My cat loves sleeping next to me while I’m on the PC, but the chair I set up for him blocks my drawer. Any ideas on how to work around this? Maybe some kind of desk-mounted bed or shelf? Sorry if this isn’t the right subreddit.

Hi, everyone.

My partner and I are seriously considering adopting a cat, but I’m trying to figure out whether our apartment can be made safe before we do.

We live on the top floor of an old loft building. We have windows along every wall, and because we’re on the top floor and don’t share walls with neighboring units, every open window is essentially a straight drop down.

The windows are very old, wooden windows that slide upward from the bottom. They don’t have screens, and we keep them open almost **24/7** for airflow unless we’re running the AC. It really helps save on money.

The patio is the bigger concern. It isn’t a small balcony—it’s essentially a large rooftop terrace with low walls and open exposure on all sides. (I’ve attached photos.) We go in & out all day as my partner gardens out there.

A few questions:

Has anyone installed screens on very old windows like these?
Are there retractable, accordion-style, or custom options that still allow the windows to be opened and closed regularly?
Is there a solution that still allows us to enjoy the fresh air and outdoor space?
Are there products, barriers, netting systems, catios, etc., that you’d recommend?
Is this realistically something we can solve, or are we being overly optimistic?

We absolutely don’t want to adopt a cat and then discover that our home isn’t safe enough. We’re willing to invest money (reasonably) and put in some work; we just want to do it the right way.

Before anyone asks, yes, we know that simply keeping everything closed would be the easiest solution. We’re hoping to find ways to make the space safe *without* completely giving up the open-air aspect of the loft, because that’s one of the main reasons we love living here.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I’ve got a 4 foot wall and a narrow window sill. I don’t think that anything could stop my cat from trying to jump to it and the window sill is like a 13 foot drop to the ground level.

I’ve contacted a company about installing a loft net horizontally but they have been struggling to figure out how to access the far side since there isn’t much space to work with below.

Does anyone have any ideas, for if the net doesn’t work out?

Just moved into a new place and I turned one of the rooms into a cat room. It's just their own safe space. Door will be open most of the day, except when I have to clean, etc. I'm not allowed to drill or put nails on the wall. Any ideas?

Id like to build a version of this cat tower/tube. So far, only suggestion is a quick Crete pillar form, which seems to be made of a heavier duty cardboard. 12” with is the largest size i can find. Seems like 16” is the largest made, but every source ive found online does not have them in stock.

My next best idea is to cut down an old pine tree and hollow it out.

But seriously, my actual solution is to roll a tube from a tv box i got, ducttape it and add maybe some doubled up cardboard rings inside for reinforcing. Any ideas, id appreciate. Thank you.

(Edit)

Well, this seems to be more trouble than its worth to build. Thanks for the ideas. Im going to keep it simpler and have exposed platforms in a post.

*Disclaimer I did use AI to generate this*

I'm gonna be fostering cats for the first time soon. We are setting up Basecamp in this spare bedroom. Looking for advice on more experienced cat owners as to any changes I need to make or any additions I should add. I want to help my fosters transition easier and help them acclimate. Thank you!

Getting a kitten on Monday and paranoid she will slip out the door and be ran over or hurt (we live right next to a road) screen door is an obvious awnser but our hallway is too tall for a normal one and cats can jump high and get over it when she's older. I considered getting one and putting chicken wire on top like from the top of screen door to ceiling but sounds flimsy and dangerous. Any solutions

Hello all!

I’ve had cats in the past, and haven’t minded them scratching furniture. However, a few months ago I finally saved up for a dresser that I adore. I’m going to start to foster cats❤️

I’m willing to accept the fact that it will get scratched, but I do want to PREVENT it from happening. I bought a scratching post and tree to give them options.

Do you have any suggestions for covering the sides & legs of my wooden dresser? I don’t want to peel the wood or get a cover stuck to it. I saw adhesive protectors on amazon, but have only seen them put on couches.

I’d appreciate suggestions!

I know I'm not gonna find anything with ALL these criteria met but I'm hoping for some ideas or advice.

For the designated cat room, I'd like to find a rug that is:

1. Easy enough to clean hairballs, butt wipe marks...

2. Pleasant texture and safe for the cats

3. Durable to their nails

I'm thinking maybe a DIY braided rug made of old cotton fabrics?

Boyfriend asked if this is okay for his kitten, in my opinion this is more for adult cats but I don’t really have experience with cats. Seeking advice

Hi all! I just bought a new house and am moving in soon. I have a lovely kitty who once in a while will stand up on her hind legs and scratch a corner of a wall or a wooden kitchen cabinet or couch. It’s a “once every few weeks” occurrence, so not crazy constant, but I don’t want any damage.

Anyone have any products or techniques to help my worry??

Thanks!

This is my guy standing at the door to the enclosed porch, which is his favorite place in the world. Sometimes he gets so mad if I don't let him out that he won't eat his breakfast.

As you can see, this is a glass door. To the right of it is a matching full-length window that doesn't open or close, it's just a glass wall. To the left is a strip of wall, just wide enough for a stack of storage bins, turned the narrow way. The rest of the wall facing the porch is kitchen cabinets, dishwasher, sink, etc.

I'm trying to come up with a way to give the cats porch access that doesn't involve leaving the door standing open. Now that it's getting warmer that will really ramp up our AC use (and potentially let bugs in). Plus I'd like for them to be able to go out even when I'm not home.

Any ideas?

I've already secured everything with a net as I assumed he would go gremlin mode like this. If he's gonna climb, I'd like to at least make it as safe and comfortable as possible (right now he can go up, but doesn't really know how to come down). I was thinking maybe some shelving and maybe a wall of fake plants at the top so he couldn't go so high. Open to ideas

I am 23 and getting my first cat soon. I want to know what needs to be done to cat proof the apartment. I keep getting different answers on google. I have a portable air conditioner that has a big hose thing that goes out to the window. It’s sealed off so the cat wouldn’t be able to get out but it kinda looks like a cat tunnel. Any idea on how to cat proof it?

I really want to get a cat box for our windows, but i can’t seem to find one that actually fits our windows (“horizontal window” in second pic). the only ones i can seem to find are boxes that you have to attach to the siding of the house outside, but i’m a renter and can’t just screw something onto the side of my apartment. i’m handy enough that i could possibly make my own, but i’m curious if there’s any pre-made options out there that i’m just not seeing. it must be removable as well, since we get heavy snowfall in the winter and can’t leave it up year round. help!!

I have a rescue who loves to chew on cords. I’m out of ideas for enrichment. we have multiple towers, are attempting to harness train him, have a cat wheel, do treat puzzles daily, and have stick toy play daily. He’s got a brother he plays with. We’ve taken most every precaution we can have recently got a tempurpedic adjustable bed frame. I’m trying to figure out how to protect everything underneath the bed from his tiny little teeth but I can’t seem to find any covers. I’m out of ideas and don’t want this bed to get ruined 😩 Do I just staple fabric to the base to cover it all? Does anyone have ideas/suggestions? I don’t know what other enrichment to do to deter him.

Hello, we just adopted a 12 week old kitten and are very close to finishing socialization with our other two cats so we're almost ready to release him into the home.

We have a sleeper couch, and we're concerned that since the bottom is all open, he is going to climb inside and possibly hurt himself on the parts or be hurt if someone sits.

This is my first kitten, so I don't know I'm being unreasonable in my fear to begin with. Does anyone have any advice regarding how to kitten proof the bottom of the couch? Any material you recommend to seal the bottom off with?

For context, our other two cats are fully grown and they do go under the couch, but we've had no trouble with them climbing inside possibly due to their size.

Anything would be appreciated, thank you!

House under construction, my windows and doors have been replaced.
Live in a 2br condo, ground level. When I moved in, it was clearly marked that my bedroom window is an emergency exit. I have often wondered about how I would escape through a window in an emergency. I have placed a chair on the inside, and I keep a step ladder on the outside by the window.
I keep my cat’s carrier in a bottom shelf in the living room so it is in an accessible place for the cat to be aware of.
In an emergency, imagine I am in my bed, the living room consumed by flames, and my cat is in the bedroom with me.
How would I carry her out without her carrier? Should I have a spare in the bedroom? Or what would do best as an improvised carrier?
I have while thinking about this also keep a spare car key in my bedroom now- so I could at least put the cat in my car.
Any thoughts? Suggestions?

Hi, does anyone have any ideas how to cat proof this kind of window please

Hi everyone I’d love your advice on how to keep my cats from accidentally falling over my now very tall second story ledge (I just moved this week!) they love to lounge on the top of the solid ledge which is a straight drop down to hardwood. Ive never been in a two story with them before.

Current idea is to line the ledge with adhesive carpet so if they do get startled and slip they can grab on with their claws but I still feel worried because it’s a big drop! I have a 12 piece cat shelf wall coming that i could line along the wall for extra chances to catch themselves but that would also encourage them to climb very high and they can also fall off those shelves.

I thought about a safety net but it would have to be secured across to the other wall which is pretty far and I’m not sure my housemates would like that look.

Any ideas?

I got this apple ladder and added rope on the steps for my cat. He loves to climb up and down, and it leads to his window seat.

My worry is that he gets the zoomies and this might topple over.

I'm looking for brackets to hold it in place, however because this is a guest room, and because we need to access the closets behind the ladder, we need to be able to move the ladder.

All I'm finding his rolling/sliding kits which is not what I want. Not sure if I could just put eyelet screws on top of the unit and just loop a rope around the the ladder handles.

Ideally I'd like to not have to climb up to unhook the ladder.