Need Help - Balcony Enclosure

In article ,
enlightened us with...
Just let the cat out. he's not stupid enough to jump down from that high I would hope.

Mine were (2nd floor).

About 3 years ago, my poor, departed, sweet but stupid, Julian fell off
trying to fit his fat ass on the tiny ledge on the other side of the
railing (he went through the grate/bars). A year later, the dork tried
to jump on top of the inch-wide railing. He missed. I only turned my
back an instant in both cases. He wasn't hurt, but he scared the holy
hell out of me.
Last year, Rowan came *this* close to going over. She was trying to
catch a bird. If I hadn't caught her (literally), she'd have vaulted
right over the railing.

The thing is, Julian never *tried* to jump down. He fell, both times.

Cats aren't always the brightest or the most agile. Some are more like
Garfield. *g*

The kids now have a nice enclosure on the balcony if they'd care to be
out there.

-------------------------------------------------
~kaeli~
Jesus saves, Allah protects, and Cthulhu
thinks you'd make a nice sandwich.
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace
-------------------------------------------------

In article ,
enlightened us with...
Just let the cat out. he's not stupid enough to jump down from that high I would hope.

Mine were (2nd floor).

About 3 years ago, my poor, departed, sweet but stupid, Julian fell off
trying to fit his fat ass on the tiny ledge on the other side of the
railing (he went through the grate/bars). A year later, the dork tried
to jump on top of the inch-wide railing. He missed. I only turned my
back an instant in both cases. He wasn't hurt, but he scared the holy
hell out of me.
Last year, Rowan came *this* close to going over. She was trying to
catch a bird. If I hadn't caught her (literally), she'd have vaulted
right over the railing.

The thing is, Julian never *tried* to jump down. He fell, both times.

Cats aren't always the brightest or the most agile. Some are more like
Garfield. *g*

The kids now have a nice enclosure on the balcony if they'd care to be
out there.

-------------------------------------------------
~kaeli~
Jesus saves, Allah protects, and Cthulhu
thinks you'd make a nice sandwich.
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace
-------------------------------------------------

"Mr B" wrote in message
...
Just let the cat out. he's not stupid enough to jump down from that high
I would hope. We let our
cats out on our second story balcony and they could have jumped down at
any time if they were dumb
enough. But that never happened. Can't imagine they woudl want to try
from 12 stories up.



I strongly disagree with this advice. Yes, cats are agile and intelligent;
but many have jumped or fallen from great distances (sometimes with tragic
consequences). By all means, please continue with your plans to find a way
to make the balcony cat-proof. Here is one suggestion: my brother and
sister-in-law enclosed their yard with fencing that is designed to keep deer
out. It is a type of mesh that is barely visible. In fact, people who use
it for deer (as they do) have to place a horizontal pole at the top so that
it will be visible to the deer. You, of course, would not need to do that.
I am attaching links to two sites that include a pictures. It can easily be
cut, so you could "size" it for your cat. You can find other similar
products by typing "deer fencing" for a google search. You might even be
able to find a similar product at places like Loew's or Home Depot.

http://www.bennersgardens.com/bg/

Also:
http://www.deerxlandscape.com/cgi-bi...k@7qS0mc2qA4u2

or use this for a shorter URL: http://tinyurl.com/t9z2

MaryL

"Mr B" wrote in message
...
Just let the cat out. he's not stupid enough to jump down from that high
I would hope. We let our
cats out on our second story balcony and they could have jumped down at
any time if they were dumb
enough. But that never happened. Can't imagine they woudl want to try
from 12 stories up.



I strongly disagree with this advice. Yes, cats are agile and intelligent;
but many have jumped or fallen from great distances (sometimes with tragic
consequences). By all means, please continue with your plans to find a way
to make the balcony cat-proof. Here is one suggestion: my brother and
sister-in-law enclosed their yard with fencing that is designed to keep deer
out. It is a type of mesh that is barely visible. In fact, people who use
it for deer (as they do) have to place a horizontal pole at the top so that
it will be visible to the deer. You, of course, would not need to do that.
I am attaching links to two sites that include a pictures. It can easily be
cut, so you could "size" it for your cat. You can find other similar
products by typing "deer fencing" for a google search. You might even be
able to find a similar product at places like Loew's or Home Depot.

http://www.bennersgardens.com/bg/

Also:
http://www.deerxlandscape.com/cgi-bi...k@7qS0mc2qA4u2

or use this for a shorter URL: http://tinyurl.com/t9z2

MaryL

"MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER wrote in message
...

http://www.bennersgardens.com/bg/

Also:

http://www.deerxlandscape.com/cgi-bi...?sid=8k@7qS0mc
2qA4u2

or use this for a shorter URL: http://tinyurl.com/t9z2

Exactly the same material I used for an on-the-ground enclosure.
www.friendlyfence.com

"MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER wrote in message
...

http://www.bennersgardens.com/bg/

Also:

http://www.deerxlandscape.com/cgi-bi...?sid=8k@7qS0mc
2qA4u2

or use this for a shorter URL: http://tinyurl.com/t9z2

Exactly the same material I used for an on-the-ground enclosure.
www.friendlyfence.com

On Thu, 30 Oct 2003 01:28:23 GMT, mr cat wrote:


We are moving to a condo on the 12th floor. The bldg is very
particular about making any changes to the balcony, so an enclosure
would have to "blend in".

The space is long and narrow - probably 20ft long by 6 ft wide. The
railing is new - clear plexiglass with a 6-8" gap at the bottom to
allow for drainage. The top rail isn't wide enough for a cat to sit
on (or try).

I'm looking for any ideas or products on the market that would allow
me to discretely fence in a portion of the balcony to allow my cat
access. She currently has 24hr access to a 3rd floor wood balcony
that I have been able to "cat proof".



I had a "kitty pen" made out of an upstairs deck (small, maybe 10' by
10') that has an aluminum roof. The carpenter built frames that slip
under the railing, other ones that attach to the overhang.
Insect-proofing was not a requirement, so we put 1/2 inch screening on
the frames. The frames are removeable and the whole thing could be
dismantled in maybe an hour. Cost was reasonable, and would have been
even more so if I was handy enough to do it myself. The cats love
being "outside" and I love them being safe!
Hope this helps - Sara

On Thu, 30 Oct 2003 01:28:23 GMT, mr cat wrote:


We are moving to a condo on the 12th floor. The bldg is very
particular about making any changes to the balcony, so an enclosure
would have to "blend in".

The space is long and narrow - probably 20ft long by 6 ft wide. The
railing is new - clear plexiglass with a 6-8" gap at the bottom to
allow for drainage. The top rail isn't wide enough for a cat to sit
on (or try).

I'm looking for any ideas or products on the market that would allow
me to discretely fence in a portion of the balcony to allow my cat
access. She currently has 24hr access to a 3rd floor wood balcony
that I have been able to "cat proof".



I had a "kitty pen" made out of an upstairs deck (small, maybe 10' by
10') that has an aluminum roof. The carpenter built frames that slip
under the railing, other ones that attach to the overhang.
Insect-proofing was not a requirement, so we put 1/2 inch screening on
the frames. The frames are removeable and the whole thing could be
dismantled in maybe an hour. Cost was reasonable, and would have been
even more so if I was handy enough to do it myself. The cats love
being "outside" and I love them being safe!
Hope this helps - Sara