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rudebekia

Any solutions for cats and second floor balcony?

Rudebekia
15 years ago

My two cats and I moved this winter into a second floor condo in an old, converted Victorian home. One of the selling points for me was the huge open-air (not screened) front balcony/porch off the living room. I'll make lots of use of it now that the weather is getting warm. Because it is a condo with historical restrictions, I am unable to screen in the porch

Here's the dilemma. My two cats are longing to go out on it. We have come from a single family home where I put them on harnesses and leashes and took them out in the back yard every so often, which they just loved. I'm trying to think of a creative solution to allow the cats on the balcony safely. The balcony has waist-high walls all around, without bars or cutouts, so they won't be content in a wire cage on the floor--they won't be able to see anything over the sides. I could just put a cage on a table to raise it up, but there must be a better solution. I would, of course, love it if I could just erect a perch in a corner or just a table they can lay on without caging them but I just don't know whether they will understand the fact that the balcony is on the second floor and not try to jump over the railing. The railing is about 8", so they could perch on it, but it scares me to have them even try. Any thoughts?

Comments (42)

  • mokanee
    15 years ago

    Cats are really more curious than anything, but I totally understand your worrying.

    I lived in a second floor apartment with a small balcony, it only had about a 2.5" to 3" thick railing and my one cat (the younger one) routinely scared the heck out of me by jumping up on it. But I would stay calm and just call her to me. She would usually jump down (which she found much more difficult than jumping up) and come. If she didn't I would get out the bag of treats and shake it. She would definitely come to that. But everytime she jumped up there I would have nightmares of her falling.

    I recently moved to a 4th floor apartment which has much thicker railings (about 6 - 7" wide) and she has only jumped up there once. I think she got pretty freaked out when she saw how high it was and now I have no problem letting her out there because she doesn't even try to jump up.

    You just need to make sure that there is nowhere else they can jump or walk to from your railing, like the roof for example, where they will easily find a way to jump down to the ground, or a tree, or another railing. So if there is nowhere for them to go, I wouldn't be too worried about them falling from an 8" wide railing. They are cats, after all and their balance and reflexes are FAR superior to our own.

    But good luck because I certainly do understand your fear!

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  • petaloid
    15 years ago

    My friend's cat was in the habit of sleeping on top of the cement wall on his second-floor balcony. One day she rolled over in her sleep, fell off the balcony, broke her back and had to be euthanized.

    Please think of their safety first, whatever you decide to do.

  • Rudebekia
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Thanks for your responses. I will definitely not allow the cats free access to the porch and/or allow them to sit on the railings. The risk is far too great, and like most cat owners I have seen my cats occasionally miscalculate a jump. In this case, it might be fatal.

    What I realized I'm looking for is a vertical type cat cage--something taller than wide, perhaps with several levels--so that they can sit up high enough to see over the balcony rail. It has got to be sturdy on the bottom and weatherproof. The idea would be to put the cats in it every so often, always in controlled circumstances (me on the porch with them). Has anyone seen something like that?

  • joepyeweed
    15 years ago

    I have seen those vertical cages like you describe in my vets office. They display adoptable kitties in the waiting room on saturdays. One of those would be be great on the patio.

    I think its a modular system that can be reconfigured similar to this one. Not cheap though.

    Here is a link that might be useful: cat cages

  • izzie
    15 years ago

    You could probably find a handyman who would be willing to build you something. Draw something out and call one up to see if they would be willing to do this. Visit a home center and see what kind of materials might work. Ask someone at the home center, they might know someone.

  • annzgw
    15 years ago

    Would they allow you to install something that would be temporary? If so, I'd use something like the site below, or even install short panels of plexiglass (if wind isn't a problem).

    A carpenter would know how to build a free standing barrier that would be in agreement with the condo's rules.......unless they don't want to see *anything* going across the opening!

    Otherwise, the enclosures joe linked to should work great.

    Here is a link that might be useful: cat barrier

  • rachelrachel
    15 years ago

    If the porch is truly huge, you could make a cat enclosure with various perches and allow them to stay in that. You can put perches and everything into it. 2 by 4's and chicken wire works great. I think your cats would love that.

  • sephia
    15 years ago

    Just something to think about...I live in a condominium too, and have 2 cats. When I first moved here I considered putting something out on my deck to allow my cats some outdoor time and smells. We have a homeowner association and the board of directors wouldn't let me put something on my deck other than lawn furniture a barbecue - stuff you would normally find on a deck. Being you're in a condo, you may want to check to see if there are any restrictions against putting something on your deck. It would be a shame if you went to the trouble and expense only to find out it is against your rules & regulations.

  • apr1ce
    14 years ago

    To keep cats safe on balconies, try Puppy Bumpers, stuffed pillow collars. They were originally made for dogs but they work great for cats too! They keep our cat from squeezing between the balcony rails. You still have to be careful they can't jump over the rail but it helps a lot!

    Here is a link that might be useful: Puppy Bumpers

  • biwako_of_abi
    14 years ago

    I once had a cat fall off a balcony (4th floor) and die from it, too. I was inexperienced with such things and thought he was all right because he seemed careful and surefooted. But one day when he was up on the railing, which was fairly wide, the child in the next-door condo made a scary noise at him and he lost his balance and fell. Later I was told that cats don't have great depth perception, so they can't tell how dangerous a particular window or balcony is. And you never know when something will distract them.

    I would never take a chance on letting a cat out on a balcony. Your idea of a large vertical cage and some of the other suggestions sound good. We once made use of something like that although we lived on the first floor, because the traffic was bad near our house and we didn't want the cats to roam free. With several perches at different levels and a good view of the outside, the cats seemed quite happy. The way the house was built, we were able to have a small but tall screened-in (and roofed) area built attached to the house in such way that we could leave the sliding doors there partly open when we were home, and the cats could go in and out at will.

    The person who mentioned Puppy Bumpers can't know much about cats. They can jump up on the railing in two tenths of a second and then having something bulky like that around their necks will just make their position more precarious. I hope the condo people will let you have a tall cage or some such arrangement out there. Good for you for wanting to give your cats that pleasure and for taking good care of them. If you build a cage or have one built, be sure it is strong wire, not just screendoor netting, because I have had a cat get excited by something outside and climb all around on the (in this case, plastic-coated fencing wire in a diamond pattern) wire just like a monkey.

  • Rudebekia
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    I'm the OP and I just saw someone resurrected this post. I did buy a vertical cage for my cats. I found it online. It is very sturdy with three perches. My boy cat Basil loves to sit on the upper perch and look out. It has worked out just fine!

  • luvmytooms
    14 years ago

    I honestly wouldn't risk it. I don't have cats per se, but the thought of having anything that might jump off is too much for me. I'd just have a cage, but then again I don't know how willing cats are to being in cages.

  • Bumblebeez SC Zone 7
    14 years ago

    I'm glad it worked out and thanks for letting us know. I love happy endings!

  • dayenu
    14 years ago

    my cat always wears a harness and leash outside even if we are on a ground level patio. so certainly do that on the balcony. Abi loves being outside and once she learned that the harness was the only way to have that freedom she purrs when she sees the harness.

  • socks
    14 years ago

    Marita, thanks for telling us what you did. Sometimes people post and never go back to tell "the rest of the story."

    We have an indoor cat, and I've seen her fall any number of times. She's very daring and doesn't know her limitations. I'm glad you didn't let your kitties loose out there.

  • redkit
    14 years ago

    I just moved to a second floor apartment last week. Installed a slding glass cat door so that my cats can go out to the balcony whenever they want. I want to keep their litter there as well. I have waist hight metal railing in the balcony and its is no more than two inches wide. Last night I saw one of my cats walking on the railing and I was able calmly to call him down from it. I thought of something that none one in in this post nor any other post thought about. How about installing pigeon spikes on the railing. (the clear plastic kind that does not have sharp tips) They are inexpensive and easy to install. After installing it on the top of the railing there is no way a cat can walk on top of it. I haven't done this yet so iam open to suggestions and recommendations. I don't think the cats would want to jump over the railing would they? here is a link to what I am talking about: http://www.nixalite.com/PlasticSpike.aspx

  • Lily316
    14 years ago

    I have a house and indoor cats so I don't have this problem but I would never let my cats on a balcony even as surefooted as they are. Last night one of my cats was sleeping on the back of a wing chair and fell off on to the dog. While it was funny to me, it wouldn't have been if she fell two stories. I feel sorry sometimes for my cats but then I get over it. They can sit on window sills and look out and I don't have to worry about all the hazards out there to get them.

  • Rudebekia
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    redkit's message raised a red flag for me, too.

    I thought pictures of the guy in his cage on a beautiful summer day might help! I am very happy with the arrangement, and I think he is too. He can watch birds and squirrels in the trees, and people walking their dogs below on the sidewalk. What more can a cat want?
    {{!gwi}}
    {{!gwi}}

  • biwako_of_abi
    14 years ago

    That's very nice, Marita, and I notice that, cat-like, he chooses to lie at the highest level possible! An elegant-looking fellow he is, too! I love tuxedo cats and had one once who was great at fetching yarn toys, just like a dog.

  • msgreatdeals
    14 years ago

    We have 2 Bengals and we can't let them out because we live on the hillside (some wild animals). My husband built a large cage in the back yard that they can get to from our masterbedroom. They don't use it as much as I thought they would. My husband walks them 2-3 times a day in the back on a leash. In the front we have a nice balcony off the family room and they use that a lot. Right below the balcony is our 5th wheel and they walk out of the roof of that and so far it has worked out well. But my husband parked his car in the drive way and one of the cats jumped on the roof of the car (from the 5th wheel) and then down to the ground. As I was working in the kitchen I saw this animal in the back and then realized it was one of the cats!
    Soon we will be getting rid of the 5th wheel and then I don't know what will happen. But right now it works great. We keep a cat box out there and the slider open 10" and they go in and out. Here is a picture...
    {{!gwi}}

  • darell_morrison
    8 years ago

    WEll so many posts and maybe I am repeating. On15th floor andput up pigeon netting. Worked great for few months but with pidgeons onbalcony next apartment with only facade between, Jinx the young soon found how to chew thorugh plastic netting. We almost lost her she got next door then on way back was on outside of netting (against physics) and did fall but daughters saw her and she managed to hang on to netting and rescued. What I have done now to keep away from walking on ledge is installed "bird spikes". Fanatastic. You can but at Amozon and oneI used were http://www.amazon.ca/Bird-X-SP-10-NR-C-Bird-Spikes-Kit/dp/B0019F8IX6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1447536832&sr=8-1&keywords=bird+spike easy to install but use more silicon than you may thinkyou need. More is better. It works.

  • SaltiDawg
    8 years ago

    That would be Canada and 2009. ;-)

  • biwa45
    8 years ago

    I have read that cats can't tell depth (the depth they might fall, for instance) the way we can, so many do fall out of windows and off balconies.

  • Chelsea Wright
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    I always allow my cat to go on the balcony and just keep an eye on her she has never put her head threw the bars or jumped on the top of the railing... I'm on the second floor.. There is no netting or anything the railing is almost chest high so I'm assuming she may be to chubby to jump that high she is on the chubby side there's also a windowsill for her to walk on thatd on the opposite side not even close to the railing... I would say if u do it just keep a very close eye

  • murraysmom Zone 6a OH
    7 years ago

    I would never allow my cat out on a balcony after having lost my brother's cat when she jumped off the second floor balcony when I was supposed to be taking care of her. We never found her. :(

  • Marigold Flower
    7 years ago

    One of my Siamese, when i lived in a third floor flat, literally walked out of the window once. If you watch a cat especially in the dark, they seem to lose three dimensional sight; they will live their head back and forth. It was as it he saw the ground beneath on a level with the window. Thankfully he landed OK, although on concrete and was only rather surprised. Paws were red but no damage. Like others, no way would I take a risk and they can move as fast as lightning. This house has an upstairs and the windows stay closed unless a door is firmly closed.

  • Janeel Adams
    7 years ago

    I am a first time kitten owner - have had my 2-month-old kitten for about a week now, and as I relaxed on my 2nd floor balcony - my kitten running freely back and forth (as I'd allowed him to do a few times already), I thought I might do a little research on the matter instead of continuing to rely on my own "commen-sense-type leanings" approach, and OH MY GOD, I am grateful/fortunate to come across this eye-opening, helpful thread so quickly!! I was totally clueless and was operating on false and dangerous assumptions. I'm SO lucky nothing happened to him in before I read everyone's helpful comments, advice, cautions, etc.

    Thank you everyone so, SO much!!



  • Marigold Flower
    7 years ago

    Glad if we have been of help. There is so much wisdom and experience here. Kittens need us to take their safety seriously, just like small children.

  • biwako_of_abi
    7 years ago

    I'm happy for you and your kitten, Janeel. Kittens can act so quickly that it's too late to stop them, whatever they may take it into their little heads to do. I had one that ran up a curtain just as I was leaning over to pick something up, and he reached over and scratched one of my eyes before I knew what was happening. Fortunately, it was nothing serious, but I was more careful after that.

    Chelsea, I can see that you are taking good care of your kitten, but if she is anything like the various kittens I have had, unless you are hovering over her every second (and even then), one day she may decide she is big enough to jump up on the railing. And it is most likely not a case of "may," but "will," they are so adventuresome.


  • Valeria Rogers
    7 years ago

    First of all a cats best sense is its nose. They use smell more than any other sense just like dogs. Second, pay attention to your cats trying to focus on something that is stationary. They will sit and study it sometimes with their head swaying back and forth. They do NOT see clearly like we do. They don't have depth perception. They don't see our faces as they are but as they would be when fading out in pixels on a TV, pixels that are always moving. So it's hard for them to focus on a ledge sometimes. Just knowing that should have owners keeping their cats off of balconies that aren't enclosed! They can't tell how high up they are. They can't tell that railing is far too thin. They miscalculate, get excited, lose their balance, and goof. Just because they have the ability to land on their feet doesn't make them invincible.

  • Erlinda Mendez
    7 years ago

    Cats are good in climbing ceilings and roof. Like in our neighbor, thy have a stray cat and loves to stay in their ceiling the whole night. Maybe, the cat can learn how to manipulate the area and sooner or later knows every details of the balcony. Well, accidents are inevitable so as owner of the cat must be responsible also for the out comings or the consequences of letting our cats stay in the balcony. If you want, you just stay with your cat the whole afternoon then put your cat inside your house after a while.

  • biwa45
    7 years ago

    I couldn't agree more about the balconies, Valeria. Good explanation about cats' lack of depth perception.

  • SaltiDawg
    6 years ago

    Except most of the info is wrong. Cats, like all mammals with front facing binocular vision have depth perception, of course. Cats have very good to excellent depth perception and very good distance. (All traits that support hunting and ultimately pouncing o prey.)

    Google on feline depth perception or similar. There is a particularly informative study reported and peer reviewed at NIH on the topic.

  • biwa45
    6 years ago

    Thank you SaltiDawg. I would love to read the NIH study, but can't find it. However, am too busy for an exhaustive search. Can you give us its title or, better, URL? I am very interested in all things cat.

    Yes, it is obvious that cats must have excellent depth and distance perception for the hunting they do and for jumping 5 feet or so up onto the narrow top of our front door when it was opened into the house and then teetering for a moment and leaping over onto a high bookshelf, as my most athletic cat used to enjoy doing. I admit my comment was only based on what a vet told me about high
    balconies and not on any reports of studies that I have seen. Did the study you reference take up that sort of huge distance, or only "hunting distances," so to speak? I should have qualified my statement, but the discussion was centered on the dangers of high balconies.

    I suspect that the natural depth perception of cats would not work so well to warn them about distances as great as the height of a second-story or higher balcony (which far exceeds the distance at which a cat would need accuracy for sneaking up and pouncing--or in order to leap up onto or down from something, as well). Can the fact that their vision is said to be blurry at great (for a cat) distances have something to do with falling from windows or balconies? Or is their being distracted by birds or other things what is really to blame? Hmm--they do tend to get stuck when they climb too far up in trees...

  • biwa45
    6 years ago

    Whether cats have depth perception or not (and I believe it does not extend to long distances down from balconies), I think owners would be wise not to allow them onto high balconies, supervised or unsupervised. Many years ago, I had a cat die after a child in the apartment next door surprised it with a yell when it was on the railing, and it fell four stories. Even if I had been watching it carefully, I could not have kept it from falling.

    The child's mother told me what had happened and when I rushed down (no elevator) to the cat, it was still alive, but died shortly of shock. This was in a foreign country where there were few vets and only simple treatments for everything, and I didn't have a car or even a bicycle to get the cat to a hospital quickly. He was only a bit over a year old, a "rescue," and I still grieve over him sometimes.

  • HU-68016944
    3 years ago

    Ihave 4 indoor cats all havegone on the 3floor deck.My 4month kitty has been fine except today he was walking on the rail 2 1/2'tall had to jump nothing there to climb or etc.is there a safe repel or something besides a cage? Suggestions


  • biwa45
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    This is Biwa (aka Biwako-of-abi) again. Your thinking about these things show that you are a good cat owner. I personally would never trust my cats on a balcony, or high-up deck, again, unless it was on the first floor, and then there would be the problem of their escaping into the yard and perhaps getting run over. Don't be fooled by the fact that your cats have been all right so far on the 3rd floor deck. I am sure they like it, but even the cats in the same family can playfully do something that could lead to one or more of them falling. There is a first time for everything, and depending on what they land on, they could get killed.

    Suggestions about what you can do:

    (1) You could always keep the door to your deck shut so the cats can't get out there. They do not have to be able to go out on a deck to be happy. You probably know there are many types of toys for cats to entertain them inside the house.

    (2) If you own the house and can do what you like to it, you could put strong chicken wire or some other barrier anywhere on the deck where a cat might try to get out, or even build a large cage-like area on part of the deck if it is big enough. (In such a case, even the top of that area should be covered with strong wire fencing.)

    Alternatively, you could just have some sort of strong screen door where you go out on the deck--I mean, one that a cat's claws would not tear if it climbed up as if the door were a tree.

    I do think a cat would be miserable if it had to be kept in a small cage in the house much of the time, but that could be a temporary solution for times, for example, when you have guests who might unthinkingly leave the door to the deck open.

    (3) Climbing is also not necessary for a cat's happiness, although you are right that a 4-month-old kitten, especially, is going to want to climb and jump. For that, you can buy, or get someone to make, a pole for the cats that has 3 or 4 little platforms along it, so they can climb up and rest. (Cats, as you probably know, just looove to be up high and gaze down on everyone else.) We never wanted to spend money on something like that, but you can get the same effect using pieces of furniture that are different heights. You could even provide the kitten with fun and exercise by running around trailing a piece of string for him to chase. Just don't leave the string around where he could swallow it and necessitate an expensive visit to the animal ER.

    (4) I wouldn't rely on the following trick to keep your cats from jumping up on the railing of a deck, nor would it work to keep them off the deck, now that they know it is a fun place, but I did succeed by using noise to give my cats an aversion to climbing up window screens.

    You know that cats hate unexpected loud noises. We had moved from a place where our cats had had an outdoor cage-like area (about 6x6x6 feet) right outside a window so they could go in and out at will, to an older house where we couldn't do that, and I was afraid they might try to climb up the screen on an open window. The very day we moved in, I took the time to sit and be on the alert to catch any hint that the cats were interested in those open windows, and if a cat so much as stood on its hind legs to peer out through the screen, I briefly pressed the alarm signal on one of those devices a woman might carry to scare away an attacker. I didn't have to do it many times. My four cats very quickly caught on that something awful happened when they touched a window or its frame, and very soon I no longer ever had to worry about open windows and screening. You could probably get the same effect by clashing metal pots against their lids. However, the noise has to be something that the cats will not realize has a human source. Yelling at them and clapping your hands will only teach them to be naughty when you are out of sight.

    I hope you will find a good solution for your problem. Anyway, I commend you for your concern for your cats' happiness and their welfare. It's always nice to meet a fellow cat lover.

    Just for fun, here is a site I love to look at for the pictures of all the things one cat owner did with his house. How I wished we could imitate him, but I am sure my husband would never have agreed, lol. (So I am NOT saying you should fix up your house like his, either! But enjoy looking.)

  • Lydia Cypher
    3 years ago

    I would simply screen in the balcony with heavy outdoor screening, very securely ... period. If the landlord will not permit that, I would move. No residence is worth risking the health and safety of one's family members, be they on 2 feet or 4, young or old.

  • Kai •
    3 years ago

    i was thinking of putting my loud portable speaker on the balcony and every time my cat tries to go on to it i would play a sound so loud and scary the cat never returns to the balcony, would that work?

  • Debbie Downer
    3 years ago

    I would enclose the balcony with black plastic deer fencing instead of screens - I used it to build a catio and its very unobtrusive imho, less noticeable than window screen I think Maybe set it back about a foot from the edge of the balcony so its even less noticeable.

  • Diane Re
    3 years ago

    Debbie that’s exactly what I did too, it was awesome.