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Get one of these or have one made


http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/NavResults.cfm?N=2002+113873

There is a system called kittywalk that has many configuration that can be used for this. Not too lovely but they work and will not let your cat get hurt and will also comply with the condo rules.
http://mythreecats.com/categories/furniture/kittywalk_systems.html

I feel your pain. I used to let my cat out on the balcony until I saw her running on a 2 inch window ledge ... and we're some 20 feet up in the air. o_O. I'm moving to a coop next month and they have this pigeon netting accross the balconies. It keeps the icky birds out and is strong enough to prevent psycho kitty from trying some daredevil heartstopping stunts.

Jones, I see you are buying in Executive Towers! We have friends who moved there about a year ago and love it.

How about planting some sort of cat-unpleasant plant all along the railings, and then find some way to provide her with a view (cat's need/like to get up on things to survey what's below them. Your cat may never have seen a coyote in your house, but if she gets high up, she knows she's safe if one comes.) Something she can see over the plants when she's on it, but if you put it several feet back from the edge she won't have a chance of falling

I used to live on a 7th story building. There was a 4 inch decor and she used to walk along that & go on to the neighbor's balconies. nearly gave me a heart attack every time she *jumped* from the railing to this ledge. We were over 100 feet off the ground.

You may want to check with your COOP peeps and ask if you can install mosquito netting. Like screens for screendoors, Cats hate it for the pure and simple fact that they can't, generally, see that it's there, but it stops their progress. Install it a few inches (4 or 5) from the glass, and you're technically not enclosing your porch (technically), and it gives kitty a reason not to get any closer.

Plus :) Fewer mosquitos for you!

Being as your building manager porbably isn't going to be checking in all the time, you could put up a plexi-glass-type wall along the inside of the balcony railing. That way you are both, keeping your cat from running over the edge and wind from blowing your socks off when entertaining. I agree also with the idea of putting plants along the surrounding railing. It's attractive and safe. If possible you could even put a planter around the inside so there's more safety.

Best!!

train your cat not to jump. only take him/her out there supervised for a while, and squirt with a water bottle the first time it tries to jump. don't put anything nearby that he/she could use as a launching pad, either. cats are not dumb, they like being alive. :) they'll figure it out.

Cat's are not foolish (well mostly) I think you're high enough that your littel buddy will stay put. I'd say don't worry about it.

Cat's are also trainable to some degree. Start by sitting out with the cat and monitoring the behavior- when he/she gets too clost to your no-go "zone" correct them or a squirt from waater.

You can also run a few feet of aluminum foil on the floor in front of the glass- cats hate the feel of aluminum foil and will teach him/her not to get too close...

I also like the idea of installing a netting- perhaps not as fine as mosquito but something that would catch the cat if he/she makes a break for it

The problem could most easily solved by not letting the cat go out on the balcony alone, or perhaps even not at all. An indoor cat is a happy (and alive) cat.

There are only two solutions- to fully enclose your balcony or keep your cat inside. To some cats, there is no such thing as an unpleasant plant. I have taken away all of the leafy plants that are nice for chewing and you know what, now my cat chews on an aloe. Is it really worth the risk during period your are trying to teach her, and is it something you can even teach? What happens when her instincts override your lessons when an interesting bird or squirrel that comes along? Check out this link below on "High-Rise Syndrome" and this excerpt from the APSCA website:

In warm weather, cats are frequently seen snoozing in open windows or sunning themselves on fire escapes. Their caretakers are unconcerned because they believe that their cats are creatures of good sense and uncanny balance. If that is the case, why are the cat wards of urban veterinary hospitals filled with felines suffering shattered jaws, punctured lungs and broken limbs and pelvises? Why do these acrobatic daredevils come crashing down to the ground with such frequency that the veterinary profession has a name for the complaint—High-Rise Syndrome (HRS)?

http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pets_highrise

Third solution: don't move to an apartment with an unenclosed balcony with a cat.

I just remembered my friend who lives there told me no pets allowed and they are pretty strict. Were you informed of this?

Jones,
Urban cats die on a shockingly regular basis by jumping from balconies and even windowsills (often after squeezing thru a tiny hole in the window screen). Cats are creatures of the moment - and when the moment involves a bird flying by the reality of the distance to splat is not something they are wired to think about. My very graceful cat frequently rolls off my ottoman when playing with his favorite toy mouse - which doesn't hurt anything but his pride. None the less, he stalks off to pout after it happens.
I don't want something similar to happen from my balcony - so I usually don't let the cat on the balcony at all. Shortly after moving in I did buy a sturdy harness and leash (I like the designs from UpCountry) with the idea that I can pull him up when he falls. But even with that, its a bit unnerving to watch him prance across the railing - 100 feet above the sidewalk.
Fortunately, he isn't all that interested in being on the balcony - there are days he cries to join me, but he really doesn't enjoy the limitations of the leash or the wind. Of course, the last month as been too hot to let him out - so I haven't felt bad. Maybe in September I feel guilty again.
I thought about the kittywalk was interesting - they have a model for decks and patios - but I don't know how to get the cat from the apartment into the walk without a period loose on the balcony ...... and I know how hard it can be to get him into the cat carrier.
One advantage to keeping him off the balcony - I didn't have to worry about which plants were poisonous and which weren't.

Let it jump. Cats s-ck anyway. I'm not into animal cruelty. Just not a big fan of acne, and kitty litter. Buy a something that lacks the will or ability to escape.

Hmmm, I like the leash idea. That seems like the simplest solution to me. It just needs to be shorter than the distance to the railing.

You might also build or buy a little kitty perch that will be high enough to satisfy her craving to see over the ledge and watch the birds.

Mine, at 13, still stares down the water bottle with loathing and keeps right on doing whatever he wants. I highly suggest not trying to train your kitty for the first time with this method on a balcony.

I think the netting is the best way to go. Maybe it would work to take a stretch of it at an inward angle from wall to wall instead? (Like a prison fence or a tall building observatory?)
Somewhat creating the illusion for him that there's no way to jump up there, because it looks too high or doesn't seem to end. That way you would only be loosing a foot while standing, but when sitting would be kinda under it? I dunno. Maybe that is ghetto, I mean, I did say like a prison fence.
ps... To go with that, I included a link to a cheesy example.

As others have commented, I wouldn't rely on training or a cat's good sense. My friend's cat fell to its death after managing to loosen a window screen.

Cats are not always graceful
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHJ9eUkjWgY

I tried the leash trick but my cat is small (8 lbs) and when I put the harness and leash on her (and it's not a heavy harness at all) she acts as if I just strapped an anvil on her back ... instead of jumping into a chair she climbs up paw over paw ... it's hysterical. She doesn't feel "free" on the leash and mosty just cries. The training doesn't really work because she could care less about treats, clickers, being punished (a water bottle). I tried netting but it was too light-weight and the wind shredded it, the spiders loved it (shudder), and it looked like hell after a month or so. So for now she's an indoor cat and I buy her her own plants to chew on and crawl around. It's not worth the grief ... just give them enough indoor stimulation so that it doesn't matter.

Re: thehoneymoonisover at 08/08/06 3:05 PM

If I were your cat or family member or significant other I would want to escape ... even jump.

I'm going to toss a 3-foot Elmo doll over the railing and see what chases after it.

Instead of training the cat, train mice.

On every corner of your terrace, have a small guard tower with a bunker with a white mouse inside. The white mouse should have a WW II looking helmet on its head with a laser guided beam. Whenever the helmet's laser picks up movement on the terrace, it translates that to a turntable that that swings the mouse into position to fire pellets filled with "US Govenment Standard Bathroom Malodor" (considered one of the two smelliest subtances in the world) at the cat with tiny mouse-sized pellet guns. The guard towers sould have cat sized barbed wire and a moat filled with ammonia surrounding them to discourage the cat from trying to get too close to the mouse's bunkers.

mj: you are insane. I like that in a person.

on topic: keep the cat inside. She will inevitably take an exploratory jump up to the railing, and slip, and then you will be sad (and she'll be sadder).

Nets: what if it comes loose and she goes through?

Training: not foolproof--too risky if talking about life or death situation.

Kittywalk: this seems the safest option, but-- I dunno about you--if I tried to put my cat in there all he would do is whine and refuse to move.

Keep the cats inside.

I went ahead and invested the $$$ in a six foot cat tree with multiple levels and put it directly in front of one of the balcony windows (mine do not open). After hearing "no" enough times when the balcony doors are open -- occasionally accompanied by squirts or swats -- they've gotten the message and lie on the cat tree to look out the windows.

Jones,
You might search the archives because this issue was discussed pretty thoroughly earlier this year, I think..
I am sure there is a netting type solution that would work for you. I have a flexible wire fencing that extends about a foot higher than my railing. Not too visually obtrusive, but the cats don't seem to see a railing to jump onto and they can't squeeze through the bottom. If they were more active I'd also suspend netting to the ceiling. They love it so much out there, the plants and breeze even more than the view, so get some non-toxic plants especially for your cat to munch and sit in and he/she will love it too.
Training won't solve the problem- cats figure out that a spray of water just means don't do it while the lady is sitting there with a spray bottle!

p.s.
I can see you'll also have to do something about the side partitions to keep kitty from visiting the neighbors without an invitation...

this is going to be alittle confussing, so i wont get into it as deep as i would like.

1-have a quarter round balcony edge 1 foot x 1 foot made for the top of the transperent balcony wall and mirror it on the balcony side inside, this can be done with mylar, then also create a 2 foot wide by balcony width water pond as deep as needed for plants.
this will keep humans a safe distance away from the edge and confuse a cat that has to look up to jump.
2- research...optics camouflage perception
3- try this at home.
its like a house of mirrors, add a small fish to a clear casserole dish surrounded by mirrors on 2 sides with a few plants around it reflecting in the mirrors then let the cat loose on your illusion.


forgot to add you can also have fish in your balcony water feature.

My cat jumped (and didn't make it) last summer when we had all the doors open. Thing is that we had lived in that place for 2 1/2 years and she didn't do anything that even looked like she wanted to see what was on the other side of the railing. Ours was a similar - glass and railings.

If I could do it all over again, I'd work out how to do a netting that could be installed floor to ceiling that was transparent...don't know if there's something out there that looks like it's made from a fishing line type of material for transparency.

I miss my kitty cat - I live in a different 7th floor apt now and if I get another cat I am defenitly cat proofing the balcony with netting.

Jones,

I live in Executive Towers on the 10th floor and I have 2 cats. I let them go on my balcony all the time. The only thing I did was block off the divider wall from the adjacent apartment since the cats would run over onto their side of the balcony. I did this with a couple of planks that I found in my closet when I moved in (about 2 years ago). The cats never seem tempted to go under the glass and jump off the balcony. Also the railings seem too high and narrow for them to jump on top of. Nevertheless, I usually don't let them go out on the balcony when I am not home, just in case. If you want to check out what I did to my balcony, you can leave a note for me with the front desk and I can get in touch with you. My name is Lukas and I'm in the north tower.

Good luck

Lukas

I had a place on 23rd floor with glass balcony like yours.
when my cat was young i took hm and held him off the balcony so he could see it was dangerous
we lived there with him for 2 years and he went out on the balcony unsupervised all the time adn he's totally fine
that catwalk thing looks like a toture chamber. trust yer cat dude

I'd recommend looking into this fencing solution:
www.purrfectfence.com. I'm sure it can be rigged to fit a balcony, and it's designed to be visually inobtrusive.

Letting the cat roam unattended on a balcony is a very, very bad idea. I haven't had a chance to fence up mine, so Cat stays inside at all times.

Dear Lukas,
I hope you won't tell on me for having a cat. How do you manage to have two in a no pets building?

Your friend,
Jones

Dear All,
Many thanks for all the suggestions. I neglected to say in my posting that I now live in an apartment with an enclosed garden and my cat has been an outdoor cat all his 11 years.

Executive Towers is indeed a no-pets building. I have to give my beloved kitty to my mother, who has a wonderful (enclosed) yard where he can frolic. Problem is, she can't take him for a couple of months so I have to hide him until then.

Though I will try mightily to keep him indoors, it's inevitable that he will get out. I think I will try tightly secured mosquito netting and block off the bottom and sides of the balcony with planters.

Again, thanks for the suggs. I really appreciate it.
Jones

I have a cat, shes 5. She has been walking on an inch wide balcony edge for about 4 years now. Never falls. I mean if u get a cat u should know that the only reason y cats are not extinct is brains and balance. A kitty under 1 yr will most likely fall (happened to my kitty) but after that, its a piece of cake for them as scary as it looks for us. Actually a cat has a greater chance of surviving a fall from the 10th floor than the 2-3-4 floor bcuz falling from lower floors doesnt give it enough time to adjust it's back and prepare for a land on it's paws. Keep the kitty inside or secure the balcony until it is old enough. Whenever i see mine walking i still get scared but when i come to grab her she jumps off back on the floor alone. Only an idiot cat would jump the other way LOL

Some cat patio enclosure solutions:

http://www.thecatsden.net/

http://www.cats-on-line.com/

http://www.purrfectfence.com/

omg don't ever install an air conditioner with boxes!! my cat just fell of the balcony!! 5th floor..he seems fine for now..just in shock...im waiting till tomorrow to take him to a vet..cuz its 3:40am here...but again..dont let your cat on balconies unless they are being supervised...even tho mine got out on its own

Enclose the top railing with poultry netting or some sort of small weave netting, with zip strips or clamps. Close to the door angle it up so she can't jump on top of it (to the top of patio door) by weaving it through wooden dowels and then anchoring it to the wall with nails, screws or zip strips. Some kitties are better at staying inside than others. This may be good for some, but others would rather die than be locked in a house forever.