Question about moving into a small place.

terestrife

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Do you guys think my cats would be ok in an efficiency? Some people rent out rooms in their homes that have a private entrance. Would they be ok in a small space like that?

My cats currently live in a two story house so I'm concerned.

All the apartments in the area i wish to live are so expensive. I want to live near my job in Kendall, Fl. I work at MDC - Kendall Campus. The only cheap apartments are in bad neighborhoods.
 

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Would the landlord allow you to install some shelving for them to climb on? Could you buy or build a large cat tree?
If the landlord is hesitant, you can offer to patch holes in the walls before you leave and tell them you're doing this to avoid possible spraying, etc.
Many cats live happily in small spaces so long as they get lots of attention, lots of enrichment and space (vertical). Do you just have two cats, and do they get along?
 

Pjg8r

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It depends. How many cats do you have? How active are they? Would you be able to install vertical space? Are they cats that would be distressed hearing people in the other parts of the house when you aren’t there? There are ways to make it work in a small space.
 
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terestrife

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Would the landlord allow you to install some shelving for them to climb on? Could you buy or build a large cat tree?
If the landlord is hesitant, you can offer to patch holes in the walls before you leave and tell them you're doing this to avoid possible spraying, etc.
Many cats live happily in small spaces so long as they get lots of attention, lots of enrichment and space (vertical). Do you just have two cats, and do they get along?
im not sure yet, i am still in the process of looking around. i am weighing my options at the moment. i do have two cats trees, i think i can just take them with me.

It depends. How many cats do you have? How active are they? Would you be able to install vertical space? Are they cats that would be distressed hearing people in the other parts of the house when you aren’t there? There are ways to make it work in a small space.
i have two cats. they are a bit active they go up and down the stairs and play around the house. i dont know if theyll be distressed hearing other people. they have lived in homes filled with my family members before. i dont know if they would care about strangers making noises.
 

WillowMarie

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Are you talking about a bedroom? My personal experience with my Isabelle. This past year she has spent a semester in a tiny dorm room and 2 months in a tinier bedroom of a trailer sized home this summer. She was the only cat then, so it might make a difference with you having more than one, but she would get antsy and bored. Every week her toys would be rotated and human and cat furniture rearranged to help keep her stimulated. I think it helped having a window that looked over a major walking path at the college helped as Isabelle could watch people walk by.
 
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terestrife

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Are you talking about a bedroom? My personal experience with my Isabelle. This past year she has spent a semester in a tiny dorm room and 2 months in a tinier bedroom of a trailer sized home this summer. She was the only cat then, so it might make a difference with you having more than one, but she would get antsy and bored. Every week her toys would be rotated and human and cat furniture rearranged to help keep her stimulated. I think it helped having a window that looked over a major walking path at the college helped as Isabelle could watch people walk by.
thank you for the input. :) its pretty much a single room with a mini kitchen and an added bathroom. usually a part of someones house.
 

daftcat75

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If you can put up shelves and trees and perches where the cats can get (mostly) around the room without touching the floor, that would make them feel so much more comfortable than more ground square footage. A cat that’s constantly underfoot is going to feel confined, cornered, and vulnerable. A cat that can perch and look down on the human (and feline) coming and going without being caught up is going to feel large in charge. Think about your bed corners and other junctures where you might trip over a cat. Put up a vertical path, an easy escape route for your cats and they’ll appreciate how much larger and safer you make their space for them.
 

daftcat75

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My Krista and I have been in a couple of hotel rooms. She adapts to the new smaller space with no issues. Mostly she wants to spend the time with me. Or on the bed. Just like at home. But when she does want to get up to something, she goes high. If you don’t provide your cats more appealing paths and perches, expect them to surf the counters and the top of your fridge.
 

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thank you daftcat75 daftcat75 i'll keep your recommendations in mind. :blush:
terestrife terestrife , I lived in 332 sq. ft. efficiency apartment attached to landlord's house for a year with three cats. Because there was a tall armoire and a couple of chairs and a scratching post and a double bed, they had places to climb and to hide under when they wanted to. It was a very tiny space filled with furniture, but we managed. There were no conflicts between them, either. I was home most of the time and able to give them a lot of attention. There was music on almost all the time, and TV on in the evening. I used catnip spray on their scratching post, and gave them toys including interactive wand-and-lure toys such as Cat Dancer. We got along just fine!
 

Etarre

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My first cat spent her early years living with me in a small (300 square foot) studio apartment. She sometimes got bored
and got into stuff (cat proofing is harder in a small space) but overall she was fine. I had a loft so she had lots of vertical
space and we did have a window so she could people-watch all day if she wanted to.

If yours are used to a larger space, it might be more difficult, but it's certainly doable, especially if you can get a lofted space
or install shelves to maximize space. Remember also that cats often enjoy tiny spaces that humans don't really consider
to be spaces at all!
 

daftcat75

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My first cat spent her early years living with me in a small (300 square foot) studio apartment. She sometimes got bored
and got into stuff (cat proofing is harder in a small space) but overall she was fine. I had a loft so she had lots of vertical
space and we did have a window so she could people-watch all day if she wanted to.

If yours are used to a larger space, it might be more difficult, but it's certainly doable, especially if you can get a lofted space
or install shelves to maximize space. Remember also that cats often enjoy tiny spaces that humans don't really consider
to be spaces at all!
I'm with Jackson Galaxy that it's better to provide perches to grow the cat's territory than hiding spaces to constrict it. But as long as you have all your vertical spaces, perches, and pathways (raceways?) to keep the cats out from underfoot of humans and each other, then you can probably provide a few hiding spaces. If you don't want fights, I'd treat them like litterboxes. Provide at least one per cat plus one.

Krista loves to sleep under the bookcase. It is one of those ladder designs that rests against the wall. There's a perfect cat sized space under the first shelf.
 

tarasgirl06

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I'm with Jackson Galaxy that it's better to provide perches to grow the cat's territory than hiding spaces to constrict it. But as long as you have all your vertical spaces, perches, and pathways (raceways?) to keep the cats out from underfoot of humans and each other, then you can probably provide a few hiding spaces. If you don't want fights, I'd treat them like litterboxes. Provide at least one per cat plus one.

Krista loves to sleep under the bookcase. It is one of those ladder designs that rests against the wall. There's a perfect cat sized space under the first shelf.
We had one of those plank-and-brick DIY bookcases in the 332-sq-ft. place. It was the one place the cats really couldn't access, because I had to use it not only for books but also for everything I didn't have another place for, like pots & pans and stuff.
 
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