There is a saying that love is always in owing debts.
I believe that cat owners often empathize: they are always worried that the cat will not eat well, sleep well, or play well. After seeing other people’s big houses and paradise, they look at their small rooms and secretly worry, will the cat think the place is too small?
Of course, there are also some irresponsible owners who just put the cat in a cage or in a room, and they don’t care about the cat’s feelings at all, which makes people’s scalp numb.
Let's talk about how big a cat actually needs and how to develop our small family~
The big families will increase!
The territory size of cats
If you just look at the mark range, the range of wild cats "swaying" is very large. The territory of an unspained male cat usually exceeds 0.6 square kilometers, while the female cat is about 0.16 square kilometers. The core area of the cat is the "stronghold" where they sleep and eat safely, with a diameter of about 100 meters.
Study found that the "free-range" pet cat territory is not small. Although they like to stay at home most of the time, their range of activities can reach 0.02 square kilometers near their homes.
Don't raise free cats! This is just research data!
The cat's territory is not absolute, it may change with changes in resources and environment, or it may be divided into different places rather than connected.
If there are sufficient resources, many cats will live in the same area. For example, the density of cats in the community is obviously very high, and it is not completely exclusive~
As for a complete domestic cat, the living space of a cat is at least 18 square feet (1.67 square meters), but this is only the core area of food, drinking, defecation and sensation. It is recommended that the cat has more than 28 square meters of activity space, of course, it is also related to the cat's body shape, personality, and energy level.
What to do with multiple cats
Double cat families may find that cats themselves have a certain "hierarchy". For example, after buying a new climbing frame, a cat will often take up a place and catch it first. Where cats stay often will also change.
So if the cats get along well and take turns to take up seats, there is no need to interfere too much.
It is recommended that each cat have its own separate territory resources, such as at least a number of cats, or there are multiple footholds on the climbing rack. When buying grabbing boards and toys, try to have one cat~
If the cat has aggressive behavior, urination marks or occupying the territory, and excessive hair licking and meowing, it may mean: the cat needs more space!
Make the small family "big"
Respect the cat's preferences
There must be a place that is the most core "home" of cats. You can observe whether cats love to sleep in a certain place. When the cats are there, try not to force them out.
When buying "cat furniture", you should also consider the cat's preferences. Some cats prefer hidden corners (?), so you can choose carton-type, semi-closed ones, and some like to spread out and lie flat, so choose a flat-panel-type one~
Remember that the core territory of the cat will change!
Development space
Cats like to stand at a high place to observe the surrounding environment, and can find ways to expand vertical space, such as cat climbing racks, furniture cabinets, and can also use windows and windowsills to place suction cups or small racks to make the cat satisfy its climbing instinct and feel safer.
If it is a multi-cat family or a small family, it is particularly important to increase the vertical space.
You can also give cats more places to hide, such as the cat tunnels and the furniture arrangements that are both fun and hiding.
Enough resources
Ensure cats can easily obtain basic resources such as food, water and cat litter. In fact, many internet celebrities do not do well in the practice of "cat horns" (eating, water and drinking, and cat litter box are all together), and cats don't like eating, drinking, defecating and sensation are all in the same place.
Families with multiple cats should also be careful not to pile up similar resources together, such as letting cats sit in a row for meals, so that cats are prone to pressure to compete for resources.
Humans participate in the play with each other
Think more fun things for cats, such as missing food toys, cat sticks, etc., so that cats can run more and simulate hunting more. Especially for the newly adopted little wanderers, they may have been used to the life of running around outside before, and they can't get rid of it all at once, so they have to play with them and spend more energy. Everyone should remember that when discussing the happiness of a cat, it is not only a few square meters, but not a circle of places for the cat, but a unique environment suitable for your cat, a home where everyone and cats are very happy~