Should I get a cat?

December 9, 2020 9:15 AM

Many loving yet lonely single souls have adopted pets during the pandemic. I am wondering if I should join them. But I live in a tiny place (300 square feet) that includes a roughly 100-sq-foot loft. Is that enough room for a cat? If a cat will feel imprisoned here, then I shouldn't get one.

I grew up with a couple of adult cats and ended up responsible for another relative's kitten. I and my family raised and cared for Peaches for many many years until I moved to Europe the first time and re-homed the cat (with a fantastic, experienced, animal-loving friend) because it turned out my partner at the time was allergic. But now I am single.

Other deets: I work from home and have a cat-loving caretaker a short walk away should I need to travel. Also, I have young grandchildren (preschool age not rug-rat age) who visit frequently.

Concerns:
1. My apartment has no balcony or patio. There's exactly one window.

2. I want a social, non-scary adult cat. My relative's kitten, which became my kitten, did not like me much after growing up. While she was super sweet and social with total strangers, she frequently hissed and clawed at me.

3. I can support myself but that's about it. How much money (I am in Sweden) should I budget for food, cat care, and eventual vet bills assuming if I can find a shelter willing to hand over one of their treasures?

4. Is there anything else I should consider in making this decision?

Thanks, experienced cat guardians of the green!

posted by Bella Donna to Pets & Animals (25 answers total)

The older the cat is, the less space it needs.
posted by aniola at 9:23 AM on December 9, 2020 [15 favorites]

Your apartment is plenty big enough for a cat (I'm speaking here as a long-time cat-lover and also an employee at an animal shelter). You'd be saving a homeless cat's life by adopting him or her. On the other hand, your financial situation is a bit concerning, if you are just barely scraping by. Maybe you can set aside an emergency fund and contribute to it every month, so you have some money available in case your cat needs emergency veterinary care (which can get expensive, but is thankfully not something that happens often).
posted by alex1965 at 9:23 AM on December 9, 2020 [1 favorite]

It depends on the cat, really, but your apartment is bigger and probably has more windows than a shelter enclosure :)
posted by amtho at 9:33 AM on December 9, 2020 [11 favorites]

I can speak to a few of your worries:

1. The cat will be fine without outdoor stuff. Make sure they have access to the window so they can peek out at the world (maybe one of those window-hanger cat beds?), and they'll be fine, especially a chill older cat. The biggest thing is going to be able to make sure they have enrichment in the apartment (which is a perfectly fine size!). Do you have room for even a smallish cat tree? Space for them to run around and chase things? Multiple levels to explore? Cats often like to be high up. A place to retreat to is good too, especially with potential children around.
2. This can absolutely happen! Tell the shelter that you want exactly this, a chill, cuddly adult cat. You will (I assume, even with COVID) be able to meet the cats and play with them and get a feel for which cat is Your Cat. Adult cats are always harder to place, but I wouldn't adopt anything else; additionally, shelter workers often have a good idea of temperament, etc.
3. I can't speak to costs in Sweden, but I got hit by really high vet bills this year. Look into getting pet insurance! Vet check-ups aren't expensive exactly, but they're not free either. Food is definitely an added expense, especially if you want to give them really good/premium food. Maybe ask the shelter about that as well, or figure out where you'd buy food from and price it out? This sounds silly, but, uh, my very small cat eats way less than the big cat does, so that might be a way to help things along?

TBH, I'd look most at your budget -- everything else is something that isn't a problem for a chill older cat with plenty of affection and things to play with and explore.
posted by kalimac at 9:34 AM on December 9, 2020 [2 favorites]

Yeah, space seems adequate for an adult cat to me! Go for it! Test drive the cat to see if it's loving/cuddly first?

Do they have pet insurance in Sweden? In the US it's pretty cheap and can cover any surgical or emergency care (cheapest) or all veterinary care (still not very expensive).
posted by latkes at 9:34 AM on December 9, 2020

It sounds like you're in better shape than many are who adopt a cat; you've thought through its needs and have a pretty good plan. I can't help you with regard to budgeting, really, as I'm in the U.S., but in my experience, the only scary expensive part is unexpected vet bills. I make a point of adding at least a little bit to my emergency savings every month, and call it good. Food and litter and toys don't really add up to a lot, and I've had cats whose favorite game was playing fetch with a crumpled piece of paper. They don't really need fancy bells and whistles... a few toy mice, some crinkly things, maybe some kind of cat-fishing-pole, if cat likes that sort of play... and a stash of catnip, and they're good.

IMO, your apartment is plenty big enough. We have three adults, three cats, and a 17 lb dog in a 768 sq ft, 2 bedroom apartment, and it's the people, not the pets, who feel crowded. (REALLY crowded, on the other hand, was the dog, the cats, and two of those people living in a 90s Subaru wagon for two months while between housing... but I digress.)

We *have* a balcony... but the cats don't get to use it. They're indoor-only, unless my daughter takes hers out on a leash and harness. Ours *do* hang out in windows, your future kitty probably will, too, if they can reach it.

So pick out an adult kitty that you have a chance to get to know, and you should be set. One last thought - you mentioned working from home, so don't be surprised if kitty decides that your keyboard or computer is just the BEST place to sleep... whether you're trying to use it or not.
posted by stormyteal at 9:36 AM on December 9, 2020 [2 favorites]

Do you have a place to put a litterbox? That won’t make you crazy staring at it 24/7?
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:43 AM on December 9, 2020 [8 favorites]

If you can try fostering the cat before adopting it, that would be ideal. If the cat is used to going outside, it might be hard to adjust, so try to find a cat that always been indoors. (I do know people who use cat elevators to let their cats out of apartments, though obviously it's safest to keep the cat inside).
posted by pinochiette at 9:56 AM on December 9, 2020

Assuming you have a good plan for the litter box, yes I think you should get a cat! Specifically an older cat. They are much harder to find homes for and yet offer far fewer surprises. If it purrs and loves you in the shelter it will almost surely do so when you bring it home. Also yes they need less space and stimulation than young cats, so should be easier to care for after an adjustment period.
posted by SaltySalticid at 10:07 AM on December 9, 2020 [1 favorite]

RE: place for a litter box, when I had cats in a small space I kept the litterbox in the shower.
posted by assenav at 10:19 AM on December 9, 2020 [1 favorite]

I have a snuggly, person-focused 10+ year old cat. It has been challenging while working from home because if I'm around she wants to be sitting on me, and will yell at me if she is thwarted. She also likes to steal my pillow and lick her butt noisily at 2 am on it, so she's not allowed in the bedroom. Do you have doors such that you can get a break from kitty snugs if you need it? Can you confine kitty somewhere during illnesses, visiting repairpeople, etc?

And yeah, if you have cat-owning friends in Sweden, ask them about costs and what brands they like and call a couple vets to ask about vaccination costs / care plans / etc. This is also a good time to consider what your boundaries are around medical care for your pet - general dollar limit, types of intervention, ideas about quality of life. The vet that suggested a $90/mo antiviral for my cat's runny nose was not a good fit for me...
posted by momus_window at 10:22 AM on December 9, 2020 [3 favorites]

The litter box problem is for real, especially since it sounds like there's not a lot of actual rooms in your place. You might get one of those litterbox-hiding tables or benches so that you can at least multitask the space. But there's a chance a given cat will not like them, or an older cat will have trouble accessing them.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 10:34 AM on December 9, 2020 [4 favorites]

I have 3 cats in a tiny house, and sometimes have had 4. Adopting an older cat has advantages in that you can more easily see the cat's personality (vs. with a kitten), and a mellow older cat would certainly love your space and not feel cramped at all.

Add me to the list of people saying inside the tub/shower is the place for the litterbox. Cuts down on the mess of scattered litter, and it's truly not that much of a hassle to lift it out temporarily when you are going to bathe.
posted by BlahLaLa at 10:42 AM on December 9, 2020

We adopted several cats while we lived in small apartments. At one point, we lived in a basement. That cat did not care. We actually kept another cat in the bathroom full-time for 2 weeks while our first cat got used to having a roommate. We kept the litter box under a coffee table, covered with a blanket, to give them privacy.

You do have to scoop often. Like, twice a day in that small a space.

Go get yourself a feline friend!
posted by Ms Vegetable at 10:52 AM on December 9, 2020

The shelter will know which of their cats are relaxed and low-energy enough to live indoors happily.

The workers at the shelter may have good advice for you on how to keep costs down, and they may even be able to recommend a vet. Talk to vets in your area about fees; there may be one that does a sliding scale.

You should budget to take your cat to the vet as soon as they're settled at your place, within the first month. Make sure your vet checks the cat's teeth; dental care is expensive, and shelters often skip it. The shelter will tell you what vaccinations the cat has had.

One of my cats tends to build up a lot of tartar on her teeth. Every year I get them cleaned so the buildup doesn't cause infection and decay. It is expensive, but it's important. (My other cat eats exactly the same food, and his teeth are fine, but still needs a dental cleaning every few years.)

Older cats are wonderful, relaxed creatures. They will also have higher vet costs. And any cat will get old eventually (if you're lucky).
posted by Pallas Athena at 10:53 AM on December 9, 2020 [2 favorites]

Wrt the litter box, you need to consider not just the space requirement but also the potential smell.

Fostering sounds like a good place to start.
posted by trig at 11:00 AM on December 9, 2020 [1 favorite]

Yes to getting a cat!

Your apartment size is not a problem. Vertical space is usually more important to cats than horizontal space; they like to be able to get up high and survey things from above, so your loft will be perfect. I wouldn't be surprised if kitty spends most of its time up there! Plus heat rises and cats love to be warm.

A reputable shelter will know the personalities of its animals and should have no trouble getting you a chill, cuddly, adult cat. Ideally they'd have one that doesn't like living with other cats and needs to be an only animal; those can be hard to adopt out because lots of folks like to adopt cats in pairs.

Since the average lifespan of an indoor cat is 13-17 years, don't overlook the old kitties at the shelter for fear of vet bills. In the US, some shelters/rescues have an "in it for life" program that covers a senior cat's medical expenses for the rest of its life. I have no idea if any of Sweden's animal shelters have a similar program but it's worth looking into because old kitties are a singular delight--they're calm, snuggly, and usually very unhappy at the shelter. They probably didn't become a senior cat living outdoors or in a feral colony--the average lifespan of an outdoor cat is only 2-5 years. They almost certainly spent most of their life living in homes with humans and as such the shelter is an unfamiliar and terrifying place.

It's a mitzvah to give an old animal who's ended up in a cage a safe and loving home. Go team old kitty!
posted by jesourie at 11:09 AM on December 9, 2020 [10 favorites]

Ideally, if you're getting a new friend from a shelter, try to use a shelter that assesses each cat's personality. The American Society of Prevention to Cruelty to Animals gives each cat a proprietary personality test. They've got an online tool (this and this) to see if yours and the cat's personalities fit. The Swedish SPCAs might do something similar.

The shelter you use should have a meet and greet room for you to interact with your new friend to judge compatibility.

Enough room for a cat? Cats need exercise. They get their exercise through toys (string, string tied to a stick, or toy tied to a string which is tied to a stick). When you play with your friend, it does double duty: bonding with you and exercise. Cats needs 15-20 minutes of exercise daily and you can sit in a chair while playing with your friend.

You'll need some cat furniture such as a scratching post and maybe a window perch (Don't get the ones that use suction cups. They'll fail in 3 months) or stand alone perch.
posted by dlwr300 at 11:45 AM on December 9, 2020 [2 favorites]

I've spent several weeks with an adult cat and two adult humans in an apartment smaller than this. The cat was completely chill as long as he could have something to scratch (wicker chair), somewhere to hide (closet) and somewhere to watch from above (of all things, the stove hood), as well as some shoe laces to chase when the mood hit. The only cat-centric things we had were food bowls and the litterbox, which we just put in the bathroom next to the human loo - easy to scoop flushable clumping litter. We did have to sweep the bathroom daily because that kitty was a digger, but apart from that, no complaints from any of the three of us. Whatever cat you get, they're bound to love the loft!
posted by I claim sanctuary at 12:31 PM on December 9, 2020 [1 favorite]

I had a cat when I lived in a small apartment, and he went a little stir crazy -- he started racing back and forth in a way that didn't seem like play. When I moved to a larger apartment, he stopped doing that. So, my answer is "maybe" -- it depends on the cat.
posted by The corpse in the library at 4:28 PM on December 9, 2020 [1 favorite]

I raised two kittens into cats in a tiny studio apartment in Korea. And when I say tiny, I mean tiny. It was maybe 20 steps longways and 10 steps short ways. They were (and still are 10 years later) very chill.
posted by kathrynm at 5:07 PM on December 9, 2020 [1 favorite]

If the cat is not so old to be fragile, you can probably a rig a sort of cat highway up high...tops of wardrobes/bookshelves accessed by slightly shorter shelves...so the cat had its own domain. It might mean finding a different home for whatever else you have up there/breakables.

If you only have one window that does make me hesitate a bit; you and cat might end up competing for light. But it depends on how large it is.
posted by emjaybee at 5:32 PM on December 9, 2020

Is there anything else I should consider in making this decision?

Be certain your frequent-visitor grandkids aren't allergic to cats.
posted by Iris Gambol at 7:33 PM on December 9, 2020 [2 favorites]

Aww, "willing to hand over one of their treasures" charmed me so much. You are definitely a person who needs a cat.
posted by Threeve at 7:33 PM on December 9, 2020 [4 favorites]

I'm currently not a cat guardian but I've also been planning to get a cat - postponed but definitely still something I'm planning to do in the medium-term. So I've been doing a lot of research.

One thing I'd add is you want to be sure about pet insurance, what your options are in Sweden, what it will and won't cover, and any pre-existing conditions the cat has been diagnosed with. Keeping in mind I do not know how pet insurance works in Sweden but here in the UK, while the monthly cost of cat health insurance is pretty reasonable they won't cover treatment relating to conditions that were diagnosed prior to getting the insurance.

There were some lovely cats I saw on shelter website who, when I got in touch to inquire into, I learned had heart murmurs and renal failure - this was more of an issue with older cats. While I am not saying that should stop you from adopting the cat it would still have an impact on medical expenses.

Also cat will need somewhere quiet to hide, pref high up, when the kids come to visit :) S/he may be very sociable, but it's good to have the option to go elsewhere if it all gets a bit too much!
posted by unicorn chaser at 3:16 AM on December 10, 2020 [2 favorites]