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-   -   !! Screens !! (http://www.catbanter.com/showthread.php?t=75513)

[email protected] October 22nd 06 01:46 PM

!! Screens !!
 
We live in an apartment complex, so this is a security deposit issue.
Big bucks. Perhaps a thousand dollars.

Our kittens are about six months old now, indoor calico kittens/cats.
They love hanging out on the screened porch, which is ground level.
They can eyeball people walking by, and listen to birds, that kind of
thing.

BUT they have learned they can climb up on the screens, even run around
on these "walls" like Spiderman. They didn't do this very frequently
even a month ago, but they certainly are doing it now. They are growing
and getting heavier ... the screens are starting to show the damage.
They've caused one small tear already.

The screens in this apartment were almost pristine before the cats
showed up. The screens aren't pristine now.

If a grasshopper or some other bug lands on a screen, I have seen one
of the cats jump from halfway across the porch and all the way up to
the top of the screen, landing heavily, in an attempt to catch this
bug.

Will the apartment managers notice? I'd bet so; as I said, we're on
the ground floor, near the entrance, and the two kittens draw attention
(they're beautiful). I see people jogging by with their I-pods, and
they will turn their heads to look at the great calico cats running up
and down the screens.

So ...

I have banned them from the porch, for now, until the wife and I come
up with some sort of strategy. Like spraying Bitter Apple on the
screens each and every time they go out. Or taping up tin foil.

Of course, the cats don't understand. They keep hinting that they'd
like to go out on the porch again.

Does anyone have any experience or suggestions? We do not want to be
shelling out a thousand dollars to replace the landlord's screens.

tom


jmc October 22nd 06 01:53 PM

!! Screens !!
 
Suddenly, without warning, exclaimed (22-Oct-06 10:16 PM):
We live in an apartment complex, so this is a security deposit issue.
Big bucks. Perhaps a thousand dollars.

Our kittens are about six months old now, indoor calico kittens/cats.
They love hanging out on the screened porch, which is ground level.
They can eyeball people walking by, and listen to birds, that kind of
thing.

BUT they have learned they can climb up on the screens, even run around
on these "walls" like Spiderman. They didn't do this very frequently
even a month ago, but they certainly are doing it now. They are growing
and getting heavier ... the screens are starting to show the damage.
They've caused one small tear already.

The screens in this apartment were almost pristine before the cats
showed up. The screens aren't pristine now.

If a grasshopper or some other bug lands on a screen, I have seen one
of the cats jump from halfway across the porch and all the way up to
the top of the screen, landing heavily, in an attempt to catch this
bug.

Will the apartment managers notice? I'd bet so; as I said, we're on
the ground floor, near the entrance, and the two kittens draw attention
(they're beautiful). I see people jogging by with their I-pods, and
they will turn their heads to look at the great calico cats running up
and down the screens.

So ...

I have banned them from the porch, for now, until the wife and I come
up with some sort of strategy. Like spraying Bitter Apple on the
screens each and every time they go out. Or taping up tin foil.

Of course, the cats don't understand. They keep hinting that they'd
like to go out on the porch again.

Does anyone have any experience or suggestions? We do not want to be
shelling out a thousand dollars to replace the landlord's screens.

tom


Please don't flame me but I wonder if it's possible to rig a mild
electrical shock... like a ScatMat, not like electric fences!

jmc

[email protected] October 22nd 06 04:03 PM

!! Screens !!
 
In article om,
wrote:

snip
The screens in this apartment were almost pristine before the cats
showed up. The screens aren't pristine now.


snip

Will the apartment managers notice?


Oh, yeah.

When this happened to us, I was surprised to find out that there are
screens available in hardware stores that are manufactured to address
this specific problem. These screens resist damage from both dogs and
cats. They are very effective.

Don't know how much area you are talking about, but you may want to
speak with your landlord about sharing the cost of replacing the torn
screen with the claw-resistant kind.

Another, less attractive approach might be to at least cover the
existing screen with swatches of animal screen (I think that's what it
is called).

--
"I wear boots when I play that ol' squeezebox
Stompin' out rhythms
'till the headstones dance on their graves"

cybercat October 22nd 06 04:41 PM

!! Screens !!
 

wrote

Of course, the cats don't understand. They keep hinting that they'd
like to go out on the porch again.


I love this line. I can just see them hinting at it.

I'm sorry about your screens, but it sure sounds like your cats
have a blast out there! Maybe price how much the animal-proof
screen would cost and think of some sort of fund raiser? Go
yardsaling/ junkshopping, buy cheap and sell higher on ebay?
It would be nice if your landlord would help with the cost, but
I can't see it happening. This is one of the reasons so many
places do not allow pets.

Which makes me wonder ... if the security deposit you paid
might not cover the re-screening when you leave?

I think you need to answer some specific questions before
you will know the best solution. Like, measure the current
screen, and price replacing it with animal-proof screen, for
starters.



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com


[email protected] October 22nd 06 05:56 PM

Landlords & Pets (was: !! Screens !!)
 
In article ,
"cybercat" wrote:

It would be nice if your landlord would help with the cost, but I
can't see it happening.


It worked for us. The landlord (admittedly an animal lover himself)
considered it an upgrade. We split the cost 50-50, with him buying and
installing the screen and us paying a slightly elevated rent each month
until our part was paid off.

The fact that we were tenants who took very good care of his property
may also have played into the deal. When he sold the place, the new
owners actually lowered out rent so that we wouldn't move.

This is one of the reasons so many places do not allow pets.


I don't know what proportion of renting pet owners have allowed their
rental to be damaged by their pets, but horror stories both real and
apocryphal have achieved legendary status among landlords. No wonder
they resist renting to pet owners.

That's too bad, because I believe responsible pet owners comprise the
largest segment of the group. People who love their animals have a much
greater obligation to care for their rental than anyone else, just to
counter the paradigm left by others.

If *that* obligatory ethic was the one that landlords thought they were
typically dealing with, imagine how eager they would be to rent to pet
owners!

Landlord: "What luck! Here's a responsible
dog/cat/bird/hamster/reptile/fish owner... what a desirable tenant!"

Seriously, it benefits *all* pet owners to at least maintain, if not
even improve, the property they rent from others. That doesn't
necessarily means spending money. It could just mean creativity and a
little elbow grease.

--
"I wear boots when I play that ol' squeezebox
Stompin' out rhythms
'till the headstones dance on their graves"

barb October 22nd 06 07:21 PM

!! Screens !!
 
Pet proof screens sound like your best bet. As a fellow cat lover I need to
let you know that all this climbing and tearing of the screens will
eventually result in a hole big enough for the cats to exit out from.

--
Barb
Of course I don't look busy,
I did it right the first time.



meeee October 22nd 06 11:02 PM

!! Screens !!
 

wrote in message
ps.com...
We live in an apartment complex, so this is a security deposit issue.
Big bucks. Perhaps a thousand dollars.

Our kittens are about six months old now, indoor calico kittens/cats.
They love hanging out on the screened porch, which is ground level.
They can eyeball people walking by, and listen to birds, that kind of
thing.

BUT they have learned they can climb up on the screens, even run around
on these "walls" like Spiderman. They didn't do this very frequently
even a month ago, but they certainly are doing it now. They are growing
and getting heavier ... the screens are starting to show the damage.
They've caused one small tear already.

The screens in this apartment were almost pristine before the cats
showed up. The screens aren't pristine now.

If a grasshopper or some other bug lands on a screen, I have seen one
of the cats jump from halfway across the porch and all the way up to
the top of the screen, landing heavily, in an attempt to catch this
bug.

Will the apartment managers notice? I'd bet so; as I said, we're on
the ground floor, near the entrance, and the two kittens draw attention
(they're beautiful). I see people jogging by with their I-pods, and
they will turn their heads to look at the great calico cats running up
and down the screens.

So ...

I have banned them from the porch, for now, until the wife and I come
up with some sort of strategy. Like spraying Bitter Apple on the
screens each and every time they go out. Or taping up tin foil.

Of course, the cats don't understand. They keep hinting that they'd
like to go out on the porch again.

Does anyone have any experience or suggestions? We do not want to be
shelling out a thousand dollars to replace the landlord's screens.

tom


Lol my cats have destroyed most of the screens here too. I'm not sure what
your are like, but I'm pretty sure we can replace the flyscreen on ours.
Ours are the security type; solid steel 'mesh' on the outside, flyscreen on
the inside. There are several screws around the sides that DH says he can
unscres, so we will just buy screen from the hardware when we move out, and
re-do the damaged ones.



MaryL October 23rd 06 12:15 PM

!! Screens !!
 

wrote in message
ps.com...
We live in an apartment complex, so this is a security deposit issue.
Big bucks. Perhaps a thousand dollars.

Our kittens are about six months old now, indoor calico kittens/cats.
They love hanging out on the screened porch, which is ground level.
They can eyeball people walking by, and listen to birds, that kind of
thing.

BUT they have learned they can climb up on the screens, even run around
on these "walls" like Spiderman. They didn't do this very frequently
even a month ago, but they certainly are doing it now. They are growing
and getting heavier ... the screens are starting to show the damage.
They've caused one small tear already.

The screens in this apartment were almost pristine before the cats
showed up. The screens aren't pristine now.

If a grasshopper or some other bug lands on a screen, I have seen one
of the cats jump from halfway across the porch and all the way up to
the top of the screen, landing heavily, in an attempt to catch this
bug.

Will the apartment managers notice? I'd bet so; as I said, we're on
the ground floor, near the entrance, and the two kittens draw attention
(they're beautiful). I see people jogging by with their I-pods, and
they will turn their heads to look at the great calico cats running up
and down the screens.

So ...

I have banned them from the porch, for now, until the wife and I come
up with some sort of strategy. Like spraying Bitter Apple on the
screens each and every time they go out. Or taping up tin foil.

Of course, the cats don't understand. They keep hinting that they'd
like to go out on the porch again.

Does anyone have any experience or suggestions? We do not want to be
shelling out a thousand dollars to replace the landlord's screens.

tom


I'm not sure how much area you are talking about, but would one of the
following be practical?
(1) Install plexiglas all around the bottom of the screens. It is clear, so
would not look bad to people seeing it from the outside. It is slippery, so
the cats could not climb it; but it would need to be high enough so they
would not simply jump over it. It is also expensive, so I don't know if
this would be practical for you. It could be removed when you move if the
landlord does not want it.
(2) Install metal mesh panels all around the perimeter -- the type of panels
that you often see used as "kick plates" to protect screen doors. They
would have to be on a support that would keep them in from your screens (not
mounted directly to the screens). Otherwise, the cats would probably reach
through and continue to damage the screesn. Again, it could be removed when
you move.
(3) Could you mount a separate set of screens inside the original set? The
cats would still damage this set but could not reach the ones that belong to
the apartment. Expense would not be great because this could be a
do-it-yourself project with screening (purchased by the yard, if you prefer)
mounted to a free-standing support.
(4) Could you create a temporary "room within a room" on the balcony using
the coated mesh that is sometimes used to prevent deer from entering
property? It is barely visible. Again, it is expensive, but I would not
think it would be a great expense for something the size of a balcony.
(5) Finally, there are some outdoor "rooms" for cats, and one could be
placed in the balcony. From your description, though, I'm not sure if this
would be suitable.

As someone else said, the problem is not only damage to the screens from the
standpoint of looks and your deposit. You will eventually have the
potential for the cats creating a hole large enough for them to climb
through.

MaryL



jmc October 23rd 06 12:56 PM

!! Screens !!
 
Suddenly, without warning, lid exclaimed (23-Oct-06
12:33 AM):

When this happened to us, I was surprised to find out that there are
screens available in hardware stores that are manufactured to address
this specific problem. These screens resist damage from both dogs and
cats. They are very effective.



Cool, and thanks - I was unaware that stronger screens were available
either. Now I know what to look for when we go build our own place :)

jmc

[email protected] October 29th 06 07:38 PM

Landlords & Pets (was: !! Screens !!)
 


On Oct 22, 11:56 am, wrote:
If *that* obligatory ethic was the one that landlords thought they were
typically dealing with, imagine how eager they would be to rent to pet
owners!

Landlord: "What luck! Here's a responsible
dog/cat/bird/hamster/reptile/fish owner... what a desirable tenant!"

Seriously, it benefits *all* pet owners to at least maintain, if not
even improve, the property they rent from others. That doesn't
necessarily means spending money. It could just mean creativity and a
little elbow grease.


Good point. We don't know if the complex is tolerant of us pet owners
because previous pet owners acted just that well!

tom



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