Territory
For Domestic Cats
How much square footage will your cat stake
out?
MetPet.com Staff Writer
How much square
footage does your cat
need to be happy? Domestic cats generally learn to live within the boundaries we
set although behavior problems can result from perceived overcrowding.
Some cats, in addition, need a little extra room to be content.
Space is three dimensional for cats because they climb so well.
A space with limited footprint will gain size, from your cat's standpoint, if it
has trees or shelving or furniture or fences to climb.
If you are having cat arguments and squabbles inside the house,
simply adding more vertical space can bring instant peace. You can rows of
shelving or a very tall cat tree structure or move furniture to create a series
of 'stairs' to the top of a sturdy bureau.
Indoor/outdoor cats will
stake out a comfortable space by marking, fighting and chasing interlopers. This can
be limited to their own backyard or may encompass the entire neighborhood. A cat
with a large territory and lots of feline neighbors or stray visitors is a very busy cat. He may come
in and out of the house all day long checking and rechecking his territory in between
eating, napping and drinking water for marking.
An unneutered male may claim
20 times the space that a neutered female will which means if a neutered
female is happy with the house and a small backyard, an unneutered male may
claim the property of your adjoining 19 neighbors as his own.
This
claiming behavior can be characterized by marking vertical surfaces such as
posts and bushes or leaving droppings uncovered in strategically important
areas. An unneutered female or neutered
male will probably fall somewhere in between these extremes.
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