The Cat Quality of Life Index: The Best UK Cities to Be a Cat in 2025

Ever wondered where your cat would choose to live if they had the final say? From sun-soaked nap spots to nearby vets and pet-friendly landlords, here at The Insurance Emporium, we’ve crunched the numbers to uncover the best UK cities for cats in 2025.

Data Methodology:

To work out which cities are the most cat-friendly, we analysed a range of data sources and scored each location based on the following key factors.

Data Categories & Metrics:

As you can see, we looked at lots of different things that make life great for cats, like how many vets are nearby, how sunny it is, how many rental properties let you have a cat, and more.

Each of these categories got a score out of 10. Then, because some things are more important to cats than others (like sunshine or veterinary care), we gave those things a bigger weight.

We multiplied each score by its weight, added everything up, and got a final number out of 100. The higher the number, the better that city is for cats.

The Top 10 UK Cities for Cats – 2025 Rankings

From our research, London has been crowned the best city for cats as it scored highly across the board; from lots of pet-friendly rental properties to plenty of vets, and clearly owners in London think a lot of their kitties, as they’re keen to share their antics on Instagram.

In second place is Bristol, boasting several veterinary practices, decent average sunshine hours per day and again, a loyal army of content sharing parents across Instagram.

Finally, Stoke-on-Trent stole the last spot on the podium. Most notably it was its average green-space-per-person that elevated this city up to third place in the rankings.

How Do You Measure a City’s Cat-Friendliness?

There are several factors that might influence what makes a city cat friendly – regardless of whether you have an indoor or an outdoor cat. Let’s review what some of those most important things might be.

• Pet-friendly landlords

For homeowners, it’s not as big a deal thinking whether it’s appropriate to have a pet as the onus is on you to manage their behaviour and stay on top of the maintenance of your home. However, it’s not as simple for those in rented accommodation; the latest data reveals that nearly a fifth (19.5%) of the UK are in private rented accommodation, while 17.5% are social renters.

Although our research did reveal across each city several properties that were highlighted as ‘pet friendly’, not all landlords will be upfront about their stance on pet ownership while renting their property. In September 2024, the Government introduced the Renters’ Rights Bill. The bill gives tenants the right to request permission from the landlord to keep a pet, while the landlord will not be able to turn down the request without good reason.

• Enrichment through nature or vertical space

We know that cats who have access to outdoor spaces love to explore. While they don’t tend to roam too far, most cats only roam up to 200 meters (650 feet) from home, having access to green spaces can help keep cats fit and active, and prevent them from getting bored.

• Access to vets and care

It’s not something we want to think about, but if your cat were to have an accident or become unwell having access to nearby veterinary care is an important consideration. There’s also regular check-ups and booster injections and, in England, cats need to be microchipped before they reach the age of 20 weeks or owners could risk getting a fine of up to £500.

Regional Highlights

Here at The Insurance Emporium, we love our cats and being situated just outside of the fabulous city of York, we couldn’t miss the opportunity to rank our hometown against the other 20.

Therefore, in addition to our top 20 (+ York) cities to be a cat, we’ve broken down our research further to reveal to top 5 cities for each category to find out which stood out, as well as where York ranked.

Pet Friendly Housing

Veterinary Access

Lifestyle & Amenities

Feline Wellness Factors – Sunshine Hours

Feline Wellness – Cat Shelters

Community & Cultural Indicators

Want To See Where Your City Ranked?

For the full results, and to see where your city ranked take a look here:

Whether you live in a top-ranked city or not, every cat deserves a safe, enriching, and loving home. From sun-soaked windowsills to nearby vets and pet-friendly rentals, we hope this study helps inspire cat lovers to create the best environment possible for their furry companions.

And, wherever you and your moggy call home, it may be worth considering cat insurance should the unexpected happen. We have cat and senior cat policies that can be tweaked to suit your budget – take a look and get a free, no-strings quote today!

*Data collected for rental properties was correct as of 27.05.25. All other data was collected between 27.05.25-30.05.25 and was correct at the time.

This blog is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by or affiliated with any brands or external websites mentioned in this content.

All content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only. We make no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site. We will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. We will not be liable for any loss, injury, or damage arising from the display or use of this information. This policy is subject to change at any time.

We offer a variety of cover levels, so please check the policy cover suits your needs before purchasing. For your protection, please ensure you read the Insurance Product Information Document (IPID) and policy wording, for information on policy exclusions and limitations.