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We are in the initial phase of downsizing,we will be moving out of a house into a 6th floor apartment and i'm concerned about the cat jumping up on the balcony railing and falling to his death,are cats smart enough to understand 6 floors up is a long way down,should i take measures to insure he never goes out on the balcony?
OM take measures! When I was a kid we had a cat that fell to it's death. I've moved so many times and I have avoided balconies. There are modifications you can make to prevent the cat from being able to jump up on indoor balconies and catios that can be put up for outdoor balconies. They aren't always the most attractive but if you are creative (I'm not at all) you could probably make it work. Just do something. Don't trust that cats always land on their feet- especially from 6 stories!
We are in the initial phase of downsizing,we will be moving out of a house into a 6th floor apartment and i'm concerned about the cat jumping up on the balcony railing and falling to his death,are cats smart enough to understand 6 floors up is a long way down,should i take measures to insure he never goes out on the balcony?
If you can possibly screen in the patio by buying a Catio, do so. Unless you can just keep the cat inside -- period. I would opt for that. Though the cat likes outside air, the risk is far too great. I play it safe. But let other folks here add to this w/ their ideas. Again, for me I nip it in the bud.
Edited to add that my cat was only about 2 years old and in perfect health when he had his accidental fall. Yes cats are smart, yes they can be careful about heights but accidents definitely do happen!
I just moved to a 3 story town home from a single family ranch. The deck is off the second story. My 1 year old male is VERY curious and confident. He'll fly through any open door or window without a care in the world. When I moved in last week, every time I would open the door to go onto the patio, I'd forcefully say, "NO". And he would back down. I'd do the same thing when I opened the door to come back in. It only took him a couple days to give up curiosity because he knew being even near the door was a No-No.
Take measurements. They may have great balance but that doesn't stop them from slipping or being overzealous when jumping.
Don't let your cats curiosity kill the cat. Literally.
I'd like to suggest that you buy a tall cat tree for the cat to climb. Cats think "vertically" in terms of space, so it will make the apartment larger to the cat.
I moved from a house with a yard to a one-room apartment with no balcony, to a second-floor apartment with a balcony. I never let my kitties out onto my balcony. I have a friend who lets her cat out onto her deck every day and sometimes lets her stay out there unsupervised. She occasionally jumps up onto the wooden railing.
There is no way I would let my cats do that, and when I'm there I won't let her go out onto the deck alone -- and when I'm out there alone with her I'm always worried she will jump off.
My kitten jumped off a second floor patio I about died but she was unharmed. She went everywhere with me but not back up to anyone's 2nd floor patio!
I think that most cats would not jump 6 floors. My gma left her patio door open a bit at night because her cat liked to sit out there but YMMV.
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