small spaces

I have a quick question for all you apartment dwellers. I have 2 cats, the older one is completely content living in my one bedroom apartment with me. My younger kitten (4 months) is just stir crazy. I let them both on my apartment landing with me and my older cat (6 months) is super content, has no interest in going down the stairs from my 2nd story. The younger cat is a different story, he was ok at first, but now he takes off and I have to chase him around my apartment complex. Should I just stop letting him out? I refuse to let my cats be outside cats, but I feel like my younger cat would be happier outside (even though they are both neutered). Should I just stop letting the younger cat out on the landing? I feel like i'm stifling him. anyone else have this problem?

He's a baby, full of life, and wants to explore and run around. He'll outgrow being so wild as he gets older, but I think if you keep letting him out your own door, he'll get worse about wanting to roam. Get him neutered as soon as it's 'safe' to do it and that will help. One day you won't catch him, so keep him inside, but I wouldn't get another cat in such a small place.

make sure you have plenty of interactive toys for the little one and if possible a cat tree... I'm in a studio apartment with oliver and although he's almost 4, he's still got that kitten energy and has his "crazy tearing around the apartment" times... it'll get better as the kitty gets older.... and i'd say definitely keep him inside

Thanks for the advice. I guess I will just let the older cat out now since he never tries to run off. My apartment isn't all that small, about 700 square feet, chock full of cat toys, and the cats are allowed to hang out on the balcony whenever they want. I've been wanting to get a cat tree, I actually just got one from walmart. It's laughably bad, over 7 feet tall and whenever the cats touch it, it falls over. I will definitely be returning it and am going to check out the trees at petsmart. Are there certain trees that cats prefer? Should I be looking for any extras since I know some of them have ledges, holes, and round barrel looking things.

I had the same cat tree from walmart, the one that is a pole with three platforms and braces between the floor and the wall right? It lasted about two weeks in my apartment adn I ended up getting rid of it. Check ebay for a cat condo. I got an excellent one from a seller called Armarkat, which is an ebay store, not a private seller. I bid forty dollars for the condo and paid sixty dollars for shipping. It's seven feet tall and much sturdier and is multileveled rather than being a pole with three platforms. In the end it's much less than what you would spend at Petsmart, for a fairly big cat condo. I would consider not letting either of your cats out, because while you are out with your older cat, your younger one will be at the door crying wanting to be out with you. You can consider harness and leash training them so you can take them both out together if you really want them to go out. I lived an apartment similar in size to yours for the first two years of my cats' lives and I never let them out. They are strictly indoor cats. It was a challenge keep them entertained, but they are better off inside than out. A Cat Dancer is a great way to get them to expend a lot of energy. My cats go crazy over the one I bought for them. Best $2.49 I ever spent on something for them (aside from the cat condo).

If your little one will handle it, you could also harness him and let him explore and run around a little bit like that. That way you could at least maintain some type of "control" on him when he goes out. Cat Dancers are great! My two play nonstop with theirs when I take it out. My two also go crazy for little pouf balls that you can buy in Wal-mart. They chase it all over my 1-bd apt and burn a lot of energy that way. Good luck with your little kitties!

What are cat dancers? I've got laser pens, furry mice, catnip toys, jingling balls, feather wands, another jingly wand with a stretchy string (the cats love it, this is the third one I've had to buy because they destroy them-$1.89 at walmart). Where can I get a cat dancer?

They sell them at lots of pet stores. Basically, they're wire with little cardboard pieces attached to them. They're pretty flexible, and the cats just bat them around like crazy. I think I've seen them at Wal-mart, I know I've seen them at PetCo and Petsmart, maybe Target.