Do Cats Mind A Messy House?

[ashekitty]

Hey everyone.
I don’t know if this is the right place to post this, but I’ll give it a shot. I have an ongoing battle with depression, and although I am doing much better now, I am still not functioning to a level I’d call normal. I am able to care for my cat completely, (grooming, feeding, litter box needs, ect.) and she is one of the things that have helped me get better. But I still rarely have the energy or motivation to clean my home. It is always really cluttered and has fur everywhere. I try to pick things up off the floor that would be hazardous such as small pieces of plastic and such, but I’m always worried that my kitty is suffering from the mess. For all of you messy people out there, what do you think? Do your kitties mind the mess?

 

[vince]

Have a bit of depression issues myself, but nothing that affects day to day life all that much. That's why I got the cats after retiring, following many years of having no pets. I have an active hoarding gene too. Not letting clutter build up is an ongoing problem.

Cats actually like the clutter. It gives them places to hide and play. Just keep things free of potential dangers like you're doing and they'll be fine.

 

[KarenKat]

I agree that cats enjoy a “mess”. We aren’t great on cleaning up (hardwood floors + litter = chaos) but I never see an indication that it concerns the kitties. In fact they prefer an unmade bed, the scamps!

 

[misterwhiskers]

I’m in your shoes, and my cat hates it if my house gets messy. Dishes smell if they sit, the floor gets dusty. A pile of clothes makes a room look unrecognizable. I find myself cleaning for the cat more than for myself.

 

[Katie M]

Hey everyone.
I don’t know if this is the right place to post this, but I’ll give it a shot. I have an ongoing battle with depression, and although I am doing much better now, I am still not functioning to a level I’d call normal. I am able to care for my cat completely, (grooming, feeding, litter box needs, ect.) and she is one of the things that have helped me get better. But I still rarely have the energy or motivation to clean my home. It is always really cluttered and has fur everywhere. I try to pick things up off the floor that would be hazardous such as small pieces of plastic and such, but I’m always worried that my kitty is suffering from the mess. For all of you messy people out there, what do you think? Do your kitties mind the mess?

I’m in the exact same boat you are, with the added distraction of school. I only make minimal effort when it comes to cleaning. The cats don’t seem to mind. I hope they don’t, anyway.

 

[Sonatine]

I'm in a very similar situation, but I don't actually think the cat minds the mess. I tell myself that all the clutter gives her more hiding places from which to pounce on her toy and leave it at that. While there are a lot of people whose judgement I fear, my cat is not one of them, fortunately.

I did have to clean for an inspection recently, and while my apartment is still nowhere near neat, it's vastly cleaner than it was. The cat does not act differently, because as I suspected, she doesn't give a damn either way.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! The only thing would be the dust, dander, etc causing breathing issues. Hang in there, and try and vacuum /dust a bit more frequently

 

[ashekitty]

Thank you everyone! I appreciate everyone weighing in. My cat doesn’t seem to mind but then again I am always worried about her.

 

[GreyLady]

I would agree that my cat shows no sign of caring when it's messy, but I think he likes it better clean because tables and surfaces have room for him to jump up again.

One unclean thing he actively doesnt like is when I haven't vaccumed in awhile, then when he goes to eat a treat or catch a string off the floor he catches fur or one of my long hairs in his mouth and gets it stuck in his whiskers. He's actually my biggest motivation in vaccuuming often, next to myself not liking getting hairs tangled in my toes. Lol.

Also, if someone neglects to clean the litter box a day too long, he will pee on piles of clothes if I leave them out. So I don't do either of those things unless I should incur his wrath and have my clothes peed on.

 

[aliceneko]

My family have a long history with hoarding, which is something my mother has inherited though Toffee and Fudge don't seem to mind clutter (in fact, I'd say quite the contrary, as they like exploring through it and climbing on it all). However, if your cat is particularly lively and energetic I would try and clear as much as you're able to of the room where she spends most of her time since things can easily be knocked down on the ends of armchairs and sofas, etc (magazines and newspapers are a particular nightmare). Thankfully, my boys like the tidiest room in the house (our living room)! As someone who also suffers from depression (cats are a great support indeed as Toffee and Fudge have really helped me cope with loneliness and emptiness) I can understand the lack of energy - or inability to manage at the moment - you have right now.
I was actually advised by an experienced owner (of 19 cats and a Staffordshire Terrier!) from the shelter where I got Toffee and Fudge from that slightly messy houses are better for cats as when they're very playful and energetic tidy houses would be more prone to get ruined.

 

[Blakeney Green]

A little clutter will not negatively affect your cats. It won't harm them for the house not to be spotless.

Obviously cats do need an environment that is sanitary and free of hazards.

As long as that standard is met, though, I don't think you need to fret about a few dust bunnies or piled surfaces.

 

[susanm9006]

I think that cats love clean. Make a bed and the cat will run to sprawl out on it. Fold the laundry and they will bury themselves in it. Mine would change their sleeping space if it got too fur covered. And of course a neater house gives them more open spaces to sleep and perch.

I wasn’t always good at housekeeping, in fact pretty terrible for a lot of years. But I keep the house neat and clean now because I came to realize that it makes me feel better. When it is messy I didn’t want guests so I was more isolated. I would get frustrated and spend more money because I couldnt find what I needed or forgot I had already bought it. And when you let it go too long it just feels overwhelming to get it back to clean. So, I spend some time now every day in the household stuff. I love that if I have company coming on short notice I can make the place presentable in minutes rather than hours.

 

[abby2932]

My cats have forced me to keep a clean house. I did used to be quite a mess when I was in in my 20s.

If I leave clothes on the ground, one of my cats (who recently passed away) would always pee on them so I've learned to always put clothes away. My new kitten will pee on any blanket that is "rumpled" so I always have to make the bed and put away the throw blanket on the sofa when I'm not using it. If I leave dishes out, my girl cat will lick the dishes or eat the leftovers so I'm also very good at picking those up. If I'm making my bed every day & picking up all of my clothes & dishes, it's pretty easy to maintain the rest.

I don't have depression so I dont know what you're going through but I do find that my mood matches the state of my living conditions. When my room is a mess and laundry is piling up, I tend to stay home & be lazy and antisocial. When my house is clean, dishes & laundry done, bathroom smelling fresh, my mood is brighter & I'm much more likely to want to get dressed, pamper myself, go do something social & enjoy myself.

 

[abyeb]

I think it does depend on the individual cat. I do try to keep things clean for Charlie (he tries to eat strange things like hairties, pieces of paper, tape...), but he also loves rolling around in the dirty laundry. Keeping the litterbox clean is definitely important, though.

 

[misty8723]

As much as I hate and loathe clutter, I can't keep up with it and it always seems to be a mess in here (especially with DH retired and not caring about what it looks like), and the cats don't seem to mind it.

 

[huxleysmom]

My cat Huxley was a very anxious cat, more than I realized at times. It’s not that he minded mess I guess, but more like he was scared by anything new that he did not recognize. Every time something was on the floor or somewhere on my bed, he’d just approach it very slowly with this kind of stop and go move, smelling the air around it very carefully as if he was afraid it was going to jump at him. Once he’d realized it was just a pile of clothes, books or whatever it was and that he was safe, he’d be fine with it. I don’t think this is your average cat reaction though. Just my very special boy.

 

[Jayflower]

I don't think cats mind a mess too much, as long as it doesn't interfere with their daily routine. I'm struggling with depression too, but I'm also a neat freak. Everything has to be clean and put away in it's spot. It's harder for me to find the motivation to do the housework than it was before I became depressed. It still gets done, it just takes me a little bit longer.
Of course a little bit of mess has to be tolerated when living with cats; cat fur on the furniture, cat toys strewn all over the floor, etc...but that's okay!