Cats love the outdoors and enjoy having the freedom to explore. However, when you have cats in a major city like Philadelphia, allowing them to roam outside isn’t always the best idea due to busy car traffic and other risks related to urban living. You want your furry friends to be both happy and protected, so create an exciting and safe cat friendly atmosphere for your kitties inside of your Philadelphia home.

The Ultimate Playground

Some people don’t like the idea of placing a large cat play area in their home, but modern designers have created very unique and interesting cat playgrounds that actually may add something special to your decor. There are space-saving cat towers that are tall and attractive that you can place in a corner of a room and forget that they’re even there. They come in a variety of colors that will fit in perfectly with your decor. It creates a maze-like adventure for your cats and puts them in the frame of mind of climbing a tree outside. Whenever possible, place the cat tower near a high window so that they have a destination.

Bring the Outdoors Indoors

Image Source: Flickr/Elvin Lucero

Another way to make your Philly home cat friendly is to turn at least one room into an indoor garden that mimics what a cat might see when exploring outside. The only problem is that cats are allergic to many types of plants and shouldn’t eat the leaves. So try what is sometimes called “vertical gardening” — either hang your plants from the ceiling from hooks or use magnetic plant hangers to attach them to the walls. Hire an artist to paint one of the walls with a jungle scene to help awaken your cat’s inner lion. You might also choose to use mostly artificial plants that look exactly like wild plants and flowers.

Window to the World

If you ever open a window in your home, you know that your cats will come running. That’s because they can’t resist the fresh air and the chance to take a cat-nap in the sun. Make the area around your open window as comfortable for your feline friends as possible — place a cat bed there along with a small bowl of snacks and a mini-fan if it’s a little hot outside. Hang a few toys from the window so that your cats can bat at them for a little exercise before nodding off to sleep. Some retailers also sell cat perches that you can attach to the window using a clever suction technology.

Pet behaviorists agree that when you give cats an environment where they can play, explore, and have their very own place to relax, they are more content, well-adjusted, and well-behaved in the home. Try these simple ideas for making your urban home more cat friendly so that both you and your pets will be happy.

Main Image Source: Flickr/Jennifer C.

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