Pet Pointers - Best Cities for Cat Lovers

 

Which cities are purrfect for ailurophiles and their furry, biscuit-making companions? To mark International Cat Day on Aug. 8, LawnStarter ranked 2023’s Best Cities for Cat Lovers. We compared the 200 biggest U.S. cities based on four categories. We looked at access to animal shelters, vets, and cat-friendly housing. We also factored in affordability, among 15 indicators of feline-friendliness. See the 10 purrfect (and 10 worst) cities for cat lovers below, followed by key stats from our report.

Best Cities for Cat Lovers Rank City 1 Orlando, FL 2 Knoxville, TN 3 Las Vegas, NV 4 Santa Rosa, CA 5 St. Louis, MO 6 Richmond, VA 7 Scottsdale, AZ 8 Atlanta, GA 9 Savannah, GA 10 Fort Collins, CO Worst Cities for Cat Lovers Rank City 1 Detroit, MI 2 Miramar, FL 3 Springfield, MA 4 Hialeah, FL 5 Paterson, NJ 6 Warren, MI 7 Newark, NJ 8 Bridgeport, CT 9 Garden Grove, CA 10 Laredo, TX

Key Insights: Orlando Magic: A certain mouse better watch out — Orlando, Florida, is our Cat Lovers Capital for the 2nd year in a row. O-Town leads by over 10 points ahead of silver medalist Knoxville, Tennessee — up from six points in 2022 ahead of this year’s 7th placer, Scottsdale, Arizona.  Spoiled in the Sunshine State: Florida’s felines will feel least neglected when visiting the state. Florida cities like Orlando (No. 1), Miami (No. 14), and Fort Lauderdale (No. 13) make up half of our top 10 for Care Access. This impressive group performance comes down to high scores in three metrics: cat sitters, cat boarding options, and pet stores. Contradictory Costs: Nine of the 10 most affordable cities for cat owners are in California — the 2nd most expensive U.S. state. Surprised? The average household income in the Golden State is the 6th highest in the nation. So, despite high cost of living and inflation, many residents are able to splurge on their kitties. Stray Cats Strut: You’ll have a hard time finding cats to adopt or play with in 11 cities that tied for last place in Cat Access. Miramar, Florida (No. 199), Paterson, New Jersey (No. 196), Sunnyvale, California (No. 158), and Olathe, Kansas (No. 57), are among the cities lacking animal shelters and cat cafes.  Last But Not Least: Two New Jersey cities stood out among the 10 worst cities — for good reasons. Paterson (5th worst overall), is more affordable than 153 other big cities, while Newark (7th worst) outranked 140 cities in Housing and Accommodations.   Helpful Links: See Where Your City Ranks Full Study Article Expert Insights Methodology Want a backyard where your feline friends can play? Talk to one of LawnStarter’s local landscapers about pet-safe plants, chemical-free lawn treatments, and more cat-friendly landscaping ideas.     More from LawnStarter:  32 Plants Poisonous to Cats How to Get Rid of Fleas on Cats 12 Ways to Make a Cat-Friendly Garden Best Cities for Dog Lovers Best Dog Park Cities Best Cities to Walk Your Dog