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slscville

blocking a loft railing?

slscville
13 years ago

Hi Everyone! A friend of mine lives in a condo with a loft and her cat recently fell (jumped?) off of it and was injured. The bars of the railing are spaced well enough apart that the cat can easily get through to the ledge. We're looking for a fairly cheap (and easy) way to block the cat from getting through, but we can't come up with anything that still looks decent (the cat is sickly and won't jump up/over the railing). Any ideas?

Comments (6)

  • nanny2a
    13 years ago

    How about using clear hard plastic sheets? I've seen it used on stair handrails and other elevated places. A home building supply would probably have it, or know where you could get it.

  • barelythere
    13 years ago

    How long is the railing? Are you or someone you know handy with a sewing machine?
    Or would it be possible to get fabric close to the same height as the bars (in a color that coordinates with the rest of the space) and then weave it in and out through the bars? You could get some snap closures that they sell in the fabric department (a package that comes with the tool) for securing the fabric to the first bar and go from there. You could even just use safety pins if that's enough of a "finished" look for her.
    I'm imagining that the cat just wandered too close to the edge and simply was too sick/lethargic to see that it was about to fall...or something? Cats usually don't let that sort of thing happen! So probably just blocking its visibility/access is enough, yes? It's not like it will try barging through the cloth/fabric?

  • debd18
    13 years ago

    If the cat wouldn't climb it, bird or pond netting could be fastened to the rail and is barely visible when spread out.

  • slscville
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    That's right barelythere, this is not your typical cat. She's very small and only has three legs (sadly, she lost her leg recently due to the fall from the loft!); she's not big on jumping or scratching. I think the fabric would be enough to keep her from the ledge. Thanks to everyone for such thoughtful responses!

  • vickevette
    13 years ago

    There is a product specifically for that purpose (well really to prevent children from falling through older railings that are farther apart than current building codes allow). I purchased one from a catalog when my kids were small. It comes as a roll of clear hard plastic already about rail height, and it has holes to secure to balustrades with plastic fasteners that come with it. Sorry I do not recall which catalog as it has been some time, but if you google something like "kids safety products" or "babyproofing" and "rail guard" you might find it. Good luck!

  • les917
    13 years ago

    Here you go:

    railing guard

    I would be leery of using fabric. Kitties can be very good about sneaking around it.

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