A warning about windows, doors, vents and chimneys
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Why your home needs to be secure
It’s VERY important that your cat doesn’t accidentally get out of your home. As they’re so frightened of people, they can be very, very, very hard to find and bring back into care.
Despite sometimes months of searching, and using the knowledge of missing cat experts, we have not always been able to find frightened cats who have got out of their foster carer’s home. Sadly, we don’t know if they’re dead or alive.
It is much easier, and less time consuming, to keep your cat safe than to find them if they get out.
If a cat can fit their head through a gap, they can fit their entire body through it.
They have ‘floating clavicles’.
How to keep your cat safe
Here are some tips on preventing your cat from becoming lost.
Windows
Even if your cat is in a crate, you still need to have windows only open a small amount – they can get their heads through crate wire if they’re determined enough. Watch some cats do this.
To keep them safe, keep all windows that they could possibly access open no more than 2cm, even if the windows have flyscreens.
Flyscreens
- against the flywire until it pops out of the flyscreen frame
- against the metal flyscreen frame until it bends and creates a gap for them to get out
- on the corner of a wooden wind-out window to create enough of a gap to get out.
If it’s not Crimsafe, it’s not catsafe!
Bodhi wedged himself between the window and flyscreen. Thankfully, the flyscreen was Crimsafe and it didn’t pop out of the frame.
Timid foster cat Xavier pushed against the corner of this wooden window frame, while his foster carer looked on, aghast. He hasn’t yet been found.
Illegal fireworks frightened Akasha so much that she pushed against the corner of the flywire until it popped out of the flyscreen frame, then jumped from a first floor window. She hasn’t yet been found.
Confident foster cat, Ginny, tore the flyscreen and got out through this window on the first night in her new foster home. She was found.
Newly-adopted cat, Poppy, got out through this window quite easily. She was found.
Chloe got into the ceiling, while there were small gaps in it to install ceiling fans. Her foster carer has no idea how she got up there and only found her because she miaowed (she’s not a scaredycat). Hubby has now installed the ceiling fans.
Cat-proofing your windows
Sliding windows: Put a piece of wood in the track so that they can’t push the window open further.
Doors
Never leave an external door open, even for a couple of seconds.
Cats can bolt out very quickly. If you lose them, you will have to spend an incredible amount of time trying to find them. It’s just not worth it.
Vent covers
If you have ducted heating, check how easily the vent covers can be removed. One scaredycat lifted off the cover and went into the ducting. Getting them back into the house took a bit of work.
Chimneys
Make sure your cat can’t get out through the chimney. One scaredy cat got out through a chimney, twice.
Lost your cat?
If your scaredy cat does get out of your house, or if you can’t find them in your house, implement your search plan immediately.