i'd like to get a cat but i have a balcony - do you think it's too dangerous?

Answer 1

Most cats have got more sense than to attempt flying, but just to avoid a nasty accident, why don't you just run some chicken wire over any points that could give it access to the ether !

Answer 2

I'd not let the cat out on the balcony unattended. Perhaps tack some strong netting to the bottom of the rail so there's no gap for him to slip under and over the edge.
I had a rather goofy cat that was rolling around and around on the balcony showing off for a cat outside on the ground.. yep- he accidentally rolled right off the balcony! (Thank God it was only a second floor apt!) He was fine, but it could have been disaster for him. Get your cat,,, don't let him out alone on the balcony.. Carry it to the edge and let the cat see how far down it is. Some cats will not go near a ledge,, some think they are born to walk tightropes.
Young cats and kittens don't have enough sense to stay back from the edge. You'll need to watch out for it til it proves it won't try to walk the rail.

Answer 3

I was worried, too. But, at least in my case, the cats didn't try to get off the balcony at all. A little suggestion, though. Put cat-edible plants on the balcony. They tend to be satisfied with their "yard" being what it is, just the balcony area.

Answer 4

You have to be very careful. Injuries & even death can be quite common from falls such as from a balcony or falling out a window in a high rise flat etc. You could always get your balcony screened off though wwith something decorative. That way you can still see out but your cat would not be able to fall.

Answer 5

please ignore posters who caution you not to worry, i can tell you from painful experience that balconies (or open, unscreened windows for that matter) are unsafe for cats. cats have almost no depth perception, and cannot judge heights accurately past eight or nine feet. (that's why they can get all the way up a tree and not figure out how to get down). so they can and will explore the balcony/railing, and be over the side without intending to. do yourself and your potential cat a favor and research the subject (google "cats falling from balconies") rather than listening to any of us. as you do research, you will be amazed--and not in a good way--at how many cats fall from nyc skyscrapers thirty stories up--they simply can't process depth. keep your balcony closed, or resign yourself to a runaway, or depending on the height of the fall--mortally wounded cat.

Answer 6

i dont think its dangerous we live on the seventh floor and we have a little balcony which my 2 cats go out on. And thats where whiskers come in, as they sense that there is a drop.
Hope this helps

Answer 7

I had a cat when I had a balcony, and it was fine. Don't let the cat go out by itself or near the edge.

Answer 8

no i have a balcony and my cat aint got hurt yet. cats tend to land on all fours. they are very clever aswel so its unlikely it will jump off unless a wall of something close to the balcony it can land on. if it is silly and falls off then least you know its still got 8 lives x

Answer 9

I used to keep seven cats and they all managed the roof top balcony (third floor) without mishap. They used to jump across to the adjacent school and sit on the ledges by the windows five floors up. Couldn't stop them and never had a problem (except when they jumped onto me from a great height). when they concentrate they're very nimble...

Answer 10

Do not let the cat on the balcony!
Cats do not always land on their feet.
If you won't be a responsible pet owner, don't get one!

Would you let a little kid out there? If not, don't let a cat out there either.

Answer 11

well that depends if the balcony is out side or inside, but you should not let you cat out side, cats are very smart animals, and do always land on their feet, but they would not jump off a balcony that was too high, they are too smart.