Start with noise, not looks
In a flat with thin walls, the cat who matters is the one your neighbours never hear, so let sound guide the search before colour or coat does. An adult cat is the safer bet because her adult voice, activity rhythm and litter habits are already on display, while a kitten who is silent at ten weeks may grow into a cat who calls across the flat at dawn. Look for a cat who rests through ordinary shelter noise, eats calmly, and settles after being handled instead of pacing and vocalising. A naturally quieter, easy-going nature matters more than any breed label, because individuals vary widely within every breed.
What to ask the shelter or rescue
Ask direct questions about this cat at night and at busy times. Does she yowl when she wants attention, or does she come and sit beside people instead? Does she dig in the litter tray for long, noisy stretches, scratch at closed doors, or race around after dark? Staff and foster carers who have lived alongside her can tell you whether her loud moments were a one-off response to arriving, or her daily pattern. A cat who was surrendered from another flat is especially informative if the reason was unrelated to noise, because her previous home has already tested the exact conditions you are offering.
Visit when the building is awake
A quiet mid-morning visit flatters almost every cat. If you can, meet her when the shelter is busier, doors are opening and other animals are moving, and watch whether she watches calmly, retreats to a hideaway, or starts calling. Sit on the floor, let her approach, and notice how quickly she settles again after a sudden sound. A cat who startles and then relaxes copes well with upstairs footsteps, hallway voices and the other ordinary noises that travel through apartment walls in both directions.
Set the flat up to stay quiet
Even a quiet cat will make noise in a flat with nothing to do, so plan the layout before she arrives. Put the litter tray on a mat away from the wall you share with a neighbour's bedroom, choose a sturdy scratching post that will not topple and bang, and give her a window perch and a couple of cardboard hides so the night hours have somewhere calm to go. A short play session before your own bedtime burns off the evening energy that otherwise turns into corridor sprints across hard floors. Rugs in her favourite racing lines soften both the sound and the landing.
The first fortnight behind your door
Keep her in one room at first, with tray, water, food and a hide, and let the rest of the flat open up gradually as she stays relaxed. Introduce yourself to the neighbours on your floor, tell them a cat has moved in, and invite them to knock if they ever hear persistent calling — that goodwill buys patience while she settles, and most new cats are quieter by the second week. If she does cry at night, respond by improving the daytime routine rather than answering every call, which teaches her that yowling works. A settled adult, chosen for her actual voice and given a flat arranged for calm, is a neighbour nobody complains about, and KinsLe's Transferrable Profiles move her shelter history and settled routines into your hands so nothing the rescue learned about keeping her quiet is lost.