Hello,

I am moving from a house to a second floor flat in a few months. My 9 month old cat that has never been outside is coming with me. I know it's easier for an indoor cat to settle having never known the delights (and dangers) of the outside but I was wondering what tips people had for providing stimulation during the day when I am at work (note: I am open to getting another cat but she has never really got on with the cats she has lived with previously so I don't want to get another cat only to then have to rehome it if they don't get on).

I'm getting the usual bits and pieces (cat tree, plenty of toys, indoor cat grass etc) and she is fully litter trained and being high up she'll love looking out of the window. Is there anything else I should consider?

There are some toys, where you can hide cat biscuits in them & the cat has to work to get them out. Also, leave the radio on during the day.

Those toys are a good idea. Also thought about putting the litter tray in the small storage room and adding a little cat flap.

Ensure she's safe and cannot fall out of the window, it happens all the time.

You seem to have it all covered. But bear in mind the most stressful things for cats are other cats.

Good luck in your new home. I am sure your cat will be very happy.

If you are high up and want to leave windows open and the cat to be safe from falling you cannot do better than these people. I got their screens, so simple to fit and use and the cats love to sit by a particular window which has a nasty drop , now they can sit there and are safe as houses, I did supervise them to start with as they had a quick scratch at it but they could not shift it.

They are not expensive as I said easy to fit ( even for the worst DIY person like me ) and if you have a specific measurement that they do not advertise then you just email them and they create a sales link for you to do the purchase

http://www.flat-cats.co.uk/

I would urge you to consider your neigbours.

The twunts upstairs had two cats that made my life miserable for years.
In many modern flats, there is little if any sound proofing and the people will hear your animals charging aotu the place, howiing for food.

I complained and eventually they were forced to get rid of the things or move.

Think about people as well as your pets!

I think sound would only be an issue if the flat has hard flooring like tiles/laminate. I find it hard to believe cats on carpet would be much of a problem. Worst is stilleto heels on laminate

Cats running around is nowhere near as bad as inconsiderate plonkers who live in flats and insist on surround sound, 50" TV's and loud stereo systems. I live in a flat, have two cats and to date, I have never heard my cats howl for food because they have food available 24/7. Infact, cats very rarely howl. Perhaps your neighbours were having rigorous sex?

Muze urges cat owners to keep their cats indoors so as not to bother the neighbours, then complains about cats indoors It's best to ignore the advice of a renowned cat-hater who continues to post on cat based threads purely to antagonise and provoke a response (such as mine).

Living in a flat carries so many neighbouring sound issues that I would have thought a small cat would be the least of them. Moving from a flat to a house was the best decision I ever made, I am no longer bothered by other people's music and I know I could never live in a flat again. Luckily for me and my Tabitha, when I had a flat my neighbours were cat lovers (most had their own and the ones who didn't wanted to keep Tabitha when I moved) and all our cats had outdoor access, even for those of us on the first floor as we had our own individual and a communal cat flap.

As for advice to the OP, I agree with screening the windows, depending on how high up the flat is. There have been many cases of cats falling and sustaining serious injuries while out on the window ledge.

I urge pet owners to discourage their animals from causing a nuisance, regardless of where they live or the species of pet they own.

I was kept awake by the bloody things day and night for nearly a year, by day yowling on my windowsill, by night crashing about the place.

How dare I suggest a cat owner might need to consider other people.
let it run all over, maybe like one cat did it will get into another flat and be attacked by the dogs living there

Well I think we can all see you agenda from that comment.

It's a bit ironic to complain about cats in flats when you had dogs in your flat, particularly aggressive dogs.

At one time my next door neighbour (in my old flat) had a poodle which never stopped yapping and barking at every thing she heard. My neighbours were very apologetic and explained she was getting old etc. The dog used to go absolutely hysterical every time she heard me exit or enter my flat. This lasted for 2 years but, although extremely annoying, I accepted the situation for what it was. I got on with those neighbours (and petted their dog when I met her) and they kindly gave permission for me to install the communal door cat flap when I acquired my cat. They said they were animal lovers, not exclusively dog lovers.

A dog walking across a floor would surely be a lot noisier that a dainty little cat and dogs emit much larger noises than cats. Barking dogs have been cited as one of the greatest causes of noise stress - although, for me it would be other people's music.

Well you obviously didnt think of other people otherwise you would have been more tolerant with your neighbours.

We had a neighbour once who hated my cats, no reason really except our landlord had told them no to a second dog and i had more than one cat, they just assumed it was their right to complain even though their dog barked day and night...eventually they took matters into their own hand and when i opened my door one they sent their Alsatian dog into my home...where my tiny female cat leaped from the sofa onto it face and bit a huge chunk out of its nose....they never complained again. I have since moved and lost my cats to old age and have others now.

My cats have lived with me in a flat since they were kittens so have never known anything any different, i just make sure they have things to scratch and climb and plenty of toys....i have window restrictors on my windows so they open a inch or so but thats all, no matter how hard they are pushed they wont open so i feel safe leaving them open when im out.

And as for cats making noise, mine dont meow, the do run around but so does the dog downstairs, we hear more noise from our neighbours cat meowing to come in because shes been locked outside again than i do from my own

I agree people upstairs from us have two cats I didn't even know they were there for 18 months and only found out when one fell out of her window and gave us a shock as it hit our open window on the way down. Poor thing didn't survive

We have dogs and only time my neighbour down stairs hears them is when they jump off the bed, and that's because we have laminate in my room, luckily she loves dogs and they only do it after she has got up in the morning.

Get your cat a cat tree with multi levels and scratching posts. Mine love theirs. Also toys. You might also want to consider leaving a radio on low. Some pets find it comforting. Also, and this is dependant on the layout of your flat - Bird TV. A feeding station that is viewable from a convenient window can provide hours of entertainment.

Yeah, definitely getting a nice big cat tree.

Also, regarding consideration of neighbours, it is a factor but I'll be taking the needs of my pet that is my friend and companion into consideration before the needs of some strangers who may or may not take any issue.

With that said, it is a new build flat, but I have requested carpets so there shouldn't be too much in the way of thudding around on hard wood floors. She isn't particularly vocal either.

Of course you were kept awake at night by the sound of a cat crashing about the place in the flat upstairs.

Famously noisy, heavy-footed, clumsy, unco-ordinated animals, cats.

LOL as I said cats upstairs here we never hear, but if anyone can stop the drumming I would be appreciative it really puts a cats paws into perspective.

Has she got one of these http://www.innovations.com.au/p/what...rfect-cat-arch. and if you found she wasn't a fan I guess you could use it to clean your booties

Gah, theres nothing worse than dogs in flats. Noisy, barking all damn day long, running around like a herd of elephants. Why on earth people insist on the things I don't know. Another one upstairs has to be muzzled when they take if for a walk as it'll go for you without warning... damn things should be banned in flats. A complaint to the noise abatement officer on the council usually gets the job done. Yelling "shut up!" through the letterbox doesn't go down too well...

Most of my neighbours love I have dogs in my flat twice over the years they were first to alert us all to people trying to break into other flats in the middle of the night, and a few years ago my late Benny let us all know about a fire and everyone got out before the fire alarms even went off.
My down stairs neighbour says she likes to know she isn't alone and hearing the pitter patter of tiny feet makes her more confident.

Even the cleaners like them because our stairs are cleanest in the blocks because I clean up after my dogs when we come in wet or muddy.

will u be leaving behind a mouse in a house ?

our cats were in two flats before we moved to a house. it never bothered them as we didn't let them out at the time. cat tree is a good investment and toys to keep em busy.

Thanks for all the replies guys. It has been bugging me a bit because I was always of the opinion that cats should be allowed out and if I was being cruel by keeping her in.

I'm fairly good at reading her so if she displays obvious signs of being unhappy I'll address it as and when : )