My cats love to watch out windows. Molly thinks the bathroom window is her own private bird-viewing platform, and she wants it open in all weather. (You can probably guess that winter is her least favorite season, because that window stays CLOSED most of the time, lol.) B.C. likes windows, but doesn't want to be outside. If he DOES get out (and a door closes behind him), he cries until he gets back into the house. I think Sophia would be happy to be outside, but she doesn't try to get out. When the weather is nice I let them out on the tiny back deck and stairs, and I sit with them so they don't wander. I'm sure if any mouse was foolish enough to get into the house, it wouldn't last long. We don't have a problem with many critters, but I've thought that a dog might help with the woodchuck issue we've had in the past. Our neighbor's outdoor cat occasionally leaves us a mole as a gift. Sophia, the grand dame of the house. B.C. (Bad Cat) and Sophia, in their favorite bird-viewing spot - the feeders are outside that window. B.C. is almost 13, and Sophia is 11. My favorite picture of Molly, and our son Ian. Molly is the baby, not yet 2. Sophia thinks she's a pain in the behind; we jokingly call Molly "Nermal," to go with Sophia's "Garfield," and B.C. does a very good "Odie." Laurel

Birds often fly into our windows, especially in the spring and fall when they're migrating and unfamiliar with our yard. There's a gigantic silver maple that shades our back yard and provides a great, safe place for birds, but it's close to the house. We have a big bank of windows on that side, too, and that's where most of our trouble is. Having screens on the outsides of the windows helps, but doesn't eliminate the problem. For the windows without screens, I bought window cling film (tinted) and just made a 10" flying-bird-shaped template out of cardboard to make cut-outs. I put 2 of these on the outsides of each of the windows and it REALLY cuts down on the strikes -- we noticed a dramatic decrease right away. Just Google "tinted cling film for windows" and you'll see stuff at Amazon and other retailers. I'll see if I can find a photo of our clings.

The decals from windowalert.com will help a lot. Although they need replacing every year or two depending on sun damage. Also make sure there are no bird feeders or anything else that will attract them.

Ontario Mom, I hate to see you compromising a major design element on your home just because you want to be able to see out the transom. I think you can have your view AND a transom that matches the doors though. Look into having a camera mounted on the front of your house. My cousin and I were out of town together recently when his wife called and informed him the fire department was on the way to his house, because the oven was smoking. He then accessed his eight security cameras on his phone. The screen on his phone split into eight windows and we could see all sides and angles of the house on the same screen. We watched as the fireman arrived! There was no fire btw, just some smoking grease. I was just blown away by the camera system. He gets notices on his phone if anything activates the cameras during certain hours! Cousin tells me his system cost $1,000 but that there are plenty of more affordable set ups available. So if I were you, I'd look into getting a camera with a monitor you can keep in your kitchen. My guess is that the camera will give you a much wider view (and you can zoom in or out too) than the transom would give you. It will have the added benefit of deterring intruders...which may get you a discount on your homeowners insurance. Installing the wiring for a closed circuit system can be costly, but cousin says he did his own wiring. If your interior walls are still open, now is the time to install a system.