How Much Space To Cats Need?

[MeganLLB]

That should say How much space DO cats need. Wasn't sure where to post this...but I'm looking to move into a new apartment. The area where I am moving has much higher rent, so I don't think I can afford a three bedroom, with a living room, separate dining room, and kitchen, like I have now. I'm wondering how much space will my cats need to be happy along with me and my dog. It's hard enough finding a place that will allow 3 pets Is a one bedroom too small? Ideally I's like to have two bedrooms because my family likes to visit and stay the night. Does square footage matter?

Another question- I've always put their litter boxes in the basement so I never had to deal with litter box odor, tracking, and all that. So if my new place doesn't have a basement, where would be the best place to put three litter boxes?

 

[Minxxy]

That should say How much space DO cats need. Wasn't sure where to post this...but I'm looking to move into a new apartment. The area where I am moving has much higher rent, so I don't think I can afford a three bedroom, with a living room, separate dining room, and kitchen, like I have now. I'm wondering how much space will my cats need to be happy along with me and my dog. It's hard enough finding a place that will allow 3 pets Is a one bedroom too small? Ideally I's like to have two bedrooms because my family likes to visit and stay the night. Does square footage matter?

Another question- I've always put their litter boxes in the basement so I never had to deal with litter box odor, tracking, and all that. So if my new place doesn't have a basement, where would be the best place to put three litter boxes?

Litter boxes: If you have an extra closet you could put the boxes in there . You could use one of those pet gates that have a little door at the bottom for the cats to come and go. That way you could leave the door open for ventilation.
Space: Do the cats and dog live peacefully together? If so I would think a 1 bedroom apartment would be enough space for all of them. Maybe if you have room get a cat tower to place in front of a window so the cats could have a space of their own.

 

[Daisy6]

For three pets, I would get two bedrooms - especially if one of them is a dog. You may run into times when the cats need to be separated and with one bedroom an apartment may not have space for enough litterboxes. But the main reason to get a two-bedroom unit is you need that many rooms, not just more space to keep all three pets.

 

[KarenKat]

You can make up for lack of rooms by adding vertical space too. Not just cat trees, but shelves that lead to tall bookshelves are great. Look up Jackson galaxy’s cat superhighway concept of you haven’t heard of it. It made a huge difference for us with two people and two cats in a one bedroom.

We had a litterbox in the bathroom (better if not near the bathtub because the tracked litter gets wet and gross) and one in a corner in the living room. Closets are also great.

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

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MeganLLB - This guide is oft-quoted here on TCS, and to be frank, the outline is very logical, and has generally proven true:

How Many Cats Is Too Many? - Purrfect Love

I have eleven in ≅5,200 square feet / eight bedrooms, and everyone is generally comfortable, although my personal opinion is that as the number of cats increases, they begin to behave more like a Family than a group of unrelated individuals, and hence seem to require a bit less space than most guides suggest.
.

 

[Daisy6]

Daisy's litterbox is in the laundry room.

 

[MeganLLB]

They always get along with Bosco. Sometimes they even sleep together. They've never shown any kind of behavior like they wanted to get away from him. I don't think living together with Bosco will be a problem for them. We all even sleep together on the same bed at night-Bosco on my left, Artemis in between my legs, and Luna at the bottom of my feet. Although that means I can't ever move through the night but they are all happy!

 

[Minxxy]

They always get along with Bosco. Sometimes they even sleep together. They've never shown any kind of behavior like they wanted to get away from him. I don't think living together with Bosco will be a problem for them. We all even sleep together on the same bed at night-Bosco on my left, Artemis in between my legs, and Luna at the bottom of my feet. Although that means I can't ever move through the night but they are all happy!

That's awesome. It sounds like they'll be fine.

 

[MeganLLB]

I'm going to look at a few places today. I hope I can find something soon. I hate being in the middle of transition. Changing jobs, changing homes, I just want to be settled so I don't have to worry about anything

 

[MeganLLB]

This is the only picture I ever got with the three of them all together. They are never still long enough.

 

[Minxxy]

This is the only picture I ever got with the three of them all together. They are never still long enough.
View attachment 241862

Aww they're so sweet. So beautiful too. Is your dog a Cavalier?

 

[Minxxy]

I'm going to look at a few places today. I hope I can find something soon. I hate being in the middle of transition. Changing jobs, changing homes, I just want to be settled so I don't have to worry about anything

Good luck with everything.!

 

[Etarre]

KarenKat 's point about the vertical space is very good advice. I adopted my first cat when I was living in a studio apartment with less than 300 square feet. And she was a rambunctious kitten, too! But there was a huge loft bed in the apartment, and I wrapped the sides of the ladder in sisal so that she could climb up when she was too small to use the rungs. She got a ton of exercise flying up and down, and also had a high window to climb up to and lots of furniture to climb. Between that and lots of playtime, I think she was pretty happy in that space. She also had a lot of good hiding nooks, which was important for her.

 

[MeganLLB]

Aww they're so sweet. So beautiful too. Is your dog a Cavalier?

Yes he is!

 

[wealthy1]

I currently have two kittens. Before my first cat died, I was on the hunt for a 2-bedroom or at the very least an apartment with a den area.

I’m a firm believer that animals need their own “room”. I’m saving for a house now and I plan to have a bedroom for the kittens.

 

[MeganLLB]

With the help of a friend who knows a guy who owns some apartments, I was able to find a place that will take all three pets. He's really only doing this as a favor because of our mutual friend. But at least it's something and we're all together.

I put down a deposit today. This apartment is a lot smaller than the one I have now. It's a 2 bedroom 1.5 bath 2 story plus a full basement. But it is SMALL. I'm hoping the cats will be happy there and be okay downsizing. I think it's a good thing for me because I had trouble cleaning this place and keeping up with clutter and it was really too big for me for just one person. So I feel like downsizing might not be a bad thing. I just hope its enough room for them.

 

[KarenKat]

Congratulations on finding a new place!! I know it’s smaller, but it sounds like everyone gets along. Maybe with the two stories there can be options for vertical space.

The important thing is everyone gets to stay together! Even with the downsizing, all the kitties (and doggie) will be much happier with the family.

 

[Royalty]

.
MeganLLB - This guide is oft-quoted here on TCS, and to be frank, the outline is very logical, and has generally proven true:

How Many Cats Is Too Many? - Purrfect Love

I have eleven in ≅5,200 square feet / eight bedrooms, and everyone is generally comfortable, although my personal opinion is that as the number of cats increases, they begin to behave more like a Family than a group of unrelated individuals, and hence seem to require a bit less space than most guides suggest.
.

Wow eight bedrooms you have a big house , I thought mine was big five bedrooms I just have two cats n one dog and two servants for them

 

[Blakeney Green]

I just wanted to second the "vertical space" thing. You can increase the amount of usable space your cats have well beyond the footprint of your home by adding different levels for them to climb, perch, and lounge on. Even in a small house or apartment, your cats can have a lot of room to play and explore by adding shelves, cat trees, etc.