Definitely move any 'playthings' away from the railings! LOL.

Our inside/outside cats were adults when we moved full time into our house in PA. The deck in our previous house was only about 3 feet high and our cats would always jump off through the rails. This house's outdoor deck has no stairs to the yard and is about 15 feet up. I was so scared they were going to jump off this deck. But they would stick their heads through the rails and look and then back away. They just knew it was too high.

Where's Tonto?

I've lined up a couple of beds next to the spindles, hoping to convey that these are sleeping spots. The older cats do sleep in the beds -- they especially love the one tucked away in the corner, behind the wicker chair. That innate sense of "this is too high" must be a real thing -- sounds like that's exactly what your cats demonstrated, czarinalex.

I'm not sure where Tonto was when I took the pic of the older cats (and Posy) sleeping on the landing! He may have been downstairs in the master bedroom, as he has very much taken to that space and seems to consider the king bed HIS. ;-)

1. Those cats are adorable and

2. I deal with the “keeping-the-cat-from-plunging-to-his-death” thing every damn day (well, my Oliver actually prefers to scare me half to death in the evenings).

He has fallen a few times from the catwalk railing (how apropos, right?) and I know that cats are designed for this precarious way of living. HOWEVER, the area of railing where my guy chooses to hang out the most, reaching up in the air to swat at the occasional flying bug or the reflection from my watch on the ceiling or walls, is right over the fireplace mantel and that’s what scares the hell out of me: that he’d fall and hit the mantel in the middle of his very long back or something.

Would you like to work on a solution with me? I’ve been thinking of installing a net, either horizontally over my entire great room or vertically, from floor to ceiling, on the balcony level.

:)

Oh my gosh, Sammy - How do you manage to stay sane with Oliver scaring the holy you-know-what out of you on a consistent basis? When he has fallen from the catwalk, does he just do as I read about, sort of shake himself off and carry on as though nothing happened? I'd be a nervous wreck. I did read a couple of horror stories in the midst of all the "no worries" anecdotes I found online about cats falling from heights, and of course those are the things that stick with me. (I also do try to take things that I read online with a grain of salt, because you never know ... but still. I think about them.)

Funny you should mention a net! I actually came across a German site for a company that makes safety nets for stairways, designed to keep children from falling. I don't think that's a half bad idea for cats, actually!

I would worry too. My daughter once lived in a flat with a similar railing and drop over the side. One of her cats either jumped or fell and was a bit shaken but fine, but she never did it again. My Bessie likes to perch on top of my upper kitchen cabinets, about 9 ft. up. Usually she goes up and down via the counter and top of the fridge. Once she jumped straight down and seemed to learn it was not good to do that.

Kittens are so zany and fearless. I would consider temporarily wrapping the upper banister with something sticky, like double-sided tape or very sticky tape with the sticky side up. Make it a nasty surface to touch. Similar principle to Sticky Paws scratch-deterrent tape, but less expensive.

Bunnyfoof- that's not a bad idea to look at how to wrap the banister with something icky- feeling. Duct tape faced outward might even do the trick. Perhaps if we show the tape to the cats - put their little feet on it and let them see how gross it feels - and then show them we're wrapping the banister with it, they might get the idea that it's a no-go space.

I'm particularly worried about this as we are going to be gone on vacation before too long, and I don't know how the cats are going to behave with our housesitter in residence. I envision a whole rendition of "Cats Gone Wild!" happening, which is probably completely ridiculous, but there you have it.

Ida, if you go the duct tape route (excellent choice BTW), put some on some of the vertical supports, just so they get the idea without having to climb. Cats hate sticky surfaces. I tried my darnedest to keep my two off the kitchen counter: saran wrap, aluminum foil. None of that deterred them. I literally gave up the fight because I wasn't going to win. I've ceded the peninsula to them. Well, we share it. They may not pass the sink when I'm prepping or cooking. We have a deal, except when I'm not home. They probably run across the stove.

Do not dust inside the cabinet that holds your mother’s bisque bunny rabbits, or any other fragile porcelains. The problem is not the kitten jumping IN, but getting the kitten OUT . Don’t ask me how I know.....

I too have a 20 foot drop from a very long pony wall. I can't tell you how much sleep I have lost worrying about it. I was not concerned about my 6 lb Persian as her legs are too short to jump on the railing....or so I thought....it turns out not only can she jump up there, it is one of her favorite spots. The one I was worried about, Dorothy, is a Devon Rex known for their jumping skills...but I only saw her up there once. I do keep a defibrillator closeby...for me!

I was going to install a plexiglass wall from from the ledge to the ceiling (that would be about 15 ft by 8 ft), then I thought of putting sticky stuff on the railing, then I thought of moving.

All you can do is your best, Ida. I thought my house was kitten proofed....all tv's bolted down or mounted, all little objects put away, for other things I use earthquake wax...I keep doors closed to the rooms that "might" have something not kitty friendly....but Dorothy still ended up with emergency surgery to remove an object that to this day, no one can figure out what it is (possibly the end of a pen). Just two days ago after walking on the ledge of a mounted TV...she was eyeing a picture frame and yes she jumped on its ledge and down cameframe , which knocked over a lamp which knocked over a coffee cup...but Dorothy was ok and that is all that matters.

So what can you do? Pray...a lot

Bunnyfoof- excellent idea about taping the spindles to get them used to the idea of, "Ew! Yucky!" And I hear ya on ceding the high places to the cats. We caught Penny on top of the cabinets shortly after we moved in, and could not coax her down. DH finally brought the leaf blower into the kitchen and blew it in her general direction. Well, that got her down THAT time, but she goes up there regularly now and knocks down my collection of Navajo baskets which is displayed there. I don't even try to discourage her going up -- I just get out the stepstool, climb up on the counter myself, and fix what she knocks out of place. She's lately started getting on the kitchen island, and I swore I'd NEVER have a cat do that. You can guess how this is going. (She parks her chubby self pretty much wherever she likes up there now.)

Sprinroz - There's a story there! How DID you get kitty out, and was there any breakage in the process?

Marlene - When DH and I were discussing all of this yesterday after the scare, he said, "I'm just not sure what else we can do", to which I replied - "We can MOVE." I was joking. Sort of. I wasn't too worried about our older kitties pulling death-defying stunts on the stairs when we moved here a little over three years ago (they were used to a smaller staircase in our old place), but did not anticipate three years ago that we would now have babies in the house. Oh, your poor Dorothy having to undergo emergency surgery! I'm glad that turned out ok ... and still she persists in "exploring" where she's not meant to go. Cats ... Definitely have to pray a lot for them, I think! And I have to think our creator is every bit as concerned about their well-being as we are, so I'm trusting that they are in good hands.

Tonto is the only cat I've ever had who is obsessed with his own image. He will stare and stare into a mirror. I've taken videos of him, and he watches them as though mesmerized. He will even reach out and touch the screen of my phone as he watches. I caught him the other day climbing up on top of a chair and standing against a framed painting to glimpse his reflection in the glass. It's horrifying, the things he can get into.

So glad to hear Tonto has integrated into the kitty family! Honestly, I wouldn't worry unnecessarily about the banister. My worry with wrapping it is they would forget or not really "get" it, then jump up there, be surprised at the stickiness and startle/fall from that. If anything, I'd try to put something across the railing to make it wider (temporarily) and more sure footed for them. Not sure what...carpet covered board? Nothing too cozy to encourage sleeping on it, but something to prevent the slipping/sliding paws.

I did see this, which could work as a deterrent. It's not very attractive, lol, but comes in some fun colors:

ANTI-CLIMB SPIKES - A brilliant alternative to
sharp barbed wires or razor wires that may cause significant harm to
the animal. An effective method that prevents cats, or larger animals
climbing over your garden walls. The spikes are specifically designed to
cause maximum discomfort, with minimum harm.

repeller fence rail

and I think you said you considered netting?

Oh my gosh, I am letting out some serious belly laughs reading these stories...and saying, “Yep, mine does that too...and that, too...ditto...” a LOT. It’s funny though, as much as Oliver — my aforementioned two year-old male — drives me to (almost) the point of self-medication, I can’t imagine how I lived the vast majority of my life without having him and his polar-opposite frienemy, Kitty — my older, MUCH wiser six year-old female — in it. They’re just SO ENTERTAINING and, contrary to what lots of dog people think, myself formerly included, SO SWEET (well, sometimes).

I'm fine with Bessie getting on top of the upper cabinets. I don't have any stuff up there, only a run of paper towels to catch dust. But sometimes she will futz with the paper towel layer, creating some interesting cat artworks. Then I have to get on the counter and smooth stuff down. Zephyr has never been able to take the leap of faith from the fridge top, up and over the angle of crown moulding. So he camps on top of the non-counter depth fridge.

Ah, the look of defiance from atop the fridge! Yep - I know it well! Bessie looks quite regal up there, and you just KNOW she's thinking that she's queen of all she surveys!

Here's Penny up top, after hearing, "Penny! What are you doing up there?!" She knows she isn't supposed to climb up, and most of the time she doesn't care one way or another -- but every now and then, she will slink down in feigned shame.

Climbing? Who's climbing?

Seriously, though, I know that must have been very scary! I hope you come up with a solution. What adorable babies!

Donna

Zephyr's the one on the fridge. This is Bessie, aka The Sentry:

I have to share this little print that my mom brought me back from a recent trip through Taos, where she picked it up at a little gallery. I now have it framed on my desk at work, and can simply point to it when asked, "So, do you have any kids?" This pretty much sums it up for me. Some may find it a bit creepy, but I think it's hilarious and rather adorable - in a weird sort of way. ;-)

That's hilarious, IdaClaire.

I understand your concern, but you know, I used to live where there was a huge lofty fig behind my house, much taller than my two-storey house, and I used to lie on my sofa and watch the raccoons sitting up there turning over all the leaves looking for berries when they were ripe.

I was quite amazed at what klutzes they are. I always thought animals were way better at that sort of thing than they really are. I would constantly hear, "rustle, rustle, WHOOOMP!" as another one fell out of the top of the tree onto the ground.

But they always just picked themselves up and scampered right back up again, till the next time. Not one ever got hurt.

Ida, kitty in the highchair is adorable. The only thing "creepy" (but not really) is that kitty has hands and not proper paws. :p

Oh I wish I’d checked back in on this thread yesterday...these cats are TOO FUNNY!

Oh my GOSH, 3katz! Has she ever fallen?

I think she might have fallen a couple times early on. We heard a “thunk” but weren’t there to see it. If she did fall she never appeared to have any adverse impact as she blasted back up the stairs as usual.

We have now installed wood stairs and I don’t have the runner in yet so I’m glad she only walks around on it now. She just walks from the high counter behind the kitchen sink over to the chairs.

Jasdip just posted this in the KT forum...I thought it should go here, too!

OMG that is so funny. I am always telling this particular cat to “get down” because she’s always up somewhere that she’s not supposed to be; i.e. the kitchen counter.

That is hilarious. Also, from another crazy cat lady, I really don't think you can kittenproof a house. They always find something you hadn't even considered.

Yes, there's always something you'd never think of....when I was a child, one of my mother's friends gave us her cat because the cat was crawling straight up the walls by hooking her claws in the newly hung grasscloth wallpaper (I think that's what it was). She'd get to the ceiling and her weight would cause her to slide down the wall, shredding the wallpaper as she went.

Obviously that kitty knew ugly-a$$ wallpaper when she saw it.

Olychick, I had a cat that also climbed straight up grasscloth wallpaper. It was ugly before, but that was nothing compared to when long fibers were hanging down. I had to keep giving it a haircut. Bye bye cleaning deposit.

My very first kittens climbed up the full length of my brand new leather coat that I splurged on when I was just out of college and poor. They also broke some antique dishes I'd received from my grandmother that I had out on display. I quickly learned how to protect my stuff from kittens/cats.

Interestingly my above pictured cat chewed the back of my leather jacket when I left it hanging on a chair shortly after I first got her (at 7 months of age). I guess I'd forgotten about young kitty misbehavior as I hadn't had one that young in about 35 years. Fortunately this cat has outgrown quite a few of her kitten ways.

PieNapple has made himself so at home that he's taken over the entire house. He's so little that I didn't think he could get up onto the kitchen table or the bed. HA. He's like Superman-able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. He FLIES through the air!

DH likened living with him to living with a toddler amped up on half it's weight in sugar. I kid you not, that little baby has two settings-HIGH and SLEEP.

Not a lot of advice about your babies-who are GORGEOUS by the way-just to make sure you keep anything within a 6 foot distance from the railings as it's possible he'll jump that far. Our Kitty Pop can do a pretty high vertical leap-he gets on top of my china cabinet from the back of the sofa that is 3 feet away. Our home is a single story so no worries about a major fall, but I agree with you, I'd be a nervous wreck. I think that if they like to jump or perch on high surfaces they will always be that way. My cats that stayed low as kittens remain low as adults-they don['t even get up to the mantel, the bathroom sink is generally as high as they go. But the kitten jumpers (Pop and Burrito) still get up high and the higher the better, even in their advanced age.

Neetsiepie, I completely understand what you mean about a flying PieNapple! Tonto flies too, and all too often when he lands it's splayed-out kitten legs and an "oooommmpp" to his little chin. Still, he gets right back up and carries on as though nothing happened. It's so precious to watch them at this stage of their lives, exploring and reacting. Those sudden spooked-kitten jumps are hilarious, and we are spending so much time just sitting and watching. Now that Tonto and Posy are playing together regularly, we have two young 'uns that fly through the house together -- the uncoordinated baby and Posy who, as a teenager, is all gangly long limbs and big eyes.

I'm definitely going to put away quite a few items before we go on vacation. Years ago we had younger feral cats that we kept indoors, and we returned from a trip to find that our bathroom mirror upstairs was still hanging in place, but had a huge crack in it, as though something had hit it at full force. We never knew what happened, but suspected some kitty had a pretty bad headache during our absence.

As has been my fear, my baby fell from the banister overlooking the foyer! Happened Saturday evening, and while we didn't see it happen, we heard it - sounded like a series of short crashes (which was likely him trying to catch himself at various intervals on the way down). Immediately I went to see what had caused the commotion, and found him sitting on the runner in the foyer, looking a little stunned. Of course, we instantly scooped him up and examined him from head to toe and all points in between, and he seemed perfectly fine. Within just a few minutes, he was gobbling up treats, and in no time at all he was chasing and wrestling with Posy again. (Had he seemed "off" in the slightest, or of course, injured at all, we would've rushed him to the emergency vet.) He did seem a bit spooked by the foyer for a few minutes -- walking into the space a bit tentatively and sniffing around in every corner. Other than that, he's no worse for wear; I just hope he learned that he cannot play on the banister without another likely episode.

We bought him a Lambchop friend, who is as big as he is. He's not sure about it yet. ;-) He is SUCH a happy little boy, and I'm so glad we decided to make him a part of our family ... feats of death and all!

I'm sol glad he's okay! Our cats will go tearing around the house crashing into walls - it sounds like it would really hurt, but they just keep going. I guess cats are engineered to "bounce". LOL

Donna

glad he's ok and to hear that he and Posy are getting on well and playing together. Just what you hoped for!

Ida, I had falling off the bannister experience with my persian. Like you, I didn't see it but heard a loud noise. I ran to the landing and there she was wide eye, stunned and perfectly ok. I never told my husband tho. He worried even more than I :-)