These are the apartment cat numbers behind the guides on this site, in one table: how many litter boxes, how long and how deep, how often to scoop, how tall a scratching post, how much play and how often someone should visit. Each figure is given the way its source gives it, so a range stays a range, and where no veterinary body sets a number, the table says so instead of inventing one.
Apartment cat numbers, with sources
| What | The number | Who says it | Explained in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Litter boxes | One per cat, plus one extra; two for a single cat. | AAHA and AAFP, 2021; AAFP and ISFM, 2014 | Litter boxes for two cats |
| Box length | At least 1.5 times the cat, nose to tail base: 27 in (69 cm) for an 18 in (46 cm) cat. | AAFP and ISFM, 2014 (AAHA and AAFP measure to the tail tip) | Large litter boxes |
| Litter depth | About 1 to 2 in (2.5 to 5 cm); no less than about 1.25 in (3 cm). | Cornell Feline Health Center; AAFP and ISFM, 2014 | Types of cat litter |
| Scooping | At least once a day, twice if you can. | AAFP and ISFM, 2014; iCatCare, 2025 | Keeping a box from smelling |
| Full litter change | Clumping: about every 1 to 2 weeks, where the guidelines overlap. Non-clumping: every few days. | AAFP and ISFM, 1 to 4 weeks; iCatCare, 1 to 2 weeks; Nebraska Humane Society, about 2 weeks | Keeping a box from smelling |
| Box and food | Apart, in different spots. No source gives a distance. | AAHA and AAFP, 2021; Cornell Feline Health Center | Litter box placement |
| Weight of clumping litter | About 8 to 10 lb (3.6 to 4.5 kg) per gallon (4 L); lighter litters weigh less. | Whisker, maker of the Litter-Robot | Lightweight cat litter |
| Scratching post height | Where the post stood over 3 ft (91 cm), fewer owners reported furniture scratching: 55.2% against 64.7%. A survey link, not a trial. | Wilson and colleagues, owner survey of 4,105 replies, 2016 | Scratching posts over 3 ft |
| Shelf and perch spacing | No number is set. Each perch should be wide and long enough for a full stretch. | AAFP and ISFM, 2013 | Renter-friendly shelves |
| Safe places | At least one safe place per cat, for one cat at a time. | AAFP and ISFM, 2013 | Cat furniture layouts |
| Water | Fresh water at all times, never limited; more than one water source encourages drinking. | Merck Veterinary Manual | Cordless water fountains |
| Bowls | Food and water apart from each other. No source gives a distance. | AAFP and ISFM, 2013; AAFP feeding statement, 2018 | Cat furniture layouts |
| Fountains | Cats as a group drank no more from a fountain than from a bowl in three small studies. | Grant, 2010; Pachel and Neilson, 2010; Robbins and colleagues, 2019 | Cordless water fountains |
| Fountain filters | Set by each model’s maker; Catit says every 30 days for its Flower fountain filters. | Catit | Cordless water fountains |
| Time alone | Around 12 hours at most for a healthy adult, now and then, and a few hours at a time for a young kitten, says Cats Protection, a UK charity. No veterinary body we found gives a figure. | Cats Protection; San Francisco SPCA; San Diego Humane Society | How long to leave a cat alone |
| Sitter visits | At least twice a day, and more often for kittens, older cats and cats with health conditions. | Cats Protection (UK charity) | Weekend away checklist |
| Play | Two or three short sessions a day of about 10 to 15 minutes each. | AAHA; VCA Animal Hospitals; San Francisco SPCA | Toys for bored cats |
| Senior cat | Over 10 years; some cats are better treated as seniors from about 8. | AAHA and AAFP, 2021; AAFP senior care guidelines, 2021 | Toys for senior cats |
| Length of a grown cat | About 18 to 20 in (46 to 51 cm), nose to tail base; the tail adds about 10 to 15 in (25 to 38 cm). | Britannica | Cat measuring tool |
| Catnip | Kittens under about 3 months usually show no reaction. | International Cat Care | Catnip or silvervine |
Two numbers that mean a vet visit, not a fix at home: a cat that starts going outside its box, and a cat that drinks clearly more or less than usual. Cornell lists urinary disease, kidney and thyroid problems, diabetes and pain among the causes of the first, and the AAFP’s senior guidelines name extra thirst among the signs of kidney disease and an overactive thyroid.
How these numbers are kept
Every figure comes from the same file of sourced facts that the rest of the site uses, each with the date we read its source. Three rules hold for all of them. A guideline is named when it is quoted. A range is never cut down to one number. When the sources set no figure, as for perch spacing, the distance between bowls and box, or hours alone, the table says that instead of filling the gap. Feeding amounts and medical figures are left out, because they belong to your vet.
To quote a row, name the source in its third column and link this page: Apartment Cats, “Apartment cat numbers,” updated Nov 2, 2026, apartmentcats.com/apartment-cat-numbers/. For the floor space that trees, litter boxes and beds take, see our study of 117 products’ spec sheets.
Sources
- Cats Protection, “How long can you leave a cat alone?,” cats.org.uk, June 29, 2023, read Nov 2, 2026.
- AAFP and ISFM, Guidelines for Diagnosing and Solving House-Soiling Behavior in Cats, 2014. Read Oct 16, 2026.
- AAHA and AAFP, 2021 Feline Life Stage Guidelines: general litter box considerations. Read Oct 16, 2026.
- Cornell Feline Health Center, Feline behavior problems: house soiling. Read Oct 16, 2026.
- iCatCare, consensus guidelines on lower urinary tract disease, 2025. Read Oct 16, 2026.
- Nebraska Humane Society, Litter box set up. Read Oct 16, 2026.
- Whisker, How much litter do I put in Litter-Robot? Read Oct 16, 2026.
- Wilson and colleagues, Owner observations regarding cat scratching behavior: an internet-based survey, Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 2016. Read Oct 16, 2026.
- AAFP and ISFM, Feline Environmental Needs Guidelines, 2013. Read Oct 16, 2026.
- Sadek and colleagues, Feline feeding programs, AAFP consensus statement, 2018. Read Oct 16, 2026.
- Merck Veterinary Manual, Nutritional requirements of small animals. Read Oct 16, 2026.
- Grant, Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 2010; Pachel and Neilson, Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 2010; Robbins and colleagues, Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 2019. Read Oct 16, 2026.
- Catit, Triple action fountain filters. Read Oct 16, 2026.
- San Francisco SPCA, Playing with your cat; Cats Protection, Going on holiday; San Diego Humane Society, Confinement in a new home. Read Oct 16, 2026.
- AAHA, How often should you play with your cat?; VCA Animal Hospitals, Play and play toys. Read Oct 16, 2026.
- AAFP, Feline Senior Care Guidelines, 2021. Read Oct 16, 2026.
- Britannica, Cat (student encyclopedia). Read Oct 16, 2026.
- International Cat Care, Playing with your cat. Read Oct 16, 2026.
Related: litter and litter boxes, cat furniture for small spaces and free cat tools.