Keeping a cat in the apartment

Many people have decided that they want to keep a cat in their apartment and are looking for good tips and advice on how to design the animal's living space in a species-appropriate way. Unlike dogs, cats are particularly suitable for people who do not value daily walks with the animal. However, what one should fundamentally consider is the fact that a cat is a very willful animal that, depending on its temperament, will sooner or later fit into the human's living space. Unlike a dog, a cat cannot be trained; it wants to lead an independent life within the apartment and is, depending on its mood, willing to adhere to the human's "rules". This point alone has led many new cat owners to either give the animal away again or to resign themselves to entering into a compromise relationship with their house cat.

Small kittens and large cats

Usually, one wants to have a baby cat when the decision has been made to offer a cat a home. While these are quite lively and can also get up to quite a lot of mischief, they learn the right cat behavior with a lot of patience and attention. If you take an older cat into your apartment, its personality is already established and it comes into your life like a new partner. Both have to get used to each other, and if the human does not like a trait of the cat, they might be able to change something about it with patience and love. In principle, however, the cat's living space should be designed as species-appropriately as possible, and this also includes:

• A scratching post or a scratching mat
• A sleeping place, even if cats choose this themselves
• A fixed feeding place
• A litter box

Cats are creatures of habit and do not like it when their usual food bowls or the scratching post are constantly moved to a different place. Such changes irritate the animal and could be the reason why the cat suddenly no longer uses the litter box, but another place in the apartment. If you want to keep a cat, you should respect it and, above all, tolerate its quirks. This also includes the fact that cats like to climb and thus often climb up the curtains or wander around on cupboards, tables, and work surfaces.

Cats are ideal for working people

Of course, a cat also likes it when its human is present, but it does not harm it if it is alone during the day. This is also the reason why, above all, working and single people want to keep a cat. In the evening, human and animal meet in the apartment and everyone looks forward to the other. Whether the cat has the opportunity to enjoy free roaming during the day or not depends on personal and local preferences. Basically, a cat does not have to be in the great outdoors. If it can move freely in the apartment, it will see this as its home and, with appropriate activities offered, it will gladly wait until its human comes home.

Read also: Tips for cat training

Photo by Sabine, meinhaushalt.at