Tips On How To Keep A Cat In A Flat

Can You Keep a Cat in a Flat? 

Can you keep a cat in a flat? Or just indoors in general? Some people would say, no, it’s cruel to keep a cat in a flat or indoors all the time. But, in fact, it’s not cruel at all and cats can live perfectly happily in a flat or apartment that has no outside space. 

It’s not just in flats or apartments cat owners might choose to keep their cats inside. Cat owners living on the main road, for example, may feel it’s unsafe to let their cats out and decide it’s better for them to stay where they’re safe from harm. We all love cats, don’t we? Is your flat filled with cat gifts from other people?

So, if you’d love a cat but you’d want or need to keep them in all the time, read on. Remember though, if you’re renting, living in a leasehold or shared ownership apartment, check with your landlord or the terms of your lease first to make sure you are allowed pets. 

Litter tray 

First of all, your indoor cat is going to need somewhere to go to the toilet. To be honest, there are also plenty of outdoor cats who prefer to come in when they need a wee, then go back outside again. Annoying, but true. 

The recommended rule when it comes to litter trays is to get one more tray than the number of cats you have. So, if you have two cats, you should, ideally, have three litter trays. If you have a small flat, you’re probably not going to want to have three litter trays around the place and, in my experience, your cats will probably use the same one anyway. My advice if you have more than one cat, therefore, would be to get two litter trays and see how they use them. 

Make sure you keep the litter tray free of cat wee and poo, topping up with fresh litter. There’s no need to completely empty the tray and scrub it clean each time, as although cats like a clean tray, they also like the smell of themselves. 

While I’m on the subject of cleaning the litter tray, make sure you dispose of the soiled litter in your waste bin and don’t flush it down the toilet, as this can cause a blockage to your plumbing system. 

Keep your cat stimulated 

When your cat’s outside, they’ve got a whole world of sights, smells and sounds to keep them stimulated. When they’re indoors, they need you to help provide them with fun stuff to do. So keep a collection of toys for them – toys they can play with by themselves and toys that need some input from you, such as those feathers on sticks. 

Another good idea is making sure your cat has a windowsill they can sit on from which they can look out of the window for their very own cat TV. 

Keep things out of the way

Although you’ve probably gone out and bought your cat all the toys you could find. Cats are ungrateful little sods and will prefer to make their own entertainment. With this in mind, keep your ornaments, plants and cables out of harm’s way. A cat can cause harm to the ornament, plant or cable and harm to your cat (some houseplants are poisonous to cats). 

Keeping a cat in a flat

Cats are perfectly happy being kept indoors. Obviously, if you get a cat as a kitten, it won’t know any different but if you adopt an older cat from a rescue centre. It may be a bit miffed and confused at the beginning if it’s kept in after usually being allowed out. 

Cats are adaptable and resilient though and, to be honest. They spend most of the time indoors anyway. In fact, 99% of the time they stand at the back door asking to go out. They’ll change their mind as soon as you open the door anyway. 

So, if you live in a flat or apartment and you’d love to get a cat. But are worried keeping it indoors is cruel, worry no more!

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