Is it safe to let a cat sit on a patio? (dog, hair)
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I have a patio (2nd floor of an apartment building) and my cat loooves sitting outside.
I put up chicken wire all the way around the perimeter so she can't jump off, but I'm still worried about any hawks or what not scooping her up. I'm in Minneapolis area.
Frankly, I would not let her out there at all even though she does seem to enjoy it. You are correct - a hawk could indeed scoop her up and be gone with her, mosquitoes can transmit heart worm to your kitty, and frankly, chicken wire is not all that sturdy. Cats are excellent jumpers and climbers and she could easily climb the chicken wire and lose her balance. Even living in the city - there are hazards for kitties.
If you insist on taking her out there - make sure to let her out there only when you are with her to supervise her, use some sort of monthly heart worm preventative (and get her tested), make sure her shots are up to date because of other possible contacts with wildlife like mice, rats, birds which can carry rabies, fleas, ticks etc., and buy yourself a large enclosed cage for her to be in while she's out there with you. She can see everything around her, feel the wind on her fur, smell the air and she would be safer the roaming the patio at will. Good luck with your kitty. You sound like a very conscientious pet owner!!!
I don't think hawks would be a problem, but it could be possible for her to jump over the wire or to squeeze through the wire and get hurt. She could get frightened by a noise and try to "escape" too.
Is your patio big enough for you to sit out there with her? Or perhaps you can put a harness on her and supervise her.
I'm guessing you have a screened door? You could open that and put a chair or bed inside and let her smell the outdoors.
I'd let the cat out. Supervised the first few times and then they would be on their own. My cat appears to know how high is too high, and hawks have better sense than to try and snag prey in the confines of a building patio. They really do.
I wouldn't worry about hawks, but I would worry about the kitty jumping up on the railing and either falling over or taking a leap off because, well, cats do stuff like that. I lived in a second story apartment with a balcony for about 5 years with 2 cats. Each one jumped/fell off the balcony once I think. Luckily, neither was hurt (cats are good at landings) and they hung around the apartment building waiting for me to let them back in each time, probably because they were used to being outside so they weren't as scared as if they hadn't ever been outside.
How about if you added more chicken wire to the top of railing, bending it inward so that it makes it much harder for the cat to climb on the railing? I can't imagine a cat being small enough to fit through the holes in chicken wire.
Another idea is an x-large dog crate for the patio which would be very secure.
I wouldn't worry about hawks, but I would worry about the kitty jumping up on the railing and either falling over or taking a leap off because, well, cats do stuff like that. ...
When I had a cat pigeons were the problem. Just the sight of one and he went berserk and lost all sense. He used to hurl himself against the screen in an attempt to get the ones that landed on the ledge.
I think she is pretty safe with the amount of chicken wire but I'll add more to the top.
What about mosquitoes and heartworm, is it a concern?
Me again!! Here's a link from Cornell University about cats and heartworm which is carried by mosquitoes:Heartworm in Cats
It's a real concern if you intend to let your kitty outside.
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