Posted: July 10, 2009, 3 a.m. EDT
Q: I am downsizing my living space from a one bedroom to a studio and I have two cats. How can I help them make the adjustment?
A: One of my cat-sitting clients lives in a studio apartment on the east side of Manhattan. She has two adorable cats, Hermes and Snookie. Fortunately for them, there is a huge window in the studio that faces a busy street. She bought each cat a multi-level carpeted cat treehouse and placed them right in front of the window. These are so tall they nearly reach the ceiling. Both kitties love to perch high up on their respective treehouses and watch the world go by. For added fun, my client also placed a bird feeder outside the window. It’s safe to say that Hermes and Snookie can observe lots of outdoor activities to keep them entertained.
A small living space for your cat is fine as long as you make it interesting. I believe that being able to see outdoors can give your indoor cat the feeling of more space. Just think of how many times we see contented kitties gazing out a window taking it all in. Cats are climbers and they don’t need a lot of floor space like dogs. Cat furniture, like a treehouse, can help increase her living space — think vertical, not horizontal!
Because cats like to play and prowl around, put some toys behind a door, on their cat furniture or even in the bathtub to discover and bat around. You would be surprised just how many cats like playing with toys in the tub — minus the water, of course.
As said, the amount of space will not matter much if you have plenty to keep them occupied, and the bottom line is this — if you are there, they will love living in that space no matter what size it is.