Watch out for those window screens

[purrley]

Last night my Braydee (8 mo. old kitten) got between the window pane and the screen. I had the window opened just enough for him to squeeze in. Well I walked over to get him out and he pushed the screen out the window and he went with it to the ground below. Thank goodness this window is on the bottom floor and nothing drastic happened other than it scared him, he ran from me and it took a while for him to come home. This is the first time he's been outdoors on his own and I was a basket case for a while until I caught him. Won't leave the window open that far again!!!!

[Former User]

How scary!!! Glad everything went fine in the end.
We have the same problem, except that we live in the 3rd floor...can't really keep windows open

[wolflady]

purrley, I can totally relate!!! It's scary when the cat's out the window...so to speak! Everynight I open the windows of our house to cool it down. We don't have ac (I never thought I could survive without it, being a native hoosier from Indiana) here in CA, but surprisingly it's rather cool! So, every night...all the windows are opened and the house gets cooled. Now, I'm used to my cats lying on the window sills. We have screens, and it's never been a problem before. Well, one night, I was sitting on the couch watching the telly, when out of nowhere...this white blob of a streak came flying in front of me and straight through the window screen!!!! It took a few seconds to register what just happened, and I turned and looked to see my white cat Marius making a beeline down our front walk! Oh, how scared I was!! Since he's an indoor only cat...I don't have any collar on him or anything. Luckily we retrieved him, but it was a scare. What's really wierd is what triggered this "fly the coop" response?? Never has that happened before. So, if the window had been shut, would he have slammed into the window?? Weird. So, needless to say...we don't open that particular window quite so wide...

[NoahsMommy]

Poor Bradee! I hope he was OK!

That has to be the scariest thing! Noah's litter box is in our den next to the window that overlooks the path ways that go through our apartment complex. He loves to sit in the window sill and watch people and other animals go by. We keep it open for the air and for any smells... !

In our bedroom, we have a window that if he were to cling to the screen and lean forward would have him on a concrete slab 2 stories down. He even climbs that screen at times!! I just about have a heart attack until I can get him down from there!

[ October 17, 2001: Message edited by: NoahsMommy ]

[yorkster]

About 12 years ago, my cat Liza, who I had just rescued, pushed the screen out with her head and took off down the street. She was at the time an indoor/outdoor cat, so I was not too concerned about THAT in peticular. However, she was pregnant and within a couple days of her 'due date'. It was scary until we got her back about an hour later. She was sooo big-bellied at that time, she could not move very fast.

[purrley]

Noah's Mom - oh be so careful. If Braydee had been upstairs in the bedroom and had this happen he would have fallen about 15 feet down. He could have been hurt. I've made sure all my screens are in really tight now, but you never know!!!

[thelmalu99]

How scary! I have those window screens that already come attached to the windows, all you do is slide them up and down. Thank goodness, because I live on the sixth floor and always like my windows open, even if it's just a little bit.

I remember once, when I had my cat Sydney (Rainbow Bridge now), he almost fell out the window. We lived on the second floor and there were no screens on our windows. Sydney was my first cat and I believed stories like, "cats can never fall out of a window" and "cats always land on their feet and never get hurt from a fall".

Anyway, my aunt was standing at the window and Sydney was walking on the ledge right next to her. Sydney slipped and was hanging onto the ledge with his front paws! My aunt covered her eyes, screamed and ran away from the window. I jumped off the couch, ran to the window, grabbed him by his paws and pulled him in with such force that we both landed on the floor. That was so scary, I was sure I had lost him! I don't know what I would have done!

Ugh, I don't even like to think about that...