safe, assuming the washcloths shred rather than unraveling; check it when it looks ragged to make sure it isn't making long strings kitty can get tangled inside. Speaking of that: Yes, I know, it's pretty much universal that cats enjoy playing with string or yarn, but MAKE SURE TO SUPERVISE YOUR CAT WHEN PLAYING WITH STRING. String can knot up inside the cat, lassoing part of the digestive tract; this is Very Bad. (If your cat swallows string anyway, do not pull on it when it starts to come out the other end of the cat. If it bothers you, cut off what's dangling, but you really do not want to give the inside of your cat rug burn.)
Thanks for all the cat-related advice. So. I'm gonna have to buy/make a climbing tree and safe toys. I do have a bunch of cardboard lying around, I might as well use it. I don't think I need to make sure there's a place to hide because it will just end up underneath the bed anyway. I'll try to go for a young adult cat instead of a kitten, the shelter's a good idea, my parents got their dog from a local shelter too and she's a darling. I'm still thinking about what to do about the window and the balcony - the only real window in the flat opens onto the balcony. Which means I probably can't leave the cat unsupervised when the window is open. Which is bad because the flat in question will get hot and smelly very fast, it's meant to have the window and balcony door open whenever the temperature is not freezing. Getting a screen might be the sensible option. Also I got the impression from your posts that cats are fun, but really complicated animals.
i'd say they're just about as complicated to care for as owning a dog, if not a mite more independent. cat personalities are just as varied as dog ones imo. there are rowdy ones and calm ones, ones that don't mind being held and ones that can't stand it, ones you may never see for a long time and one day they'll just jump in your lap and pretend they've always been there. just take your time choosing and it'll work out for the both of you, i'm sure.
pretty much all pets can be "complicated" animals. Personalities vary lots! Also, if you leave the window cracked, and can lock it in that position, you can have the window open without them prying it open further to get out. Mostly just being able to keep an eye on the kitty when the window is open would be a not terrible idea. or fitting the window with a heavy duty screen said kitty can't shove out of the window.
One way you can "lock" a window on runners or a sliding door (assuming that's the type your balcony has) to keep it open but not too open is to put a ruler or piece of wood in the runner. If the cat tries to push the door/window further open, the wood butts against the frame and keeps the window/door in the same position.
Honestly, cats are probably one of the lowest spoons animals I've ever owned. Other than the litterbox (which is another reason not to get a kitten: adult cats come potty trained) and checking food/water, they're not hugely resource dependent. Mostly you'll just need to keep an eye on them, but sticking a jingle collar on them is the fastest way to solve that issue-- we can tell where the kitten is all the time, because he makes plenty of noise.
I've had both cats and dogs, and of the two, cats are way less of a spoon drain. As much as I love dogs and I love how I can go on walks with them, but they are very.... clingy, they are like having little kids. Cats do really well in small apartments, though with an apartment that size I'd recommend only having one. Maybe two if they are best friends. Cats can be very territorial so if you ever wanted to have more than one cat you'd have to make sure there is enough space where everyone feels like they have their own territory (kind of like how people can get really stressed if they feel like they have no privacy). However if you are only getting one cat? Small apartments shouldn't be an issue. Especially if they have a lot of vertical space because they like being high up (one reason why I've pretty much given up on the idea of keeping cats off the tables and counters. They just don't get that only some tall things are meant to be on and trying to train them otherwise is an exercise in frustration. toys are great, my personal fav are the cat wands, but catnip toys and those little tinker balls are great too. I also recommend going to the shelter and getting to know the kitties first. If you're unsure you could always ask and tell them that you want to adopt your first cat and what you are looking for in terms of personality and energy level. Some cats are very low energy and are pretty content with lots of naps and cuddles and occasionally picking up a toy. Others are hyper and will make their own mischief if they don't get a lot of playtime. Most of my cats have been pretty mellow so I think you'll do fine. also the suggestions about the window so far are good. From personal experience I've had windows with normal screens they can probably bust out of and had those windows wide open. They like to sniff the fresh air, and even when they see little birds in the yard it doesn't really occur to them that they can jump out the window. A mellow cat might not even be interested in windows besides smelling the air and laying in sun puddles. But I understand why a lot of people wouldn't want to take that risk. one more thing is if you have house plants or are planning on bringing plants into the house you have to be very careful and make sure they aren't toxic. A lot of plants can make cats sick, and lilies in particular are extremely poisonous. I've had a cat who was constantly throwing up and losing weight, we thought she was having problems with hairballs since she had those a lot too, but then we found out she was eating one of the plants and as soon as that was out of her reach she instantly stopped throwing up and gained her weight back. That's not to say you can't have any plants ever, I recently brought some flowers in the house that aren't toxic and only 1 out of the 3 cats wanted to chew on it. The others sniffed it and walked away. The cat that did want to eat it hasn't tried eating it since I kept pushing him away and he was given treats after, so it reinforced in his little kitty brain that not eating the green thing that this human is claiming for some reason means I get tasty things!
Cats are pretty easy to take care of. I've had them since I was eight, so coming on twenty years. It doesn't matter the size of the space the cat is in, I mean as long as you don't keep them in a cage. They'll make their own fun, and if they have lots of areas to climb on-- bookshelves, furniture, etcetc, they'll be happy. I second the idea that they need a perch on which to look out the window. Cat trees are good, but if the window has a large sill, they enjoy sitting on those as well. Since it will be a cramped space, I'd recommend an adult cat as well. Not to mention, everyone adopts kittens, but adult cats are difficult to find homes for. If you choose an adult cat who has claws, or really any cat, DON'T DECLAW THEM. Not only because it's remarkably, unnecessarily cruel, but because this can cause HUGE behavioral and health problems-- they walk on the joints that are removed during declawing, which forces them to walk on an unnatural part of their feet, which can lead to early arthritis. It can also make them start going out of the litter box if they experience pain on their feet when they try to go. The best toys I've ever found are simple sparkly glitter pom poms sold at pet stores. Bigger sizes are better. I have never had a cat who didn't go wild for them. A lot of people say that cats are really aloof, but it's been my experience in cat ownership that they are by and large huge snugglebugs who can't get enough attention. Prepare for lots of love.
ngl, the thread title totally threw me off - my first reaction was "no, cats typically do not work and are dependents" next reaction was "wait, can i put cats in as dependents on my tax forms"
For the balcony problem, there are special nets you can buy, or you can probably get cheap netting to cover your balcony with if you´re worried. It gives the cat an outside to explore a little and lets you open the window.
