My kitten now 10 months loves to climb the screen and has already made holes, I only replaced it last year. Right now I have tin foil on it . I do have a cat repellent that I use on the drapes and furniture, that only works for a short time. She also loves to climb the drapes. If my first cat had acted like this she might have been my last. I now understand what everyone was talking about. But I love her to bits and laugh at her behaviour.
How do I protect my screen door from my cat.
- Thread starter RobinWren
- Start date
Alligatorob
SF VIP
Would something like this work? https://www.amazon.com/Replacement-...oor+guard+for+cats&qid=1648584434&sr=8-8&th=1
Or maybe this https://www.amazon.com/CLAWGUARD-Sc...oor+guard+for+cats&qid=1648584569&sr=8-3&th=1
Never used one of those, but I have used things like this for dogs, don't know how it would work for a cat. https://www.amazon.com/ADFORS-Scree...oor+guard+for+cats&qid=1648584569&sr=8-4&th=1
Or maybe this https://www.amazon.com/CLAWGUARD-Sc...oor+guard+for+cats&qid=1648584569&sr=8-3&th=1
Never used one of those, but I have used things like this for dogs, don't know how it would work for a cat. https://www.amazon.com/ADFORS-Scree...oor+guard+for+cats&qid=1648584569&sr=8-4&th=1
Bellbird
-Oceania-South Pacific
- Location
- New Zealand
There are a few cat 'toys' you can buy, all made to distract from curtains and furniture, They work well especially the ones they can climb on.
Maybe one of those tall scratching posts would provide an alternative to drapes & screen doors.
Go Pet Club 62-Inch Cat Tree
$70
4.6 stars, 21,672 reviews
āI have 3 cats and to my surprise, they all love this thing,ā one reviewer writes.
Go Pet Club 62-Inch Cat Tree
$70
4.6 stars, 21,672 reviews
āI have 3 cats and to my surprise, they all love this thing,ā one reviewer writes.
Aunt Bea
SF VIP
- Location
- Near Mount Pilot
First, I would check on the cost of a new screen.
If the cost to replace it each year isn't too high, I would let the cat enjoy climbing on it.
If the cost to replace it each year isn't too high, I would let the cat enjoy climbing on it.
Do they have screen doors that have the screen part at the top only?
Aunt Bea
SF VIP
- Location
- Near Mount Pilot
If they don't, you could probably have a piece of plexiglass cut to fit the opening and replace the screen panel.
That wouldn't be much fun for the cat, but he would still have the drapes and the furniture!
JonSR77
Senior Member
Tin foil is not a good idea. Pieces of it could break off. Cats are attracted to shiny things. They will eat small bits of plastic or shiny tin foil. Can make them quite sick.
Also, if the screen is metal...as they tear that up, you can get sharp bits of metal there, that can harm them.
I love my cats. I have had cats my entire life. However, much I love them, they are like psychotic little kids, always getting in huge trouble.
Have to be super careful to keep them from harming themselves.
If nothing else works, I would try and call the vet and ask them if they have any ideas.
You could also call the Humane Society or the ASPCA...
sorry about the problems.
best of luck.
Also, if the screen is metal...as they tear that up, you can get sharp bits of metal there, that can harm them.
I love my cats. I have had cats my entire life. However, much I love them, they are like psychotic little kids, always getting in huge trouble.
Have to be super careful to keep them from harming themselves.
If nothing else works, I would try and call the vet and ask them if they have any ideas.
You could also call the Humane Society or the ASPCA...
sorry about the problems.
best of luck.
oldaunt
professional hermit
Softpaws, to cap the nails, can help a lot. They aren't permanent, just slip-ons. You can also get 1/2" square wire screening, similar to what rabbit cages are made of, only smaller weave, to cover your screen. Doesn't stop the climbing, but will save the screen.
I'd try a squirt bottle with plain water in it on a medium spray. That way you can break the cat of the habit and stop the behavior. Have a bottle ready near the door where you can grab it quickly. As soon as the cat even looks like she's about to start climbing, just wait and watch. When she starts to climb, give her a quick squirt and simultaneously tell here "Off" or "No". You don't have to shout. Just the squirt should stop the kitty immediately and she should move on to somewhere else. Good luck! If it works for you, you can use the same technique for the drapes.
When my cat was a kitten, I bought a roll of Sticky Paws, a two sided tape made to put on furniture or drapes to discourage cats. I put some strips on my speaker covers and drapes. Turns out my cat never got into scratching things like that, shortly afterwards I removed the tape. You could just put strips of it on the screen door, enough to work but not block the air, and see if that works.
https://www.chewy.com/sticky-paws-o...MI_b_916ns9gIVW21vBB2Czwa_EAUYAyABEgJrofD_BwE
Last edited:
JonSR77
Senior Member
squirting with water is a very recommended disciplinary thing for kitties...
When my cat was a kitten, before I started to train him to be outside in the yard, I used it to keep him from darting out the front door, worked like a charm!
oldaunt
professional hermit
Mine just played with the water, didn't mind it at all.
Murrmurr
SF VIP
- Location
- Sacramento, California
Can you put a child-gate in front of it?
To keep my cat from using the arm of my couch as a scratch-post, I dabbed some lemon juice all over it. It worked. Try wetting a cloth with lemon juice and then wipe down the screen door with it. You might have to wipe it down every so often, but maybe not.
Good news is the kitten will probably out grow climbing the screen.
To keep my cat from using the arm of my couch as a scratch-post, I dabbed some lemon juice all over it. It worked. Try wetting a cloth with lemon juice and then wipe down the screen door with it. You might have to wipe it down every so often, but maybe not.
Good news is the kitten will probably out grow climbing the screen.
Nathan
SF VIP
- Location
- High Desert- Calif.
Measure the lower half of the screen door, get a piece of clear plastic(not plexiglass, that's expensive)from the hardware store and screw it to the lower half of the screen door.
Ruth n Jersey
Well-known Member
- Location
- Northern New Jersey
I replaced the bottom part of the screen with a piece of cardboard that I painted the same color as the wooden frame around the door. Looked ok from the outside. I made a couple but I didn't even need them all.
My cat lost interest in climbing before she was completely grown.
She moved on to knocking figurines off shelves.
My cat lost interest in climbing before she was completely grown.
She moved on to knocking figurines off shelves.
Alligatorob
SF VIP
Yes, I have one. Good suggestion.
Gemma
SF VIP
Just replace your old screen with Pet Screen.
Pet screens are designed with the destructive potential of pets in mind. The materials used are strong and resistant to the claws of a cat or the brute strength of a dog. The screen is constructed from polyester yarn coated with PVC, making it about seven times stronger than regular screens.
I did that with my windows by myself when we raised a raccoon. Even my German Shepard bounced off the patio door screen without damage to it.
If you don't know how to replace a screen, it can always be taken somewhere, where they replace screens and they can do it for you.
Pet screens are designed with the destructive potential of pets in mind. The materials used are strong and resistant to the claws of a cat or the brute strength of a dog. The screen is constructed from polyester yarn coated with PVC, making it about seven times stronger than regular screens.
I did that with my windows by myself when we raised a raccoon. Even my German Shepard bounced off the patio door screen without damage to it.
If you don't know how to replace a screen, it can always be taken somewhere, where they replace screens and they can do it for you.
Thank you all so much for the advice. I think the best thing for my cat will be the pet screen, not something that I had thought of. Just to let you know my cat has two cat trees with scratching posts, the round toy with the ball that has the scratch post in the middle, a sisal mat, a carpeted scratch post and a cardboard floor one. Yet my adorable cat insists on using the furniture , blanket box, area rug as her scratch post. She has also managed to pull up the carpet on the stairs. When she's naughty I use a spray bottle, she just looks at me, dries herself and goes back. I use a pet deterrent which smells like lemon, spray it in various areas but only lasts a few hours. She is actually scared of the tin foil and refuses to go near it. I laid it on the floor today and she just sat beside it. And when shes not doing all this she is bothering her brother my dog. Life is good.
Life is good.You are so rightStop a cat? It would be easier to re-program YOU!
Would something like this work? https://www.amazon.com/Replacement-Upgraded-Thicken-Charcoal-Fiberglass/dp/B09B1S8NJ1/ref=sr_1_8?gclid=Cj0KCQjw3IqSBhCoARIsAMBkTb0V4e-aulPLX5oEQ36xnzJcPyoof14_GF-xEHPc4J65TeAPIA--cg8aAtkXEALw_wcB&hvadid=472008157879&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9029787&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=13094730178894825588&hvtargid=kwd-373322805791&hydadcr=7467_9611909&keywords=screen+door+guard+for+cats&qid=1648584434&sr=8-8&th=1
Or maybe this https://www.amazon.com/CLAWGUARD-Scratch-Shield-Transparent-Protection-Protector/dp/B01MF64AXY/ref=sr_1_3?gclid=Cj0KCQjw3IqSBhCoARIsAMBkTb0N3iK_0YPM3HimxnkDySNDikZxrGADCGQ3eqMqSgdgCqleXa1SVK8aAk2gEALw_wcB&hvadid=472008157879&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9029787&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=5019555830450815126&hvtargid=kwd-373322805791&hydadcr=7467_9611909&keywords=screen+door+guard+for+cats&qid=1648584569&sr=8-3&th=1
Never used one of those, but I have used things like this for dogs, don't know how it would work for a cat. https://www.amazon.com/ADFORS-Screen-Storm-Grille-Silver/dp/B000IO6UYI/ref=sr_1_4?gclid=Cj0KCQjw3IqSBhCoARIsAMBkTb0N3iK_0YPM3HimxnkDySNDikZxrGADCGQ3eqMqSgdgCqleXa1SVK8aAk2gEALw_wcB&hvadid=472008157879&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9029787&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=5019555830450815126&hvtargid=kwd-373322805791&hydadcr=7467_9611909&keywords=screen+door+guard+for+cats&qid=1648584569&sr=8-4&th=1
Maybe one of those tall scratching posts would provide an alternative to drapes & screen doors.
Go Pet Club 62-Inch Cat Tree
$70
4.6 stars, 21,672 reviews
āI have 3 cats and to my surprise, they all love this thing,ā one reviewer One of her trees is very much like this one, the drapes will be coming down at some point.
Thank you, it was actually a pet store that recommended it. I am lucky that she was not attracted to it and that this is the one thing that scares her.
Judycat
Well-known Member
- Location
- Pennsylvania
I remember when my cats used to do that. They seemed so proud of themselves for climbing that high. Now they are reaching the end of their lives, and hobbling around, all they do is twang the screen with one claw when they want in.
