Cats love to observe their surroundings – be it from their scratching post, on a windowsill or on the balcony. The latter, however, carries certain risks for house cats, which you can significantly reduce with the right safety measures.
Cats actually always land on their paws, even if they fall from a great height. Nevertheless, tragic accidents occur time and again across Germany after a house tiger has jumped (or fallen) from the balcony. It is not uncommon for their innate flight or hunting instincts to be to blame for the ill-considered plunge into the depths. The decisive factor here is the height of fall, so that balconies in particular in multi-storey residential buildings pose a great risk for house tigers. Nevertheless, you should not prevent your pet from going outside, as it is a real treat for purely domestic cats. And the fact is: with the right precautions, you can make any balcony cat-proof.
Make the balcony cat-proof: this is how it works
To prevent your cat from jumping or falling off the balcony, it is advisable to use a Safety net to attach. There are different colors and sizes, although the color is certainly a question of taste – some feel transparent models more pleasant, others prefer one black cat net. The size, however, depends on how the balcony was designed. In other words, is it only open at the front, on both sides, or is it possibly free? There are different approaches for each case, which you can read in detail in the next paragraph.
If you want to make your balcony cat-proof, you can take additional safety precautions. These are especially necessary if the gaps between the bars of your railing are so wide that a house tiger would fit through. To avoid your pet making the dust off the grate, you can get one Privacy screen out bamboo or plastic attach to it. This is attached to the railing with cable ties and prevents your cat from leaving the balcony. The safety net in the upper area must of course still be attached.
Another note: You can also do one Cat flap Can be integrated into the balcony door – it does not serve the security, but allows your house tiger more freedom in the fresh air. This is particularly useful when you are not at home but the animal wants to go outside. A glazier can help you install the hatch quickly and safely.
How to properly attach a cat net
A cat net must have several properties: It should be tear-proof, weatherproof and UV-resistant. The color is a matter of personal taste, whereby dark tones should integrate better into the environment, while light and transparent models reflect more sunlight. The meshes are individual and should be based on the animal – if it is still young and active, small spaces (20 to 40 millimeters) are the better choice. For older cats who are no longer so agile, wider distances (50 millimeters) are also sufficient. To be on the safe side, you can also measure the animal’s head circumference with a piece of string. How the safety net is then installed depends on the type of balcony. Three examples follow.
Important for you to know: Before you want to attach a cat net, you should ask your landlord for permission – this applies in particular to models that you want to attach in the masonry and have to drill into the walls for this. Alternatively, there are also safety nets for house cats, which with the help of lashing straps, Cable ties or Telescopic rods may be attached and can therefore usually be installed without consultation.
A balcony that is open to the front
For the assembly you need – in addition to the cat net – two telescopic poles (if the balcony is particularly wide, a third pole in the middle is worthwhile). Thread the end pieces of the stitches over the bars before placing them in the front two corners of the balcony. Then clamp the rods between the floor and ceiling together with the net.
A balcony that is open in the front and on the sides
In this scenario you need four Telescopic rods – one for each corner. Depending on the width of the balcony, it also makes sense to attach a fifth pole in the middle of the balcony (front) so that the cat net does not sag. It is best to cut this to the desired size first, before you pull it from side to side over each rod and hang it up.
A free standing balcony
Here you will again need four to five poles, depending on the width of the balcony, and also special clamps for the railing. Proceed here corner by corner as in the first two cases and then fix the cat net with the Railing- or Wall clamps. You can pull the net taut with an additional tension rope.
These plants are non-toxic to cats
If you are planting a balcony that is freely accessible to your cat, you should only use non-toxic plants. House tigers usually eat blades of grass to stimulate their digestion – if your pet is not allowed or cannot leave the apartment, one or the other leaf will be nibbled on. Because of this, you shouldn’t do any of the following poisonous plants keep on the balcony: lilies, begonias, daffodils, hyacinths, bromeliads, chrysanthemums, angel’s trumpets, clematis, oleanders and ivy. If you use fertilizers regularly, you have to make sure that it is not accessible to your cat – for example via a full watering can that the animals like to drink from.
Of course, you don’t have to do without balcony plants entirely, after all, there are also many beautiful varieties that not toxic to cats are such as: catnip, bamboo, Violets and lavender or herbs (for example mint, valerian or Nasturtiums). You can also sow a kind of grass substitute for your house tiger so that it can pursue its usual urge to eat a few stalks. Cat grass or is particularly suitable for this Cyprus grass. Alternatively, you can try to distract your pet from the plants by providing exciting toys for the cat on the balcony: fur mice, balls or rustling tunnels.
This makes the balcony cozy for cats
Even if house tigers like to sunbathe, they still need a shady spot on the balcony on hot days. So your pet can stay outside even in summer without becoming dehydrated. To prevent it from grinding its claws on the cat netting or other furniture, you can use one Outdoor scratching post set up – it serves both as a bed and a lookout platform. If you also want to redesign the floor of the balcony cat-friendly, we recommend laying out wooden panels or cork flooring. Both toppings store heat and are ideal for house cats.
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