Why protect your home for your cat?
A lot of our adopters arrive to us believing that their cat won’t fall from the window, balcony or terrace, and that they’re not so stupid as to jump from height. They have often lived with cats much of their lives, and it hasn’t happened to them or their cats. This is understandable, it’s a lived experience! Unfortunately, the wider reality is that this is a regular occurrence and many cats are seriously injured, are lost, or die from falls. We see it nearly every day in Barcelona.
In Spain, the majority of cats are indoor-only. Many also live at height, due to dense apartment living. Even if they live at ground level, we can tell you from experience that having a cat lost, whether in the city or a more rural area, is one of the most stressful and difficult experiences a person who loves cats can have (not to mention how terrifying it is for the cat)! Due to these conditions, as well as studies showing the health and longevity benefits for indoor-only cats, protecting your home is important. It’s like having a baby or toddler in the home. A good analogy is wearing your seatbelt in a car: 95% of the time you won’t need it, but if an accident were to occur, that seatbelt can mean you avoid serious injury and save your life.
Cats absolutely love the outdoors, like us. You get to leave your apartment and enjoy new sights and sounds, but most cats don’t. Having access to a secure space which gives them interesting views, people to watch and everchanging smells to enjoy will give them enrichment that you cannot provide in a purely indoor space. Protecting them is particularly important for both you and your cat in the warmer months, when windows and balconies are often wide open. A safe area for your cat will bring them joy, and you as well, to see them. You will find that the majority of shelters or associations seeking responsible adoptions for cats will always mention that window and balcony protections are a requirement.
We regularly have potential adopters tell us some variation of “I never open the windows” or our favourite, “They’ll only be on the balcony with our supervision.” Cats are amazing hunters with reflexes far quicker than ours. The risk isn’t that they’ll jump for no reason, but that any bird or bug passing by will trigger that hunting instinct. It can also happen that a loud or unexpected noise scares them so much that they seek an escape from it in the wrong direction. The cat is gone before you even saw them leap. We have seen it with our own cats. The most common injuries we see from these falls are broken jaws, leg fractures, and internal injuries. Death is a common occurrence. If the cat lives, the bills are expensive (a broken leg alone is in the range of 1.400 - 2.000€). We invest a lot into every single cat who passes through Gatalunya and we don’t want to see them die a preventable death or suffer serious injuries. You may be an otherwise amazing cat parent, but if you don’t understand this risk, we would prefer another home for our cat. Every single cat has the potential for a serious fall. Your lazy, “not interested in going on the balcony” cat is at risk, as much as an ebulliant, climbs-everything kitten.
how can i do this?
If you’re capable with DIY, you can do it yourself! The materials are easily available. A drill, screws, and cat netting can be easily purchased online. Many handypeople can also do this perfectly easily when provided the materials. If you choose this option, take into consideration that they aren’t cat experts and cats are true ninjas: you’ll need to guide them to ensure that the end result is really cat-proof.
Additionally, there are a number of companies which exist in Barcelona city and surrounding areas to do the job for you. This includes some cat associations where the proceeds go back to the care of their cats. We will include some names and contacts below, and you can also ask your Gatalunya contact person for recommendations.
where are protections needed?
Where there is a risk of a fall from height, or of escape from your apartment. This typically means windows, balconies and terraces. There are other risks around your home to consider as well, such as induction stove tops, or radiator-style heaters. These are things we check via a video-call as part of our adoption process, as it’s specific to each home. We also hope that the information we share will grow your understanding and interest in making your home cat safe.
We hope our cats will live for 20 years, and many people will move with them in that time and will need to consider how to protect a different future home with different risks. Our adopters can always reach us with questions and doubts.
what protections?
Let’s go through some common scenarios.
In all of them, our recommended cat net is the net reinforced with wire type, available in different colours such as green, black, etc rather than a transparent net.
You may prefer transparent for aesthetic reasons and this is fine! Just note that it’s easier to bite through. A mesh reinforced with wire is ideal in this case. Metal mesh is even more secure.
windows
If you can drill holes, then adding screws around the frame then adding cat net is the best option. You may need a stiff metal cord to create the frame.
You can also create frames for your windows, with or without drilling (drilling and attaching to the wall will always be the most secure).
Wooden frame, attached via drill (most secure)
Wooden frame, not drilled in place (less secure)
If you have tilt-and-turn / downward-opening windows, these should also be taken into consideration too. A cat will try to get in and out of the window, but can become trapped in the lumbar region, between the ribs and the hip, without support of the hind legs; this leads to irreversible damage to internal organs and the spinal cord. It’s referred to as “bottom hung window” trauma.
Downward-opening window brackets, option one
Downward-opening window brackets, option two
balconies
Enclosing a balcony with net completely will always be the strongest option if it’s well done. You would typically need a metal wire to create a tight frame for the net, to drill holes and put screws in the perimeter of the wall, and use zip ties to attach the net. However, many people rent and it may not be feasible to drill holes or to have this kind of netting visible (comunidades de vecinos can have rules or even just strong opinions about the aesthetics of the front of the building).
If you have a very common type of railed balcony, and enclosing the whole thing with net is not an option, your best approach will be attaching these types of telescopic bars to the railings:
Extendable bar option two (note that you also might need to purchase the connector parts (abrazaderas) to attach to your railings.
These bars give much better height to your existing balcony railings. They should be extended as high as possible, attached to the inside of your railings (this way the cat cannot jump up and take a promenade along the top of your balcony ledge) and then cat netting attached. The inward tilt of these types of bars is what makes them safe for cats: the most daring cat might climb the netting, but they cannot climb over the top. It is important that the netting meets the walls and floor tightly: no options to squeeze out at the edges, or underneath the netting.
Considerations: do you have a table and chairs close to the balcony railing? If so, the cat has a natural jumping point to get over the top of any netting around the perimeter so greater netting height will be needed. Similarly, if there is an air conditioning unit or anything else offering additional height on your balcony, you should consider it in the context of your cat’s safety.
Terraces
Terraces often offer even more and better space for our cats and we LOVE THAT. They can also be more complicated to protect, particularly if you cannot drill into the structure. Still, many of our adopters have big terraces and have been able to protect them well. See our gallery below for some examples, and consider that with these bigger spaces, you may be best to involve a professional.
what if i have a garden or would like my cat to have time outdoors?
We are open to outdoor access, and are happy to discuss it with you. However, your eligibility to adopt will depend a lot on your individual situation and how risky it is. Many of our adopters are not aware of the cultural differences in how outdoor-indoor cats are viewed in Spain, nor of the risks these cats face in their own countries. Outdoor access isn’t common amongst adopters in Spain but we understand also that many of our community might adopt here, then move to another country with their cat(s) where it is common for them to be outdoor-indoor.
In Spain, the context is very specific: there is a much higher street cat population than in many other countries, it is culturally frowned upon to have cats outdoors so they are considered to be lost or abandoned if seen in the street and their families are considered bad cat owners. We have also lost a couple of Gatalunya cats far too young due to being run over by cars, which is a high risk in any country and has made us seriously assess indoor-outdoor cat adoptions.
Gallery of different types of protections
Professional cat protections
If you prefer to have someone else cat-protect your home, here is a list of options working in and around Barcelona city. Take into consideration that they typically have waiting lists in the warmer months when everyone wants to open up doors and windows.
Gatuari (cat association)
Zooplus.es (one of many sites where you can purchase materials)
The Cat People (note: Singapore-based but an English site with some helpful information)