0

Can A Cat Destroy My House?

If you have a new cat or considering one, you may have some concerns about what damage it might or can do to your house…

Can A Cat Destroy My House?

Cats can be destructive if they are bored, lonely, and craving attention that they’re not getting. Cats have a lot of energy that can become pent up if they are not stimulated appropriately. While cats are likely to calm down as they get older, they could develop destructive habits if their needs are not met when they are young. 

What Could A Cat Do To Your House?

Cats like to scratch soft items such as carpets, bedding, couches, and pillows, and they will also sometimes chew on items such as furniture, plants, home decor, and other miscellaneous items. 

In a sense, they are viewing items in your home as opportunities for play and fun. Depending on the size and strength of your cat, they could end up doing a lot of damage if left to their own devices. 

Why Do Cats Damaged Items In Your House?

Cats don’t instinctively understand that certain items are off limits and if they are tampered with, they could be damaged. Additionally, since cats aren’t able to tell us directly what they need, they try to give us cues to communicate with us. These cues may not make sense until you learn more about your cat as well as typical cat behavior. 

A lot of the behaviors we deem destructive are instinctual behaviors that your cat needs to be able to exhibit. For example, cats will scratch to keep their claws clean and groomed and transfer their scent around their home. If they don’t have something for themselves to scratch, they will use your house. 

Is It Normal For Cats To Destroy Things?

It’s somewhat normal for cats to destroy things out of boredom or due to a lack of attention. Not all cats end up being destructive in these situations; temperament tends to be determined by genetics and their environment. 

What’s important to note is that this is preventable. Part of having a cat at home is learning how it likes to play and carving out the time in your day to give them undivided attention. 

How Can I Protect My House From My Cat?

Click here for the price, on Amazon #Ad

Cats need to have toys that they can bat around, chew on, and play with, as well as toys that you and your cat can use together. Having scratchers around the house allows them to get their scratching and kneading needs to be met, while a cat tree gives them something to climb and scratch. 

If you have to leave your home and are concerned that your cat might get up to some mischief, plan to play with them for some time before you have to leave. Giving them this exercise and mental stimulation can help to tire them out so that when you leave, they will likely just nap. 

Make an effort to hide items like cords, strings, and dangling items, while ensuring that anything toxic such as cleaning products or plants are kept out of reach of your kitty. Make sure that breakable items aren’t in spots that your cat can reach to knock them on the floor. 

Do Neutered Cats Still Destroy Houses?

It’s often believed that spaying and neutering calm cats down, but there’s no guarantee. It will still be important to offer distractions and mental stimulation to your cat, even after they are fixed, so they don’t become destructive. 

A cat’s behavior generally doesn’t change as a direct result of being fixed, so if they were destructive before, fixing them won’t change it. Instead, you will have to continue to take an active role in eliminating their damaging tendencies with toys, affection, and distraction.

If you are in a first-floor flat you may be wondering if this is OK to raise a kitten there. And, if it is, what items will you need to keep it happy (Click here to see an example of what you will need, on Amazon #Ad).

Can you raise a kitten in a first-floor flat?

If you’re wondering whether or not a first-floor flat is big enough to raise a kitten in, the short answer is actually yes. In fact, in the very earliest days and weeks of raising your kitten, it will only need to stay in one room, and eventually, start exploring the rest of the flat.

What you will need to keep your kitten happy

Description	Image	My Rating
01. Litter box (My Best) Click here for the price on Amazon #Ad
02. Cat Bed Click here for the price on Amazon #Ad
03. Cat Toy Ball Click here for the price on Amazon #Ad

So, now you can. But, should you let your kitten sleep with you? Do you need permission to have it with you? Should you secure your balcony? Keep reading to get these answers, and so much more…

It might seem small, but to a little kitten, a flat is a whole world to explore! So don’t worry about your cat not being happy in a first-floor flat.

How can you raise a kitten in a first-floor flat?

To raise a kitten in a first-floor flat, you’re first going to need a few things. Gather the following supplies and choose a room in your flat to put them in:

• A litter box (Click here to see the reviews, on Amazon #Ad)
• food and water bowls
• a cat bed (Click here to see the reviews, on Amazon #Ad)
• A great cat toy (Click here to see the price, on Amazon #Ad)
• a scratching post (or cat tree)
• and whatever other items you want your kitten to have access to.

Put these things into your chosen room at first, and allow your cat to explore that room fully. Make sure to play with it and engage with it as much as you can in its early time in your flat, and only when it seems comfortable in the smaller room let it out into the rest of the flat.

Is it okay to put kittens in the bathroom at night?

It’s not normally considered good pet ownership to simply close your bathroom door while your animal is in there at night. However, with a small amount of effort, you can make your bathroom into a place that is great for your cat to sleep in.

To make your bathroom a proper cat bedroom, it’ll need a few things. Firstly, place your kitten’s food and water bowls as well as its litter box in the bathroom, so that if it is hungry or has any litter box needs it is not denied those essential things.

A comfortable bed

You will also need to give your kitten a bed (Click here to see the reviews, on Amazon #Ad) to sleep in in the bathroom if it is going to sleep in there. It will get cold simply sleeping right on the tile floor.

Some entertainment

You’ll also need to put some entertainment where your kitten sleeps. This is because it will most likely be awake at some point during the night, and needs to be able to keep itself occupied.

The bathroom, after these additions are made, is a great place to house your new kitten (What if it’s not keeping itself clean? Click here). The firmly unmoving surfaces like the bathtub and sink are good for your cat to safely jump on, and the tile floor (could it dig at this? click here) is easy to clean up accidents while your kitten learns to use the litter box.

Should I let my new kitten sleep with me?

It is unwise to allow your kitten to sleep with you, especially in the earliest days and weeks of its life with you. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, it is dangerous for your kitten. Humans move during their sleep, and kittens are tiny.

You don’t want to accidentally hurt your kitten without realizing it at some point during the night. It is best to sleep separately because of this.

On the other hand, it can also be detrimental to your health as well. New kittens oftentimes are carriers of disease, and some of these diseases can be given to humans. Try and resist the urge to sleep with your cute little kitten for the health of both you and the cat.

How much time do you need to spend with a new kitten?

At the very minimum, you should engage with and play with your kitten twice a day every day for thirty uninterrupted minutes each time. This will not only engage your cat mentally and physically but allow your kitten to get to know you, an important part of raising a pet.

Aside from this time, most of what you’ll be doing with your new kitten is supervision! They are rambunctious little critters, so it is important to keep an eye on them as they bounce around the flat.

Is it cruel to have a cat in an apartment?

You may be concerned that keeping your new kitten in an apartment might be cruel, as it is a small space for such an active animal that loves to explore and run around, especially in its formative first year.

However, it is not cruel to keep your kitten in an apartment (What happens if it escapes?) if you have prepared the apartment correctly to be a livable home for a pet. It should be a place designed to fulfill your kitten’s needs, both physical and non-physical.

As long as you have scratching posts, cat trees, cat toys, and other recreational items for your kitten to use, as well as an ability to allow your cat to explore your apartment safely without the threat of it being hurt or stuck, then your apartment is a fine place to raise your new kitten.

What items in your apartment should you keep away?

Several common household items might be dangerous for your kitten to be around.

Firstly, your kitten is a baby, and just like a human baby, it wants to teethe and chews on things. Pick up small items it could choke on like coins, thumbtacks, pins, splinters, screws, nuts, bolts, bits of plastic, and anything else small enough for your kitten to get in its mouth.

You should also move cleaning chemicals and other harmful substances away from your cat. Kittens are a curious bunch, so having drain cleaner, window or glass cleaner, or any other cleaning substance near your energetic baby kitten is a recipe for disaster.

Do you need permission to keep the kitten in a first-floor flat?

If you’re a renter and not an owner of your property, i.e. you have a landlord, you are required to disclose your pet ownership and get permission to keep a kitten in your flat.

This should be done before you purchase the kitten (Can their color change? Click here), as if you already have it and are denied permission, it will be detrimental for your kitten to be moved around a lot to new homes in its earliest weeks of life.

Should you secure the balcony in your flat?

Yes. Your kitten is going to be a tiny ball of chaotic energy when it first enters your life. When you aren’t on it, the balcony should be completely off-limits to your kitten.

A barrier or locked door is probably best. If you are on the balcony, strapping your kitten to something with a leash or harness can keep it safe from falling off the balcony. If your flat does have a balcony, you must be exceptionally mindful of not letting your cat get hurt by falling off.

How can you keep your kitten entertained?

The best way to keep your new kitten entertained is through toys and games. Kittens love engaging their brains and their bodies with all different kinds of toys (Click here to see the price, on Amazon #Ad) and obstacle courses.

However, it is not enough to simply leave your kitten or kittens in a room with toys. They will play alone, but it is crucial for their socialization, building of trust with you, and mental and physical development for you to play with them.