Any possible issues with kitties in a screened porch?
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We live in Florida and are owned by six sweet cats. Our cats have two beautiful large outdoor "porch rooms" where they reside (some are allowed inside the house under supervision, others not at all due to behavior issues).
The screens that were here originally were flimsy and totally inadequate - they were shredded the first day. We ordered a wonderful product call "superscreen" - toughest screen you can buy - and my husband replaced them all and it is fabulous!. My cats rarely even climb it, and even when they do claw at it, you can't even see the holes. I think it is made out of polyester, which is indestructible. In four years there have been no major issues with them staying out there, and I leave food out there, too. Once in awhile a strange cat will come around, but mostly everything is fine. They (and we) absolutely LOVE this arrangement. I can't stress enough the importance of having those REALLY STRONG "cat-proof" screens!!!
They can be trained not to scratch the screens. It isn't easy but it can be done.
Yep! I have one kitty that used to literally climb up the screens.....after a few squirts from the water bottle....she decided it wasn't so much fun after all.
Well, I finally let my kitties explore the screened porch, while I was out there, and after I checked (and re-checked and re-checked again) that all the screens were very tight.
Here's a photo of Hansel, Quinn, and Einstein checking out something right outside (probably a mouse in the grass!) ...
That was when the porch still had this hideous old royal blue rug. I have since replaced it with a neutral-colored indoor/outdoor rug and yesterday was out there putting cheap-o patio furniture together with the kitties' "help" ... here are Annie and Hansel relaxing on the loveseat as soon as I put it up with Einstein looking at something off in the distance ...
Here are Moggie and Einstein checking out the flower cart ... to their disappointment, all the flowers are fake (I know that many flowers are poisonous to cats so won't have any real ones in my house, alas!) ...
And here's Annie stretching out on the loveseat ready to take a snooze ...
So far they have only been out there while I've been there or in the next room (living room). I now have wi-fi in my house so can actually do some work out there! I re-check the screens every day before I let them go out -- so far not one has clawed it at all (I am kind of surprised by that).
So that's my update. I can tell you that all the cats LOVE being out there. I'll be assembling more furniture later today so they will undoubtedly be hanging out with me again.
Yep, they sure have claimed that room as their own! It looks lovely and I am very happy for all of you. I bet you'll be sopending a LOT of time out there.
That sweet Red Boy of yours makes my mouth water he looks so sweet. Is he Einstein?
just keep in mind eventually youl probably have to replace the screens if kities have their claws...least my cats find screens all kinds of fun for climbing up, especialy if theres a bug on the other side!
Catsmom21, yeah, the little red one is Einstein (I usually call him Eini, but Annie sometimes mistakes that for me calling her, so I really need to use his full name). He and Moggie are now 4 years old (they are my youngest cats) although both often still act like kittens, especially Einstein. He is a monster-kitty, i.e. can be incredibly sweet but can also be a little wild.
Foxywench, yes, I was worried about the screens and was going to cover them with something, but so far I've let the cats out maybe a dozen times, and they have had zero interest in scratching the screens. They are ALWAYS looking at stuff right outside, which would make me think they would be climbing the screens trying to get at whatever they see (like a mouse in the grass), but so far, no interest at all. I will just count my blessings on that so far!
I (we!) will likely spend a lot more time out there in the fall -- that's my favorite season. Summers here can be hot and muggy -- not my favorite weather!
Being indoor cats, a screen to them is not a barrier to be crossed, it just IS. Kittens of course are screen climbers, but your gang look a bit too big to be able to support themselves on a screen, and they most likely know it.
Of course, if you let them out there at night, with the lights on, and they see moths and bugs battering against the screens, you might have some who try to leap and climb. Things are different with a screen, when it's dark on the other side of it and things are up against it.
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update on kitties and my porch with photos!
