5 Unthinkable ways – How to protect your cat from falling out of the window? –

Winter is still in full swing, but soon the first gusts of spring will encourage us to ventilate our apartments.

When the weather is nice and people open the windows wide, cats and dogs can (quite literally) start falling from the sky. Unfortunately, this is a very common phenomenon. So if you live with pets (or small children) above the second floor of each building (this does not have to be a real high-rise building), pay special attention to this.

When cats fall, they get a lot of injuries in addition to bone fractures. This is especially likely when they fall from two to seven floors. In these cases, it often happens that the lungs and heart are damaged, jaw and palate fractures and brain edema occur. Many of these cats also suffer from bladder rupture, internal bleeding, or fracture of the ribs – and all this is additional injury besides broken limbs.

Amazingly, many of these cats survive and get along well after recovery. Treatment is not fast or cheap. The costs of treating severe falls often range from PLN 2,000 to 5,000, and these animals will usually have to be in hospital for several weeks. These poor beings require real intensive care, often with additional oxygen therapy and feeding probes.

Interestingly, cats that fall from a height above the 7th floor suffer slightly less injuries. But that doesn’t mean you should let them do it. Make no mistake – even these cats can suffer painful or fatal injuries.

Why do cats fall out?

Cats often fall out of the windows afraid of loud noise (vacuum cleaner, blender, door bell, children’s screams, etc.) or when they lose their balance when jumping on the windowsill. This also happens when a cat tries to hunt a bird or a fly outside the window.

Given the potential severity of injuries, risk of death, medical costs, and the fact that this can also happen to your children, I suggest that you do everything to prevent it.

Here are some useful preventative steps you can take

1. Installing well-matched security for windows.

If you have windows that you want to open, these safety precautions will help get fresh air into the house, which your cat also loves, while preventing it from falling. Remember to check regularly that the safety features have not come loose, or that your cat has not damaged them with claws.

You can use the grille at the tilting window:

GRILLE

Or various types of meshes.

2. If possible, open the top of the windows, not the bottom. It is harder for a cat to get there.

3. Close all windows before leaving the house.

Get used to closing windows before starting loud devices. Many cats (and dogs) are afraid of loud noises, especially sudden ones. This fear can serve them in certain situations, but it can end up painfully or lethal for them.

4. Do not leave your pets on the balcony alone unless the balcony is reticulated.

And even when they are not alone, do not let them jump on the balustrades. Move garden furniture away from the handrail to prevent animals (and children) from reaching a level where they are more prone to loss of balance. However, consider installing safety nets or build an outer cat cage.

5. Close the windows before playing ball with your cat.

What to do when an accident occurs?

If one of your pets ever pops out of the window, immediately take them to a veterinary assessment and take possible treatment. As above, the list of potential injuries he may have suffered is much longer than just broken bones, and many of them will probably not be easy for you to tell at a glance. There is no place for home treatment and many of these animals experience great pain.