Cat in a Small Apartment: How to Create More Space

A small apartment does not have to be a problem for a cat. While we tend to think about space in terms of floor area, cats also use a home vertically. A windowsill, shelf, the top of a piece of furniture or a wall-mounted perch can all become additional places to move, observe and rest.

So if you are wondering how to make a small apartment more cat-friendly, you do not necessarily need to add more things to the floor. Often, it is simply a matter of making better use of the space you already have.

Use the walls and the height of the room

One of the simplest ways to create more space for a cat in a small apartment is to move some of their furniture from the floor onto the wall.

Wall-mounted steps, shelves and perches can create useful spaces without taking up practically any floor area. You do not need to build an entire cat wall either. Even one or two well-positioned elevated spots can change the way your cat uses the room.

When planning them, consider how your cat will get there. Individual elements should connect naturally and should not require uncomfortably long or risky jumps.

Use the furniture you already have

A cat-friendly home does not need to consist entirely of products made specifically for cats.

A chest of drawers, stable bookcase, windowsill or the back of a sofa can become a natural part of your cat's route around the apartment. If your cat already likes sitting somewhere, you do not necessarily need to discourage them. It may be more practical to make that space safe and incorporate it into their environment.

Pay attention to the routes your cat already takes around the home. Their favourite paths will often show you exactly where another step or resting place would be useful.

Create at least one quiet place

More space does not only mean more opportunities for movement. Your cat also needs somewhere they can rest without being disturbed.

In a small apartment, finding a genuinely quiet corner can be more difficult. A cat bed away from the main walkway, an elevated resting place or a partially enclosed space can work particularly well.

Some cats prefer an open bed with a good view of their surroundings, while others seek out more enclosed spaces. The best starting point is to look at where your cat already chooses to rest.

Don't forget about scratching

In a small apartment, a scratching post can feel like yet another object you need to find space for. Scratching, however, is a natural part of feline behaviour, so trying to remove it from the environment entirely is rarely a good solution.

If your cat scratches vertically, a narrow, tall scratching post or a suitable vertical scratching surface can be practical. If they prefer horizontal scratching, a low cardboard scratcher may be enough.

Placement matters more than size. A scratching post hidden in a corner your cat rarely visits takes up space without providing much value.

Fewer things can create a better space

When making an apartment cat-friendly, it is easy to gradually accumulate beds, tunnels, toys, scratching posts and other accessories. In a small home, however, too many objects can eventually get in the way of both you and your cat.

You do not need a separate cat product for every need. One well-positioned wall-mounted element, for example, can serve as both an observation point and a place to sleep. A cardboard box can become a temporary hiding place and then be put away when it is no longer needed.

Similarly, not every toy needs to be available all the time. You can keep some stored away and rotate them regularly.

Look at the space from your cat's perspective

If you look at a small apartment only in terms of available floor space, the possibilities can seem limited. From your cat's perspective, however, much of the space above the floor may still be unused.

Walk through the room and look at where your cat can safely reach, where they can observe what is happening and where they can sleep without being disturbed. You may find that you do not need more square metres – you simply need to make better use of the ones you already have.