I just moved into this tiny 1 bedroom apartment and my mom had previously agreed to take the cats that we had in the apartment we shared.

Now she decided to move to South Dakota for a few months to help out some family there and doesn't want to stress the cats out more (they're stressed because I'm gone) by taking them with her to an unfamiliar place and a long car ride and stuff like that.

So she suggested that we put plastic down in my bedroom (the hard kind like the mats under computer chairs) and lock them in my bedroom during the day so they don't destroy my new furniture (leather).

I would love to have the cats, but my apartment isn't even 600 square feet. I don't have space for a catbox anywhere, except the closet, really.

Any suggestions for the cat stress?
Or The space? Or anything?

Thanks!

How far away does your mom live? Could you just stop by there everyday for a bit to feed and care for them?

She's moving to South Dakota for 2 months or so. The apartment she's getting isn't going to be ready until after she gets back because they're remodeling it, so that's not really an option...

Oh I thought maybe it was her house not a rental. :(

Nope. We shared an apartment and by going month to month it makes rent a whopping $925 from the $800 we've been paying, and I moved out on my own, and then the big deal with my uncle not being about to take care of himself happened, so that's why she's going to South Dakota. Originally she was going to take the cats with her, but now she's worried that it'll be too much stress.

I had two cats in 650 square feet. A lot depends on the cats. If they are older and sedate, it won't be too much trouble. Younger cats will need a lot of playtime to work off energy in allowable ways. Cat trees and bookcases help increase the amount of territory (vertical space counts for cats!), especially if you put them by the windows. Put the litterbox in the bathroom and scoop often. (Mine fit right between the toilet and the bathtub, and I have friends that have taken off the vanity doors and put the box under the sink.) And if you can train them to harness and leash, you can take them outside for walks and fresh air, which helps expand their territory as well.

The cats are pretty set in their ways. They're 3 and 4, and they fight a lot. The bathroom is tiny (the vanity/counter is attached to the bathtub and the toilet is only a few inches from the counter) so I was thinking in my room (ew) or in a closet or something. They knock everything over, we've tried to leash train them to no avail... and if the girl cat gets mad, well, she'll just pee all over all your stuff.

If you take them to your place you might have to keep the girl in the bathroom or somewhere that is not carpeted and furnished And keep the other in another room while you aren't home.