Cats are adaptable to their environment and can make pretty much anywhere feel like home. An alley. A porch. An empty Amazon box. Your bathroom sink. But humans have slightly different requirements. And for cat lovers, not all cities are the same.
Recently, lawn care resource LawnStarter assessed major cities across the U.S. to try and determine which are best-suited for cat owners. How did they do it? By looking at metrics like the number of animal shelters per 100,000 residents, cat sitters, cat-friendly rental properties, cat boarding options, veterinary care, and even the presence of cat cafés. Lastly, they factored in overall affordability, to make sure owners have the budget for those extra-fancy cat feasts.
Their top 25 cat-friendly locations:
- Orlando, Florida
- Knoxville, Tennessee
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- Santa Rosa, California
- St. Louis, Missouri
- Richmond, Virginia
- Scottsdale, Arizona
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Savannah, Georgia
- Fort Collins, Colorado
- Tampa, Florida
- Tacoma, Washington
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Miami, Florida
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Austin, Texas
- Birmingham, Alabama
- Dayton, Ohio
- Eugene, Oregon
- Springfield, Missouri
- Escondido, California
- Salem, Oregon
- Roseville, California
- Tallahassee, Florida
- Alexandria, Virginia
While Orlando takes the top spot overall, Florida in general appears to be a great destination for cat aficionados. Access to cat care, boarding options, and the number of pet supply stores outpace those of other states. While their overall score is high, Florida does rank lower in cat accommodations. In other words, there are fewer cat-friendly housing options in the Sunshine State.
New York doesn’t make the top 25—they actually have the fewest number of cat sitters—but they do have the distinction of being the city with the highest number of cat cafés, making it an intriguing destination for those looking to have a hang but not fully commit to cat parenting.
If you’re a renter, San Antonio has the highest number of cat-friendly rental listings; Miami has the lowest.
For other data points, check out the infographic below:
This article was originally published on www.mentalfloss.com as The 25 Best Cities for Cat Lovers, Ranked.