You must fence in the balcony with netting or mesh since it is quite common for cats to fall off balconies or topple out of open windows, says Celia Haddon...
Q) I live in a sixth floor flat with a balcony and I am thinking of getting a cat. A friend has told me that cats can survive falls from high buildings so there is no need to fence in the balcony. Is this true? Your Cat reader
CELIA SAYS:
You must fence in the balcony with netting or mesh since it is quite common for cats to fall off balconies or topple out of open windows. This usually happens in good weather when they are sunning themselves, fall asleep, and lose balance after a sudden noise or some other alarm. If they fall, even if they survive — and many do not — the vet’s bill is likely to be sky high and they may fatally impale themselves on something like a railing spike.
People in flats without a balcony should invest in a windowscreen for open windows. You could try Flatcats mesh screens (www.flatcats.co.uk). The high-rise cat syndrome has been studied by vets who have marvelled how cats can survive falls that would kill a human. One reason is that cats can adjust their posture as they fall, so their bodies are spread out, thus slowing down the speed of the fall. Because they can twist their body, they land with their legs extended to break the impact. The legs are severely injured, but their head and body are somewhat protected. According to one survey, the most severe falls occur when cats fall from the third or fourth storeys.
Falls from higher storeys give them time to adjust their bodies and so reduce some of the damage. However, the injuries are always severe, and sometimes fatal, so all balconies and open windows should have safety mesh or netting.
