People love their pets. Humans and animals seem almost destined to bond and cohabitate. Perhaps that’s my inner animal lover shining through, but the numbers don’t lie. In the U.S. alone, more than 100 million households (via III.org) are homes to a dog and (or) a cat. That’s a lot! Surely some of those people live in apartments. In fact, there are likely millions of pets living in high rise apartments around the world. Dogs may be the most common pet in the U.S., but cats aren’t far behind. Today we’re talking about cats living in high rise apartments, along with some tips and precautions to be aware of. Also, I’m speaking from experience – we have a cat presently! Our Tortoiseshell Cat named Storm will be featured in these pictures.
Cats Living In High Rise Apartments Require Less Effort Than Dogs
First, some good news.
We recently wrote an article about dogs living in high rises, which includes some of the challenges dog owners face. These challenges include barking, outdoor bathroom trips and lack of space to run around. Cats, for the most part, don’t have these problems!
While dogs require bathroom trips outside, cats can use their litter box.
Although dogs and cats both need exercise, it’s a bit easier to give our cats some stimulation inside the apartment. Dogs – at least larger breeds – need some serious space to get in a real workout.
Neighbors complaining about barking dogs is common, but very rarely do we hear about meowing cats.
For these reasons alone, cats living in high rise apartments are much easier to care for, and are therefore easier to keep as pets.
Plenty of people have dogs in high rises without issue, sure, but cats are certainly easier. Believe me, I’ve had both!
Cats Living In High Rise Apartments: Tips & Precautions
Caring for a cat while living in a high rise is fairly easy, but there are still some things to be aware of. Here are a few tips and precautions to be aware of when it comes to cats living in high rise apartments:
- Schedule Regular Playtime
- Give Your Cat A Great View, Or At Least Sunlight
- Be Very Wary Of Balconies (Take Precautions)
- Provide Your Cat With Toys
- Be Mindful About Open Windows
- Place Their Litter Box Strategically
- Bring Your Cat Outside Occasionally
Let’s talk about why each of these items is important!
1. Schedule Regular Playtime
Cats are extremely curious creatures with bursts of high energy to burn off – in between naps of course. In turn, many like to run around and play at least once per day.
Cats have a good amount of space to run around in a single family home, especially if they’re allowed to go outside. In a high rise apartment, most cats find themselves in the same 2-3 rooms all day, every day. That sounds boring.
When cats get bored, they often use this energy to do what cats do best – get into trouble.
Having a routinely scheduled play time is huge. Cats are creatures of habit – they like doing the same stuff at the same time every day. If you make a habit of playing with your cat at the same time each day, they’ll begin to expect it.
Now that I work from home, I play with our cat at 10:30am each day. Believe me, she’s got it timed down to the minute. If I’m not starting to play with her by that exact time, she comes and lets me know!
After she runs around for a good 10-15 minutes, she’s much more likely to lounge around rather than try to get into cabinets.
2. Great View & Sunlight
A single family house provides cats with plenty of different views and vantage points to look out over the yard, watch birds and spy on the neighbors. A high rise apartment doesn’t offer this in the same way.
Some apartments have panoramic views whereas others have very little. Some cats living in high rise apartments only have one or two windows to look out of!
In my experience, it’s valuable to give our cats access to the best view we can, along with some sunlight.
We’ve put a cat tree near a corner window, where our cat gets plenty of sun and one of the best views our apartment has. She spends plenty of time basking in the sun on a daily basis!
A good view and some sunlight can keep a cat busy and happy.
3. Take Precautions With Balconies
It goes without saying that balconies can be very dangerous. They’re also awesome for many reasons. That said, cats and balconies generally do not mix.
Do cats know better than to get too close to the edge of a high rise balcony? Maybe, but why take the chance? A fall from even a few stories up can be deadly.
I recommend being extremely mindful of this whenever you’re walking out on the balcony. This includes knowing where your cat is beforehand and closing the door behind you when you step out.
It’s worth taking precautions beyond this. For instance, you can install high rise balcony netting or fall protection. Even with protection, it’s still not safe to bring cats on the balcony without taking additional steps.
On our balcony, we now put a harness on our cat and keep her on a leash when we do take her outside (see item 7).
Generally speaking, cats and balconies just don’t mix.
4. Provide Your Cat With Toys
While I use the word “toys”, I really mean “stimulation”.
This can be a cat puzzle or a toy on a stick. Those are great, but I personally feel that a stretching post is essential.
Cats love scratching posts for keeping their claws sharp and getting some exercise. When you combine these needs with a lack of space, the couch, door or bed frame can all become “scraping posts”, too.
In a high rise apartment, I highly recommend treating your cat to a good quality scratching post to keep them sharp – literally and figuratively.
5. Be Mindful Of Open Windows
Given how curious cats are in general, an open window is like a magnet.
Many high rise windows slide open or pivot open. Both types open less than a traditional window in a house, but they can still open up enough for cats to get through.
Whenever we open one of our windows, it’s a guarantee that our cat will show up, get as close to it as possible and try to stick her nose out.
For this reason, it’s vital that we monitor how much our windows are open – especially before leaving for a while!
6. Place The Litter Box Strategically
Litter boxes are convenient, but they aren’t known for smelling good.
In a single family home, there are plenty of places to put a litter box where it’s mostly out of sight (and scent). High rise apartments typically don’t offer this convenience.
It’s vital that we scout out a good place to put our cat’s litter. Basically, wherever it’s out of sight the most. The bathroom is the go-to choice, but another idea is to place it where it’s mostly obstructed by a larger piece of furniture like a dresser.
Living rooms and kitchens – aka wherever we spend a lot of time – are best avoided if possible. A guest bedroom can work, but probably won’t work when a guest is actually staying there!
I highly recommend buying a litter box with a cover, too. It will reduce odor and block unsightly stuff from our visions, as well!
7. Bring Your Cat Outside
One thing cats living in high rise apartments don’t get (for the most part) is outdoor time.
Dogs get to go outside on a daily basis, which gives them stimulation, socialization and most importantly, fresh air.
Cats living in apartments see the same stuff every day. Even with exercise and windows open, your apartment is basically their entire world.
It may not seem conventional, but taking your cat to a park or open space can do them lots of good. They’ll get fresh air and time in nature. While this used to be unheard of, there are now plenty of cat carriers and even cat strollers on the market.
I still feel weird when my wife and I take our cat out on a leash, but hey, I do it for her (our cat!).
P.S. We use a carrier called a “Sleepy Pod” that’s held up well for three years in case you’re interested in a specific model. It’s washable and works well in the car with a seat belt (that’s specifically why we bought it).
In Closing
Although we covered a lot of specifics in this article, I feel like I’m ending it right where we started – cats are great pets for high rise living! By taking the steps mentioned here, our cat is happy, active and loving the high life, too…we assume. I hope this article has been helpful. Thanks for reading.
3 replies on “Cats Living In High Rise Apartments: A Few Tips & Precautions”
[…] plus several random supplies for the work we were doing plus some clothes, etc. We also brought our cat for the couple days we were gone, so her supplies came […]
Will be moving to a senior high rise at the end of the month . Taking my tabby cat with me the stroller cat leach her fall and winter coats . Thanks for the article don’t feel so nurvous about it .
Hello Lucy,
Thanks a lot and glad to hear! Best of luck with your move and new home.
-Pat