Mary Allen
If you want to offer your house cats a change, you can give them access to the balcony. However, the safety of the pet must not be neglected: Secure the balcony, loggia, or roof terrace with a cat net. Here you can find out what needs to be taken into account.
If you want to attach a cat net to your balcony, you should first ask your landlord or property manager for permission. This has the right to prohibit the assembly of a cat net. It is enough if, from their point of view, the facade is aesthetically impaired by the protection.
In addition, you should find out beforehand whether and in which parts of the masonry you are allowed to drill, for example, to attach hooks or other components.
Choosing the Right Cat Net
Depending on whether you have a free-standing balcony, a balcony on one floor, or a loggia, you have to choose the right mounting system to ensure safety for your velvet paw. When choosing the cat net, you should also make sure that you choose the right mesh size. A mesh size of three to four centimeters is recommended for young and slim cats. Strongly built and older cats usually offer five centimeters sufficient security.
In addition to the right mesh size, stability is a key factor that speaks for or against a particular cat net. There are the following models:
● Wire-reinforced nets that are particularly robust and therefore also suitable for active cats.
● Normal or tear-resistant cat nets that do not have any wire reinforcement. For cats that are not particularly agile, however, they are usually sufficient.
● Transparent cat protection nets that are not wire-reinforced and also only have a small yarn count. Therefore, they are not suitable for cats that like to climb.
In addition to these criteria, you should also make sure that the cat net is declared by the manufacturer to be UV light-resistant and tear-resistant in order to have something from the cat net for as long as possible.
Safety: Installation Tips for the Cat Net
The best way to attach a cat net depends entirely on the circumstances of your balcony and the chosen mounting system. In principle, however, you should observe the following tips: The net should always reach the very edge of the balcony. Some house tigers use even the smallest gap to go on a curious tour of discovery. Therefore, make sure that the cat net is securely fastened, especially on the side edges.
With a railing made of mesh, it should always reach all the way to the ground and be weighed down with a wooden or metal strip. So that your house tiger does not climb over the cat net, it should reach up to the ceiling or the next balcony above yours. With free-standing balconies, it makes sense to attach another net over the balcony.