We love our pets so much and we always want to make them feel comfortable. Actually, we don’t even consider them our pets, because they are more like our roommates. Unfortunately, they can’t tell us their wants and needs, so we must figure out certain things on our own. For example, is keeping a cat in one room okay?
We’re lucky that there are professionals and cat lovers like me who are there to help you find the answers to all your questions. So today we’re here to see if it’s cruel to keep your fluffy roommate in one room and what are the most common reasons for doing it. Let’s check it out together.
Is keeping a cat in one room cruel?
Well, it depends on many factors.
Do you remember when you were a kid and your worst punishment was being sent to your room? You felt like you were being sent to jail. Especially if you didn’t have your own room, so you didn’t have anything fun to play with. You just sat there, cried, and hoped your parents will soon tell you that you can come out.
Kittens are like kids. If you lock them up in one room, without a special reason, it will stress them out. They’ll get angry at you and they definitely won’t understand the reason behind it.
People sometimes do it for reasons they think are logical. However, if you’re wondering if keeping a cat in one room is cruel, here’s the thing. It is cruel if you don’t provide her with everything she needs there.
If you keep your kitten in a room, but you decorated it specifically for her, it’s fine. If it’s a place where she has everything she needs to keep her busy and happy, then you did a good job. And under these conditions, it’s not a cruel thing to keep a kitty in one room.
However, it still shouldn’t be the only place where she’ll spend her time. Your cat still needs some fresh air, some new places that she can explore, and contact with the outside world. So if you really want to make her the happiest cat ever, you should provide this for her too.
5 reasons for keeping your cat in one room
Sometimes people think that keeping a cat in one room is totally fine even if we’re just bored of her constant adventures around the house. It’s not. Imagine what would happen if we kept our toddlers in their room the whole day.
Our kittens are just like them. They are curious, adventurous, and moody; and they want our attention. If we want them to stay in one room, we should really have a good reason to do that. And here’s a list of 5 of them.
1) She is sick
Sometimes there’s a good reason for keeping a cat in one room. And one of them is when your kitty is sick. She should be given her own space to relax, recuperate, and heal as fast as possible. Your feline will really appreciate getting this opportunity.
You shouldn’t lock her up. But your cat will be happy to get a private space and some time alone when she needs it.
2) She has anxiety
If your cat has anxiety, then keeping her in one room is doing her a favor. Many people don’t know that we aren’t the only ones who can suffer from different conditions such as anxiety. It can also happen to our pets, and it’s more common than we think it is.
Some cats just prefer not to be around us all the time. It doesn’t mean they don’t like us, it’s just that they like spending most of their time alone. Having their own room makes them feel safe and secure. They look at it as their own paradise where they are queens.
3) Your kitty is new in your house
Introducing someone new to your cat can be very stressful. It can be a new roommate, a baby, or a pet. As I said, we’re not the only beings affected by stress. Cats feel it too! And every change is stressful at first, so she might be a bit anxious about meeting a new house member.
That’s why it’s a good idea to keep your purrincess in one room while all of you get used to the changes that happened. It will definitely help your cat stay calm and having her own place will help her process everything that’s been going on.
4) She’s fighting with other cats
If you have more than one cat in your house, then you know that sometimes our cats just don’t get along. When they are together you always need to keep an eye on them, because they can fight a lot. And it’s definitely something you’re not happy to see on a daily basis.
It can be due to a lack of socialization when they were just kittens, or just the fact that they don’t like each other. (We also have some people we aren’t really big fans of.) The best way to deal with this is to place them in two separate rooms.
Sometimes with proper training techniques, this can change, but you need to separate them before you start training them. Keep in mind that it’s also possible they’ll never get along. (Good luck with that!)
5) You want to keep her away from valuables
Sometimes people decide to keep a cat in one room so they can keep her away from their valuables. It’s not the best reason for an action like this. But if you make her a good playroom that has everything she needs and wants then it should be fine.
Our pets should always be more important than things placed in the house, but it’s understandable that you want to protect some things from them.
So you can let her out sometimes, but try to protect the things you want untouched. You can try placing something on them or moving them to another room while your fuzzball is chilling in the living room.
How much space do cats really need?
Most people say that an 18-square-foot room is totally fine if you’re planning to keep one cat there. However, if there are more of them it’s a good idea to consider choosing a bigger room for them. Just imagine being locked in one room, which is also very small and boring. You wouldn’t like that, would you?
Cats love to run around your house and discover new things on a daily basis. But they can still live in one room, under one condition. You need to make it fun for them and you must put everything they need (and more) there.
Our furbabies can live in one room if they have enough space to run, sleep, pounce, and eat. Try to make a plan of everything you need to fit in one room, and that’s how you’ll know how much space she needs.
If we’re talking about living in a one-room apartment with your kitten, then the rules change a bit. You don’t need to stress about losing even more space for putting tons of fun games around. Why? Because you’ll be together all the time, and she won’t be bored having you next to her.
She’ll learn your daily routine and she’ll love having you around. Just keep the house clean and both of you will live happily. If you have enough space you can buy or make a cat tree. That would be a great addition to your cat’s living space.
Or you can even put a chair or a shelf under your window. I promise you that it will be your cat’s new favorite place. She’ll really enjoy watching the outside world and hearing birds every morning. Bonus points – you’ll get to take cool and aesthetic pictures of your kitty chilling on the shelf.
How to make your cat’s stay in one room more comfortable?
If keeping a cat in one room is what you need to do (for any of the reasons above), then you need to ensure her stay is comfortable. Imagine living in one room most of the time. And that room is decorated specially for cats. You would get bored pretty soon, right?
So, our cats would feel the same way they lived in one of our rooms all the time.
If you really need to keep her in one room, then you need to decorate it by the cat’s standards. Here are some of the things you really need to keep in mind.
1) Pay attention to food and water
If you decided to keep your kitten in one room, then you need to make sure to check on her often. Sometimes when we don’t see something, we just forget about it. So it’s easy for you to get distracted by your phone or a movie that’s on TV and forget that you need to check on your cat.
You need to pay attention to food and water. Always make sure that there’s enough food in her bowl, and that the water is fresh. Don’t only give her water when you see that the bowl is empty. Instead, you should change it as often as possible so it’s fresh all the time. Especially if it’s hot outside!
2) Give her love and attention
Keeping a cat in one room doesn’t mean that you’re allowed to ignore her. Yes, you’ll have more space and she won’t bother you when you’re doing something important. But you should be aware that she’s still there, even though you don’t see her every minute.
She’s behind that door and waiting for you to come.
Your fluffy buddy might feel lonely and sad if you don’t visit her playroom often. You still need to give her love and attention! Maybe even a bit more since she doesn’t get to spend as much time with you as she did when she didn’t have her own room.
3) Litter box!
Cats are one of the cleanest animals out there, and not changing their litter box is something that will stress them out a lot. They’ll feel anxious about doing their business in a dirty litter box. And on top of that, they will also be angry at you for not paying attention to them.
You need to make sure your kitty’s litter box is always clean. It also needs to be placed somewhere where she can access it easily. Just imagine yourself living in a dirty bathroom that you can’t clean on your own. You wouldn’t really enjoy it, would you? So don’t do it to your cat either.
4) Make a fun room for your fluffball
Since your fluffball is gonna spend most of her time in that room, you need to make it fun for her. Keeping her in a room that’s full of stuff we don’t use anymore is not gonna make her happy. If you want to keep her somewhere, you need to make it interesting to her.
So put different games there, some interactive puzzles, and lots of her favorite toys. You can play with colors as well and different paintings on the wall. Your cat will find it interesting because they love unusual stuff.
If you want to make it extra fun, you can get her a double-decker playground. She’ll be able to climb up and down on it, use it as a scratching post and stimulate her brain with different toys that come with it.
5) Play with vertical spaces
If you need to make a small place look fun and bigger than it really is, it sounds like a difficult job. But if you’re decorating it for a cat, then you have one really cool option available. You can play with vertical spaces a lot!
Place shelves on different heights. She’ll enjoy climbing and resting on them. Cats adore resting on high surfaces. Those high spaces will give your kitty a sense of freedom that she might not find while she’s chilling on the ground.
More decoration ideas for your cat’s dream room
I know that thinking about this might be tough after a hard day at work. So I’m here to share more decoration ideas with you. Check them out and see whether you like them or not. But one thing is for sure – your kitten will love them!
1) Put protection over a window, so you can open it without worrying.
2) Remove the objects that might hurt your cat.
3) You should create different games for her. But also include a resting place so she has a perfect space to take a nap.
4) Don’t put furniture and curtains there if you don’t want to see them destroyed.
5) Put a scratching space for your cat, that will feel soft on her claws.
6) Put a fluffy, warm, and well-padded bed in her room. There are also special beds made for cats that have a hidden maze under them.
7) Fill her room with as many toys as you can afford (wand teasers, laser pens, mouse toys…)
8) Make sure that the litter box is somewhere where your cat can access it easily.
9) You can even put some stuffed animals there. Cats love them.
Final thoughts
I hope you now know more about keeping a cat in one room. As I already told you, you can do it if you really need to, but you need to make sure she’s feeling comfortable in it and it’s big enough for her to live.
There are tons of things you can make for her to decorate the room so well, that she’s gonna enjoy it every day.
Now you have everything you need. Knowledge, new decoration ideas, and the only thing left is your will to make it happen. Our fluffy buddies are the ones we love very much and I’m sure all of us would give them the world if we could. We can’t, but we still can give them their own little paradise.
Read this: 6 Life-Saving Tips For Your First Road Trip With A Cat
