A Quick Guide on How to “Cat Proof” Your Windows

Colorpoint Shorthair

Cats can be hurt by a lot of things that are a non-issue for humans. As a result, cat owners should put some serious effort into cat-proofing their home for the purpose of protecting their feline companion. One excellent example of the places that need a look would be the windows.

Why Do You Need to Cat-Proof Your Windows?

Primarily, windows are a potential problem because they can make it very easy for cats to hurt themselves. For instance, some cats have been known to play with the cords for blinds as well as other window treatments. This should be fine most of the time. Unfortunately, there are examples of cats that have managed to get the cords twisted around their necks much to their detriment, meaning that this is something that cat owners should watch out for.

Having said that, open windows are even worse for not one but two reasons. First, while cats have a reputation for landing on their feet, it is important to not overestimate their capabilities in this regard. Yes, they are good at landing on their feet after falling from a great distance. However, it is perfectly possible for cats to make a bad landing because they are unlucky, overweight, inexperienced, or one of a number of other possibilities. On top of that, there is a limit to what cats can and cannot manage even if they get everything right, as shown by the ones that wind up with broken ribs as well as other serious injuries when they fall from such a great distance that they have to land on their bellies rather than their legs. As such, having a place where a cat can jump off from is a very bad idea, particularly for cat owners who live high up.

Second, letting a cat run wild outside can be very bad for not just the cat but also the cat’s surroundings. Generally speaking, a person’s pet cat isn’t very well-suited for surviving in an outdoor environment that isn’t very hospitable for such animals in the first place. They don’t know where to find the food that exists. Furthermore, they just don’t know the relevant survival strategies because they never learned them. Thanks to this, pet cats can run into a very wide range of problems when they are permitted to run wild outdoors. This is true even if they are outdoors for just a short period of time before being returned to their home because a single hostile encounter can result in serious injuries. Never mind the potential for infection with various pathogens.

Unfortunately, cats are also very bad for their surroundings when they are permitted to run wild outside. After all, they are quite good at hunting. Furthermore, cats are like a lot of other predators in that they engage in surplus killing, meaning that they will continue hunting even when they aren’t hungry so long as the prey are easy. Scientists have come up with various explanations for this phenomenon such as having more food available and having more experience to ensure a more reliable food supply in the future, but there is too little research to say for sure at the moment. Whatever the cause, the important part is that surplus killing can be absolutely devastating for the wild species that live in the region, meaning that it should be prevented whenever and wherever possible. Something that makes for one more reason to cat-proof the windows.

How Can You Cat-Proof Your Windows?

Here are some suggestions for cat-proofing windows:

Get Child-Proofing Tools – Children can be as curious as cats. Thanks to this, there are a lot of child-proofing tools for the window, which should be usable for cat-proofing the windows as well. Having said that, something that is suitable for keeping children indoors might not be suitable for keeping cats indoors. For instance, bars over the window work great for child-proofing. However, they aren’t quite as good when it comes to cat-proofing because a cat might be capable of squeezing in between them depending on their exact placement. Instead, look for something like a mesh that can withstand a few dozen pounds of pressure, which should be much more useful in this regard. Besides this, interested individuals might also want to ask the manufacturers of the child-proofing tools to see if they have anything of relevance to mention in the context of cat-proofing. There is no guarantee that they will have anything specific to offer. However, interested individuals can get useful information about the tool’s specifications to inform their own judgment at the very least.

Consider Making Your Own Cat-Proof Screen – In some cases, interested individuals might want to look into making their own cat-proof screen. This is a common problem, meaning that there is a lot of interest in this topic out there. As such, interested individuals should have no problems finding a detailed guide that will show them what they need to do step by step. Any home improvement store should be able to provide them with all of the tools and supplies that they need. As for what they should consider when they make a cat-proof screen, they need to make sure that it will hold even if the cat chooses to lunge at it for whatever reason because they need to be able to trust it under all circumstances. In any case, interested individuals should also consider securing their windows from the outside rather than from the inside provided that is a realistic option for them under the circumstances.

Close the Windows – There are simple precautions that interested individuals can take to keep their cat at home. For example, they should keep their windows closed unless they are keeping a close eye on their cat. Otherwise, even the best cat-proofing in the world won’t do anything if it isn’t actually being used for said purpose. Similarly, interested individuals might want to give their cat a perch so that their cat can indulge its fondness for the heights. Something that might make them less interested in potentially heading out through the windows.

Contact the Professionals – Finally, interested individuals should consider hiring a professional to come up with a custom solution for their windows. This might be expensive. However, this tends to be the most convenient solution. For that matter, cat-proofing professionals tend to be a great source of knowledge for keeping cats at home, so interested individuals can particularly benefit from their presence if they are seeking a more comprehensive solution.

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