The ideal space that our pet needs is one that allows it to carry out its physiological needs and ethological activities in a natural way. Regarding physiological needs, we refer to food, sleep, hygiene, exercise, socialization and expulsion of excrement. Regarding the ethological demands we are talking about those referring to the communication and way of being of the animal: its routine, its hobbies, its need to interact with furry and human … With which space is not only the four walls of your house, we are talking about the set of home and environment.
Let’s focus on the dog for a moment. Space is one of the points to consider before adopting a dog. There are many “legends” around the meters that a dog needs. Among them we can hear:
- A large dog cannot live in an apartment.
- A dog, of any size, cannot be in a loft or study (small apartment).
- A furry will only be completely happy in a house with a plot to run.
These are several examples that show the importance of expert advice on the details of having a pet. If someone has spoken these phrases, it is very likely that they have not had a dog in their entire life.
If that person had lived with one or more furry animals and / or had a conversation about it with a veterinarian or professional in the sector, they would already know that any dog (whatever size, breed and ethological characteristics) can live in any type of home … It can even accompany homeless humans, right?
A dog does not need to run through our home, it must run outside of it. A canid that lives in an apartment, if he has the time he needs to exercise and entertain himself in the park or the like (let’s underline this phrase well), he will be the happiest in the world and will spend his home hours dozing most of the time.
But if the animal does not have its long moments stretching its legs in the street, playing, sniffing and running, inside our house it will develop some other behavior problem, because it will need to vent and entertain itself in some way. It will be then when the problems come that lead someone to say with total emptiness that a dog cannot live in an apartment.
We have already explained on other occasions that kittens have their own territories: to eat, to rest, to hide, to relieve themselves … Spaces that should not be changed (unless the cat is “asking” us) and that must be respected otherwise we could cause stress or discomfort to our animal. That said, cats are perfectly content living in a house, whatever the size, as long as we respect the rules of their territories. Everything you need can be in between those walls.
Cats have their own grounds that we must respect
An owner interested in the well-being of his cat will adapt the organization of his house, without the need for any change or move, to what his new furry friend demands.
The most significant thing about space for cats is to use it correctly: that each piece of furniture and product is “in its place” and that these corners have been chosen appropriately.
The difficulty in small houses can come when we adopt more than one cat. In this case, although the cats share certain common areas, conflicts may arise depending on the “way of being of the individuals”.
