10 best cats for apartments??

You are going to see lots of articles on the Internet about the best cat breeds for apartment living. They are all baloney if we are honest. It's all mumbo-jumbo. Believe me. Don't believe them. There might be one or two cat breeds which are slightly better predisposed to living in a confined space for their lives such as the Ragdoll or British Shorthair but by-and-large the confident statements by these authors are simply misplaced.

Young British Shorthair. Photo: atquintessence.

Here is a cat breed selector I made years ago. My research then pointed to the British Shorthair as the best for apartment living but that's not to say they are fine with apartment living. I don't think any domestic cat is, purebred or non-purebred. It is too unnatural. Too confined. I am not criticising. Just saying it the way I see it.

Cat breeders don't create cats for apartment living. They create domestic cats of a certain breed. And all domestic cats have the same fundamental attributes. They are a barely domesticated wildcat. The wildcat persona is just below the surface.

Selective breeding for character??

Certainly, selective breeding over many generations can create cats with a predisposition to a certain sort of character. But that said, cat breeders focus on the appearance of their cats not their character.

The character is somewhat incidental in their breeding programs. Authors who write about cat breeds like to try and distinguish the personalities of the cat breeds, one from another. But they struggle to do this. Their language is rather gray and vague because what they are describing is a domestic cat.

One of the great difficulties in creating new cat breeds is creating one which can be distinguished visually clearly from another. There is not enough space left in the spectrum of cat breeds to create a new one!

The Persian is another cat which might be somewhat suited to apartment living because they been described as bits of furniture. They are kind of decorative. But they are nervous and can sometimes have litter box problems. I don't see them as any more suitable to apartment living as any other breed of cat or non-purebred cat.

Adaptable

In fact, you might do better with a non-purebred cat, a rescue cat, a moggy who has adapted to apartment living. This is the point. Domestic cats are adaptable. If they are forced to live in an apartment, they will object to it initially. They will meow and complain but eventually they will give up and learn to live within this confined space.

They will entertain themselves by looking out of the window. They will snooze and sleep most of the time. That's why you read another improbability which is that domestic cats sleep for 20 hours a day and this sort of thing. If they do snooze but not sleep for long periods it is because they are bored and have nothing to do.

They are snoozing for survival. Some cat caregivers think that domestic cats like to snooze all day long but they don't. They would rather be out exploring, hunting, chasing wildlife. Yes, I know that's not particularly popular and we can't condone the hunting of small mammals by domestic cats but that is what we have achieved in domesticating the wildcat.

Rescue cat adapted to apartment living

If you want to adopt a cat for apartment dwelling you will have to adopt a cat with a suitable personality. Each cat is different. If you are fortunate enough to find a rescue cat adapted to apartment dwelling and who has a personality suited to apartment dwelling then you've got your cat. I would ask your local cat shelter about this. Seek their advice.

But I don't think you can with great confidence say that that a particular breed such as an American Shorthair or Burmese or Birman will be great for apartment living. You can't. Don't be fooled by these authors and these websites. Be more critical. Dig around. But be critical and inquisitive. Find a good rescue cat who has lived in an apartment before. That's my advice.

Cute apartment cat races to the front door to greet their human

This is what it means to an apartment cat when their owner comes home. In this case there are 2 owners - a couple. I can say that with certainty as one of them (I believe the female partner) videoed their cat racing to the front door when the guy returns home from what appears to be a day at work.

It is very cute to see a cat race to greet their human companion after separation for 10 hours or so. I am guessing as he might be working part-time.

The video is from the TikTok account of Big Alfred.

It reminds us that if an apartment cat - a full-time indoor cat - is home alone all day it is tough for them. There are two forces at play: it is hard to make apartment life mentally stimulating for a domestic cat because it is hard to 'catify' (Jackson Galaxy language) the home i.e., make is highly suitable for a domestic cat.

You can't build a catio (normally). Or a window box. All they've got is cat television (looking out the window). And that's not going to be any good in a high rise building as there are very few birds and no ground dwelling animals outside to gawp at and think about hunting.

It is a cultural desert for the cat.  They are bound to become bored. This is one reason why this cute, moustached cat races to greet the man. He is seeking entertainment, some sort of mental stimulation.

And of course, to be close to their human companion/caregiver as they obviously have a nice bond. The other problem is that the owner has to earn a living! That means not being there if they are not permitted to work from home.

This in turn means separation anxiety on a daily basis. How long can you leave a cat alone? A good question. 

There is an article on the internet today written by a vet and dog expert. Link to my article on this aspect of dog ownership. He says that dogs should not be left alone at home for more than four hours at a time! How many owners break that rule?!

Cats are not that different, really. Yes, they are not pack animals and inherently solitary but they are domesticated and form close ties to their caregiver. 

When you temporarily break that tie to go to work it's going to be stressful for the cat. It depends on the cat's personality as to how stressful. But it'll be there.

Millions of people leave their cat alone every day for more than 4 hours! Some cat owners are unsuited to caring for a cat because their lifestyle simply prevents it being done properly.

People need to be tough on themselves when deciding to adopt a cat. Can you do it to a high standard? Any doubts don't do it.