Question about cats, heights, balconies -

[lil' stink]

Hi, I'm new to the forums and I have a question re: cats, heights, balconies, etc.

My fiance and I recently adopted a cute lil' guy from a shelter in Pasadena. The lil' guy was found on the streets and taken to the shelter and he was diagnosed with FIV. The vets said so long as he wasn't going to be around other cats, he would be fine.

Anyway, so we brought him home and he's obsessed with going outside onto the balcony. Our apartment isn't that big, he's a pretty young cat, and I think he just feels like he needs more places to go and hang out. The problem is that when he goes out onto the balcony, we have a tendancy to freak out and watch him constantly.

Our balcony is on the third floor of our building, and below the balcony is a pool area with hard tiles. The balcony itself has a tri-wall setup. The first part of the balcony has no wall, but just metal bars. The second part of the balcony has a wall about three feet high and about four inches wide, and a bar going across the top about an inch from the top. The third wall is about five feet high, four inches wide with no bar, and we have planters on that part of the balcony.

I noticed that kitty has jumped up onto the middle level, where there is only about four inches of width, and walks around on that. I freak out. My question is whether I need to worry about the lil' guy possibly losing his balance and falling off that wall, down three flights, where he would most likely die.

I've attached photos of our balcony.

Is this something I need to worry about? Or am I simply being paranoid? Also, if it is something to worry about, is there anything I can do to make our balcony a safe place for Swirl to go and hang out?

Thanks in advance -

[Cleo]

Where there is a will, there's a way. Little by little the cat's natural instincts are going to take over and he may just jump. Contrary to popular belief, cats don't always land on their feet and can sustain a great deal of damage from the impact of a fall.

Ideally I would keep him inside only. Provide him with cat trees, plenty of interactive play toys and one-on-one play time. You can get that cat grass that you grow in a little container and see if that pleases him.

Unless you want to cover every open inch with chicken wire or the like, from top to bottom, side to side and tight, I would not let him on the balcony.

[kk]

Yes, you need to worry about it. My DH's cousin had a sweet kitty for several years who would sit on her balcony railings in her apts. One day, kitty fell and died. I assume that's Swirl in the pic...cutie! Good luck with the new baby. kk

[lil' stink]

Thanks for the responses, I really appreciate it.

I actually went to Home Depot tonight and I'm thinking of putting up something on the bottom part of the balcony to prevent Swirl from jumping off from there, and then a shade type thing I can lower to cover the other two sections. This is the first time we've had a cat in a smaller sized apartment - My old cat lived with us in a 1500 square foot apartment with plenty of windows and places to climb and exercise (she's now living with my mom in Michigan and she's now an outdoor cat who spends time in the woods, playing in the grass, etc., way out in the country - a great life!), but Swirl is not so fortunate.

Plus, Swirl is still pretty young and the problem I think is that Swirl was an outside cat up until the time he was saved and taken to the shelter. He was a true alley cat and so I think he has strong feelings toward being outside.

Thanks again for the advice, I really appreciate it!

Now, I have one more question: How can I truly stop Swirl from attacking my fiance and me? Swirl seems to like to "play" all the time, and he is in what we call "attack mode" 75% of the time. When we go to sleep at night he attacks our feet, when we walk through the apartment he attacks us, he attacks our hands, etc. He's got plenty of toys, but they don't always do the trick.

Is there anything we can do to train him not to attack us?

[Tambrey]

she's now living with my mom in Michigan and she's now an outdoor cat who spends time in the woods, playing in the grass, etc., way out in the country - a great life!), but Swirl is not so fortunate.

I would say Swirl IS the fortunate one...

Especially a cat who was always indoor only before then...cannot totally defend itself in the outside environment...never built up any kind of immunities against diseases, etc...

I would not even attempt to let Swirl onto the balcony...period...

all of my cats were wild ferals at one time and have adapted totally to Indoor ONLY living...

please read the link and then think again what is really best for Swirl...and for your other cat...

[Traci]

As you've heard, feline highrise syndrome is a true threat. Do not ever assume any balcony is safe for a cat, ever. Please, keep your kitty indoors only.

You can spend countless hours and money trying to make the balcony safe, but in addition, you're also taking away from the balcony's asthetics, light, etc. The shades you mention are not going to be safe for the cat, you'd have to use heavy and stable materials bolted to the balcony to completely close off the walls to prevent kitty from getting on the ledges.

Keep him indoors only and make his indoor environment a stimulating one. Spend lots of time with him and actively engage yourself in his playtime and activity. Provide him a kitty perch near a SAFE window to look out of (keep the screens secure and only keep the window open a fraction so he can't push a screen out).

[lil' stink]

she's now living with my mom in Michigan and she's now an outdoor cat who spends time in the woods, playing in the grass, etc., way out in the country - a great life!), but Swirl is not so fortunate.

I would say Swirl IS the fortunate one...

Especially a cat who was always indoor only before then...cannot totally defend itself in the outside environment...never built up any kind of immunities against diseases, etc...

I would not even attempt to let Swirl onto the balcony...period...

all of my cats were wild ferals at one time and have adapted totally to Indoor ONLY living...

please read the link and then think again what is really best for Swirl...and for your other cat...

Trust me, Swirl aint going out on the balcony again anytime soon... We're planning on getting more toys and cat perches, etc., for Swirl so he can enjoy the limited space he has now. He still wants to go outside, but I've forbidden him to do so. One of the reasons I started this thread was to show to my girlfriend, who is less cautious than I am - And also for some reassurance.

RE: my other cat, lil' stink - well, she was an indoor cat when I was in law school and I couldn't move her out West with me so she went to my mom's house in Northern Michigan. Lil' stink goes outside quite a bit, plays in the grass and sometimes in the woods, but that's for a short period of time only, and she's usually hangin' out there with one of our other cats (who showed up at my mom's house one day after living in the woods) and the three dogs. She's always within eyesight of the house. She has a great time chasing butterflies, playing in the snow in winter, and running around in the grass. My mom takes all the animals (three cats, three dogs) to the vet on a regular basis for checkups, etc. She's fine -