D2 accepted a job in my city, to start after she finishes her JD/MBA program in May. Her bf just transferred to Texas, and they have rented a 2 story townhouse in my city. I went and looked at it with her before she signed the lease. Neither of us thought about a key issue: the upstairs loft space is open to the first floor. There is a half wall that opens it up the to entry and living room below. When she brought some of her stuff to move in (her boyfriend has moved in, but she won’t actually move in until she graduates) we realized this is going to be a BIG problem with respect to her cats.
Both cats were rescues from a lady who declawed them (front paws only). We are really worried that they will jump up on the half wall and fall forward off of it onto the floor below. I have thought and thought about what we could do to block them from jumping up there. DH wondered if there would be a way to get a large sheet of clear solid plastic or plexiglass or something we could drill into the wall that would be high enough to block them but clear to let light in. I have no idea where you could get something like that. It would have to be really large, because the loft area is many feet wide.
Do any of you have a brilliant idea to help solve this dilemma? These cats absolutely would jump up there and we don’t want them hurt (or worse). D2 would completely freak to come home to a dead cat. She loves them like children.
I cannot believe we didn’t think about this when we looked at the place.
I’m not at all minimizing your concern about the cats. But every cat I’ve ever had quickly figured out where they could jump and where they couldn’t. Cats are good at that.
Congrats to your daughter on her new job! The cats should be fine. We had one declawed cat that could scale fences and climb roofs. She also walked on a half wall like that (it was open into our kitchen). No cat splats Cats are pretty good about balancing themselves without having to use their claws. If they didn’t have their tails, I would be worried!
My dad had an open hallway with banister to the floor below. We took our new kitties (kittens! young! tiny!) for a visit and one of them either fell or jumped and landed on the marble floor below and was absolutely fine. I really think there is truth to “cats always land on their feet.” If one falls, it will balance itself out before it lands. But if this doesn’t reassure her, she could ask her vet…I suppose they would know how commonly cats are injured from falls from heights.
We inherited a very tiny kitty. We have a balcony in our upstairs hall that goes down to the foyer. It’s not a half wall…I wish it was. It’s banister posts just like the stairs.
For months I worried the cat would just walk through.
Then he started jumping up on the banister. So far…and it’s been 8 years…he hasn’t fallen. Maybe I’m jinxing it!
A sofa on that half wall would just be like a set of stairs to the top of the half wall.
I think the cats will be fine…but she may need to be watchful for a while.
I’m thinking that a sofa there would maybe keep them from jumping onto the half wall from the floor and accidentally going over. Especially the really fat one. She’s very big and D2 is worried that she might have so much momentum to jump up there that she would fall forward -with no claws to stop herself. It’s a long distance down to the floor. So maybe a sofa gives them a way to get up there and satisfy their curiosity without jumping from distance.
If the concern is about a lack of traction due to missing claws, you could attach something to the top of the wall. Something along the lines of thin outdoor carpet, or even high friction tape (the type you see taped to stair surfaces to reduce slipping). Double-sided carpet tape would hold it pretty securely.
For extra security you could also add a small lip on the outside edge, like a 2-3 high piece of wood. You can get those sizes pre-cut at home depot, and they should be pretty easy to nail down then remove later.
Years ago I watched in horror as my cat jumped off a roof onto the top of a chain link fence. I couldn’t imagine a cat could even balance on top of a chain link fence, much less land safely on one after a jump from 8 or 10 feet above.
But she did fine, landing seemingly effortlessly, walked a few feet, and jumped to the ground, completely unharmed.
My wife had a loft and the wall around the bedroom was an 8’ half wall. The cat loved to walk out on there and perch, he could see everything in the apartment from that vantage point. The problem was not one that he would get hurt but that we would as I experienced first hand. I was laying in bed, on my back, taking a nap when he decided to jump down. Sure enough he landed right in the middle of my stomach. It was a rude awakening to be sure but after I caught my breath it has been something we have laughed about for years and a cherished memory of a long since departed pet.
I had to take my dog to the vet this morning because he had his 3rd seizure of the week and 1.5 hours later wasn’t doing all that well. Usually he is back to normal within 15 minutes.
After doc and I discussed options for the dog, I asked him about this situation. He told me that he never gives guarantees, but that in his entire career, he has only had 1 or 2 injuries of this type in cats. He said they just rarely lose their balance, even if declawed.
That makes me feel a little better. I’m pretty sad about my dog. He has crossed over from struggling to suffering, I think. DH says he feels it’s time to face facts. Vet is going to observe him today and give me his opinion in the morning. My 18 year old cat is also failing, losing weight for unknown reasons.
I’m so sorry about your oldies. They are so sweet, but it’s so hard to watch them fail. We adopt rescued senior Golden Retrievers, so I can relate. Right now our cats are aging- we have a 16, 15, 12 and 6. The dogs are relatively young at 10 (maybe) and 7 (maybe).
Cats are pretty good about balancing themselves without having to use their claws. If they didn’t have their tails, I would be worried!