Count first, then check access

Enter the number of cats and the available food stations, water stations, quiet resting places, scratching surfaces and safe high places. The result summarizes your entries and flags counts worth reviewing. It is not a validated stress score, diagnosis or minimum housing standard.

FelineVMA's multi-cat guidelines emphasize separated resources and the subtle nature of tension [1]. This tool keeps the inventory simple; you still need to evaluate routes and preferences.

What counts as a usable resource?

A food station should be a location a cat can approach for its meal. Adjacent bowls may share the same access problem. A bed behind a closed office door is not reliably available overnight. A high place needs a safe route up and down and should suit the cat's mobility.

Count the items, then write notes beside questionable access. Do not convert a tray, bed or perch into a numerical promise that all cats can use it.

Work through a two-cat example

Imagine two food bowls in one kitchen corner, one water bowl, two beds, one scratcher and one perch. The tool can highlight shared or limited options. The useful next step is to watch whether each cat can eat and rest without passing or being watched by the other.

If one cat routinely waits outside the kitchen, try a separate meal location while keeping the food plan unchanged. Observe whether access improves. The example is a layout exercise, not evidence of the cause of any appetite change.

Review the map after a change

  • Keep familiar options while testing a new resource.
  • Check whether either cat blocks an entrance or route.
  • Observe use at different times, including when doors are closed.
  • Record unobserved use honestly rather than assuming a purchased item is used.

Use multi-cat home planning for the full workflow and the separate litter planner for litter-box counts.

When an inventory is not enough

Persistent conflict, new hiding, altered appetite or changed toilet habits should be discussed with your veterinary team. Buying another resource cannot rule out illness or resolve every relationship issue. The calculator does not save a floor plan or evaluate the behavior of your cats; use private notes for actual observations.