BEST Apartment Cat Hacks

A few things not mentioned that work really well for our 2 kitties in apartment- 1. Having potted plants on our balcony close enough so that they can watch the flowers and see the little spiders, bees, and butterflies that visit the flowers. 2. A small bird feeder on the balcony area as well (I know this isn’t an option for all apartments— but if it is, it’s really nice for the cats to watch the birds during the day). 3. A little cat hammock that suction cups to the windows— (we have a chubby girl, and it’s never had a problem with her jumping up/ with both cats cuddling and napping on it/ etc. I was pleasantly surprised how much it holds) if you live in a cold area, we also placed one of those cat safe warmer mats- they have non-electric ones that just reflect the cat’s body heat and get nice and cozy for the cats to lay on for a nap. 4. Using little food puzzles filled with some treats or getting little “mice” online that have a place to fill with dry food— and then hide the 3 mice so your cat has to “hunt” them and find them when you’re at work— it takes a few tries for them to get the hang of it— and I try to make it really easy the first few times— plus leave a small amount of dry food in their bowl at first, just in case they don’t pick up on it right away. 5. If you live in a place that doesn’t have a lot of wild life or nature— try turning on a YouTube video for cats— like search “cat tv” and a bunch of videos pop up that are just birds and squirrels eating seeds and nuts that someone set up a camera for in the woods for 6 hours and just let the critters come by and eat. My cats love watching! I try to mix up what I do, to keep them entertained and happy. They’re spoiled little babies, but all cats deserve to be spoiled in my opinion haha!

In my experience, when well designed cat furniture is placed correctly in the living space, cats ignore the sofa for scratching. If they have a cardboard scratcher in a corner of the bedroom, they avoid the bedspread. Cat psychology! Thanks for encouraging us to catify our shared living spaces, for our mutual enjoyment, Jackson!

My whole apartment is catified, they even have their own bedroom, everyone teases me cause my apt looks more like a fun cat shelter than a humans apt...

My 'baby' is now 17 and showing signs that she won't be around much longer. Off to the vet for checkup this week, but in meantime, based on your advice, Jackson, I got her a heated blanket. She's very happy about this! 😁 her appetite is better, she's moving around much better and she's generally much more relaxed. Such a simple thing, but has made a real difference. Cheers, dude 👍❤🇬🇧

One little enrichment thing I did that also looked really cute: I took all their toys and placed them in cute little spots all over the cats' surfaces (cat trees, beds, etc) for the cats to find. I made it look like little critters were peeking out of everywhere. Instead of just all over the floor like usual. My cats watched me do it and had a blast pouncing on the toys they found as I was putting them out. Some of the toys are still up for future finds. And it looks adorable. I think I will do that regularly now. 💖🐾💖🐾

I have a hammock with my stuffed animals hanging above my bed (using command strips). My cat loves jumping up, climbing it, and sleeping on top of the stuffed animals.

You’ve made my cats life so much better. I started taking care of this sweet, but very skittish and almost shell shocked, cat that my (apartment) neighbors had abandoned as a kitten when they moved. I live in an 600 sq ft “efficiency” (just one room) and “Sammy” has two cat towers, one of which she can climb and get on top of my bookshelf which has a cat house on top of. She has one cat tree that she can use to look out the window. She has another cat house under my entrance table. She has a heated bed. She has three scratch pads in various locations (loves sleeping on them). She has a four story cat castle made of cardboard that she can climb through. She has a three ft vertical scratching post that has a perch on top that she absolutely loves to sleep on. She has cat tunnels that run under her cat tree that she loves to hide in when she wants to play hide and seek. She has two of those snuffle mats your recently recommended, which are awesome and she loves. And she has three cat wands she can’t get enough of when we play. She is a totally different cat. And I can guarantee you I wouldn’t have done any of that without your videos.

living in a studio apt with two cats i learned that having designated cat spaces just for them went a very long way in making them feel safe and happy. think like a cat— where would they want to sleep or hang out?? the window is a big favorite, and although i initially wanted the window space for myself i found that after catifying it for them it brought me so much joy to see them hanging out in the window and knowing it was their spot

Thank you Jackson. I lost my first cat Cecil 2 weeks ago. He was 16. I found your channel and have been listening carefully to what I did correctly and learning what mistakes I had made, and won’t make again. You helped in the healing process. Still hurt but am thinking more of nice memories. He was a gray tiger cat with a very relaxed funny and quirky personality. He was a good boy!

I'm not going to lie, I just pay my cat's rent and am live in staff. I am proud to say I have most of the things in this video done. Tabitha loves Jackson's toy line at pet smart

I recomend those cat hammocks, beds and perches that suctioncups to the windows, giving the cats a greater view of natures tv. This paired with a suctioncup birdfeeder on the outside of the window, it is great for us without a balcony!

My favorite way I catified my apartment was sticking peacock feathers in everything as stationary cat toys. They’re super cheap at the pet store near my house, aren’t harmful if ingested and perfectly fit my moody aesthetic. My cats absolutely love them.

It’s so rewarding to see your cat use furniture you buy them. I’m so proud of my cat when she uses her furniture and not the same Amazon box or old blanket.

I did as much catification that I could in my studio apartment...but, I had three cats and even though most of the living space was made up of cat trees and Ikea furniture (creating a cat Borg cube) there was just not enough room. This all inspired me to save up to buy my own house. Now, the cats have room to run, climb, nap, play, and live their best lives. Having a whole bedroom just for litter boxes is a dream come true!

Jackson’s advice about the carrier was a game changer! Both my kitties use theirs as beds, and now I don’t have to hunt them down when it’s vet time!

Best thing I ever got my cat was a heated pet mat. It’s like a mini electric blanket, perfect for colder climates x

Cat grass in a box to bring the outside in is such an amazing idea!! I’ve always felt bad that my two cats will never have the chance to know what grass feels like. Thanks very much Jackson for that very practical idea. I’m sure going to try it!!

Maybe you've done this already, but I think a great topic would be Catification for the aging cat. My baby is an old man now, and I've had to place some stools so he can get up on his eating table and up on my bed, and I've put inexpensive soft blankets on everything he likes to sleep on (couch, bed, ottoman) both to make it more comfy for him and to protect my furniture since he sometimes has accidents, or dingleberries from not cleaning himself as well anymore. He's also not using his scratching post very much anymore, so I have to pay extra attention to his nails so they don't grow too long and get ingrown - but maybe there are scratching posts that are easier for older cats to use? And maybe there are other things I should be doing as well, to make things easier and more comfortable for him?

My kitty always sleeps on my bed at night. And often she sleeps there during the day while I'm at work as well (especially if I've put the blanket in a nice, soft pile). She has beds of course, but sleeping against her human's legs is the superior way to sleep.

I’m a first time cat mom and your videos have been invaluable! This one is no different. I live in a studio apt so a tension mounted cat tree is a must! I put it next to my window. Not only does it draw the eye up and out, making my space look bigger, it’s thin so it doesn’t make my small space look stuffy and my cats love it for everything from jumping to climbing to sleeping. Also, I make sure that most surfaces are jump-able for them. The coffee table/dining table is always cleared after use because it’s a launching pad between the bed and the sofa (and the window sill, tree, and desk by extension). I know most people like to have decor on their coffee tables, but I just chose one that is beautiful by itself. My boys run snd jump on it all the time to get to their next elevated destination. The last thing I need is for them to crash into some decor while they’re chasing each other up and down the furniture and getting hurt. I only have one cat bed, but they also use my bed, sofa, desk chair, window sill, radiator, cat tree, and carriers as beds so they have plenty of sleeping spots for such a small space. They could use my desk too but they just choose not to, and that’s okay. I also have toys laying around when I’m not home and wand toys I use to play with them nightly. They love the wand toys most and will yell at me and lead me to the their toy storage drawer under my bed if I don’t play with them on time 😹 I chose a bed with storage because it’s essential when you live in a studio, but even if I had the space, I know that I will always choose a bed that they can’t hide under because of your tips! I got my boys at the height of the pandemic when I moved back in with my parents, so I was really worried that they would get bored or depressed when I moved out and into this much smaller space because they have so much energy. But now I really believe they have more fun here than they do in my parent’s big house because of they have more vertical space (I can’t convince my parents to catify so there’s lots of horizontal space. It was wonderful for our dog). The nice thing about this arrangement though is that they are familiar with that big home so it’s not really stressful to take them with me when I go visit. And that’s why your tip on making sure they saw their carriers as safe spaces was a big deal for me. I just pop them in and off we go. I love my boys so much and everything I’ve learned about giving them a happy life came from your videos. Thank you so much from me and my babies!