So we spend the bulk of our time in the “family room” that the owners added to our house about 35 years ago, and it is cooled by a window unit. The opening is about 68" wide by 70" high. I had thought of mounting the insulated drapes we haven’t mounted in the bedroom yet, but I’m afraid the cat would do some serious damage right away. I don’t want to make this a huge project, using lots of time & $$, but my google-Fu is weak and my imagination is weary. Any thoughts?
you could try a rigid folding divider for the lower part and an insulated curtain hanging out of cat reach.
Have you considered putting an oscillating fan in the opening, pointing into the room?
Don’t overthink it. I’ve got a bedsheet strung on one of those closet poles that holds itself up by pressure. It’s over the doorway from our hallway to the kitchen. The living room and hallway are comfortable (I did close off the bedroom and bathroom doors), while the kitchen is still approximately 99238 degrees, exactly as it is outside.
Now, is it the best insulator ever? Of course not. But, at least with our layout, we’re not losing much coolth past the sheet. Not enough to drive my heat addled mind into total meltdown thinking of better, more expensive solutions, anyhow. 
Excellent, someone else who thinks “coolth” should be a word 
I agree with the “not overthinking it.” Try using a really inexpensive cotton blanket from Walmart if a sheet isn’t thick enough to prevent the escape of the cool air.
70" high? A lot of bruised heads? Just hang anything inexpensive, and disposable if necessary.
I bought some of the cheap [$10US] beige curtains on sale, one for each window and a few spares for the winter, and they are working just fine in the summer. I took the bedroom door off its hinges and stored it because it is easier to use the wheelchair or gimp around on crutches if you do not have a door to mess with. They look fairly nice and are hella insulated. They keep the bedroom isolated from the temps in the rest of the house.
:smack:
I think I meant 80".
I’m going to try and find some sort of rigid divider and do the combo thing, because I know she’ll try and sharpen her claws on anything new. And we’ve already tried those claw-covering thingies, so there’s no hope there. I wonder if she’d still try to use it if she pulled it down on her head, tho…
Cheap curtains can be replaced if damaged by a cat. But you might also:
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Provide the cat with alternatives, like a sisal or carpeted strip mounted on the wall. If you paint it white (so it won’t be an eyesore) and put some liquid catnip on it, the cat will prefer it over your curtains and couch. Warning: the cat scratch post should be IN your living room. Cat’s don’t just scratch to sharpen their nails, but also to (visually and with scent) mark their territory. They don’t see the point of using a scratch post if it is in the mudroom or in the upstairs hallway.
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Make the curtain less attractive to your cat. You could spray some citrus or peppermint scent on the new curtain. You like it, the cats don’t.