It doesn’t matter what floor you live on. Windowsills are popular spots for our cat companions. Therefore, an accident might occur wherever you are.
I keep seeing cat owners trivialising the importance of safety nets. However, it should be standard equipment if our cat doesn’t go out, no matter the floor we live on. Cats instinctively look for elevated places with a good view into the area. So, they spend a lot of time on windowsills.
Some cat owners think they don’t need any safety measures for windows when they live on higher floors. They say their cat is not stupid and will not voluntarily jump out of the window. Moreover, it sits there very often and nothing has ever happened. And their previous cat also didn’t fall out of the window. They have many arguments.
Despite that, I see several dozens of cases every year when the pet falls out of the window. All it takes is one stupid coincidence. The cat snaps at a fly which flies just slightly out of its reach or a bird passes the window. In such cases, the hunting instinct wins and an accident might happen. The cat might be startled by something, even your voice, when it is broody, focused or it relaxes. Also, it might be dazzled by a window which is being opened on the other building across the street and so on.
There are also people who only use a narrow venting gap to get some fresh air inside. That way, the cat doesn’t fall out (even though there are some who can do that anyway) but it can get stuck in the gap and suffocate. There have also been many cases of that. So, if you try to get some fresh air inside through the window, at least do it when you’re present. You might buy a grid in the pet store which covers the side or top open space.
However, even those who live on lower floors and on the ground floor sometimes underestimate the safety related to windows. They say that if the cat falls, it’s not fatal in such cases. However, it might not be true. When unexpectedly falling from low height, the cat doesn’t have to be able to turn in a way it would fall on its feet and therefore, it might injure its spine. Even though it survives the fall itself, it will be definitely a huge shock. In a better case, you will be able to find the cat after some (shorter or longer) time, but you might not be able to find the cat or a car on a road might kill. It often happens that when the pet is in shock, it runs straight to the road.
I was helping to find the cat of my neighbours (living on the first floor) once. It was a young cat and it was its first experience with the world outside. Fortunately, it fell out to a courtyard inside the block of apartment buildings but it still took a couple of days before we were able to find it. It was anxious months after that and it suffered from an eating disorder. It took really long time and a lot of care and effort in order to help it deal with the experience.
So, I’m begging you for all the cats, do not underestimate the situation. I really hope your cat will never have such an accident but it’s not worth pushing your luck. You can learn what options there are in Cats and How to Secure Your Window. It’s true that some of the options might be quite expensive, but you may help your cat to be safe even for a few hundred Czech crowns.
Kitten Lady describes her activities as kittens’ advocacy and humane education. This all is done by young beautiful Hannah Shaw. She’s a kitten rescuer, spreads the principles of humanity and is an unwavering advocate of animal rights. She decided to...
Several kinds of hedgehog are kept as pets. The most common one is the four-toed hedgehog or an African pygmy hedgehog in other words. This pet which is not very common but is becoming more and more popular can live up to 9 years in captivity and...
More than one artist fell in love with these creatures and looked for inspiration for work in them. One of them was Ernest Hemingway. He is the author of the well-known saying “One cat just leads to another”. He really kept a large number of cats (in...
We have an active and healthy lifestyle. Or at least we try to have. In relation to that, we don’t only think about our own food but also about our dogs’ food. The trend of barfing has already come to the Czech Republic, too. It is a method of feeding...
If you go camping for the first time, it is good to prepare for all various reactions of your furry friend. Do you travel with it by car and by public transport with no problems? Is your dog okay when not sleeping at home, e.g. in a mountain cabin? It...
As the name of this breed suggests, you can’t expect much hair on an American hairless terrier. This small or medium size muscled dog has hair only on its muzzle and eyebrows. But the interesting thing is that puppies are born with an undercoat which...
Let us get this straight, what is monoprotein food? It is wet food (i.e. cans and pouches) which contains only one type of meat, muscles and bowels. And why is it better than common wet food?
A meat bomb in a form of a dog paté or can doesn’t have to be only a reward. If you are planning to go on a long hike – to the mountains or to the valley – you can make the use of a dog meat can. Dogs in move, usually when doing any sport outside, need...
The cause of diabetes is a lack of insulin (a pancreas hormone) or the inability of the body to use it effectively (i.e. the resistance of tissues towards insulin). And it doesn’t matter if you’re a person or an animal. With diabetes, the sugar is...
Runner Dion Leonard could talk for hours about the bond which is created between a man and a dog and also about how an unknown Asian crossbreed dog becomes one of the most famous dogs on planet Earth. He bumped into a dog companion at the ultra-trial...
Even when you cannot or don’t want to take your dog on your holiday with you, you still have many options what to do with it. You can take him to your relatives, accommodate it in a dog hotel, use dog-sitting and other things. It’s not that easy with...
Cats can also be heroes and put their lives at risk to save someone from risky or life-threatening situations. The first cat hero I will introduce you to is Scarlett. She showed her heroism in the most natural form – she saved her kittens. She took...
