Okay I need some ideas from you smart folks. Now that the weather is getting nicer my windows are open more… and my 6 month old (and already 8 pounds) kitten likes to pounce on the screens at the bugs. He’ll be BIG when he grows up - he’s a Siberian and already bigger than average… I’m not worried about the screens ripping so much as I’m worried he’ll pop the entire screen out, frame and all, especially as he grows up and gets bigger.
Any ideas for securing those screen frames in the windows? They don’t seem real secure to me - push hard enough and they pop out. They’re designed to come out by pulling two tabs on one side, which compresses the frame a bit (vinyl frame??) and you can remove them for cleaning. I’ve done that so many times over the years that they just don’t seem secure anymore now that I have a kitten in the house. I don’t want him tumbling out into the great outdoors where he could get lost. My cats are indoor-only and I want to keep it that way.
I don’t think tape will hold very well against a concerted pounce… not sure if driving a few nails or screws into the outside house frame might work? Don’t know what else to do - and I do not want to leave my windows shut all summer… Help?
I’ve always had this idea of creating a thin, but rigid acrylic sheet with quarter-size air holes drilled through it. I would size it to cover the lower third to half the screen height of the window and hold it in place with guides around the bottom and sides.
If there is wood around the exterior of the window frame (no stucco, brick, etc.):
Make a few sticks out of 1/4" plywood, seal with primer coat (top coat for a more finished look).
Drill a hole in one end and screw into the window trim so the tab retains the screen.
The screen can still be removed from the inside and the tabs can be loosened to swing aside if you want to remove them from the exterior.
The most important thing it to secure the BOTTOM of the screen - it it won’t pop out, the rest won’t bend enough.
If you want a quick and easy - get oversized flat washers (“wood washer” is best, “fender washer” better than ordinary flat washer) and use them instead of the tabs - will need to be removed for exterior access.
I like all these ideas, but I think I like the wire shelving idea best - sounds like a quick and easy thing. Though the acrylic idea also appeals to me… and I work in an acrylic fabrication place too so I could easily get that done… I’m just not sure how much that would cut into airflow. But I might get one made just to give it a shot.
Thanks again guys! Now I have some definite direction for action.
Your window is the same as the two I’d like to rig something for. Maybe I’ll put my BFF on it. She inherited her dad’s workshop and is having a great time experimenting. If we come up with something, we’ll let you know!
If you use an interior blocking - shelves especially, be aware that cats learn to hook a paw through something and pull.
It doesn’t look like there is much space for anything to catch on.
The window frame is vinyl - the center of it is just a U channel - a sheet metal screw will engage in it.
Kitty looks like it could become a huge critter. I have a Maine Coon that I thought was fully or near-fully grown. She is now 3x the weight.
She is working on pulling open the screen door on a sliding door.
If nothing else, find a supply house for the HVAC trade - real duct tape is now thin aluminum with industrial-grade adhesive.
I have another slider for which I picked up a scrap screen. It doesn’t want to stay shut, so I use the Al tape on it.
It works for years and years.
Would a baby gatework? I’m not sure how susceptible they are to getting knocked out of place, but it would seem to be something easy enough to pop in while the window is open to prevent kitty from hitting the screen, and then pop out again when the window is closed.
Good points. I think I might try the screw option. It’s only once a year I take the screens out to clean them, so not a big deal to unscrew them.
Tape I have thought about - but using a strong enough tape would make it ugly. I don’t want ugly if i can help it.
I hear you on the kitty thing - this one is a Siberian, and was the only one in his litter so he was big from the start. Siberians are supposed to be smaller than Maine Coons, but I have a feeling this boy is going to be rather um… well, a little smaller than a moose.
Thanks again everybody! There’s some great ideas here!
