Conference misery::feline

    Talk about determination :-)  I leave my windows open about just
    an inch (definitely less than cat width);  this lets in air and
    interesting smells while preventing the cats from getting out.  All
    the windows are also screened.  My windows are heavy wooden ones, if
    yours are light enough for a cat to move, you should probably consider
    fastening them in an open position (also for burglary protection.)
    This doesn't let in enough air for real ventilation -- I have a window
    airconditioner (sides securely fastened) in one window for that.
    

    
    Can the windows be opened from the top rather than from the bottom?
    
    

    
    A friend of mine had this problem (and even though she lived on the
    second floor, Rufus (her cat) would still scratch/chew/push through
    the screen and then jump down to the ground!).  She finally solved the
    problem by reinforcing the screen with "chicken wire".  It's strong
    enough to contain even the most insistent cat, but open enough to not
    affect the screen's function.  It looks a little strange though...
    
    len (who has to replace his screens which Floyd climbs regularly).
     

    I switch the screen and open the window from the top.  I can leave
    it open much wider that way and they don't bother it.  On the porch
    the screen is stapled into a wooden frame and then nailed in place
    with wooden trim strips, so there isn't much chance of them
    getting through, although I do have the Birmans conducting tandem
    "screen races" most evenings. :-)
    
    Mary-Michael

    AAAUUUUGGGGHHHHH!!!!!
    I dont think my problem is going to stop!!!
    I tried Having the window open just a bit, to let air in.  Not 2
    minutues later I heard the window move, now these are sliding glass
    windows and there not the easiest to open.  Well what Oscar does is
    that he sticks his head between the side of the sill and the glass
    so this way either the sill moves or the window moves.  I watched him
    do this and its gotta hurt.  What he's also done is that now the screen
    is stretched from him pushing on it, so rather than just an inch
    between the screen and window, as soon as he pushes on it he now has 3
    inches.
    Any body want a cat???
    Just kidding. (I'm gonna get it when my wife reads this.)
     

    Are these aluminum windows?  I believe hardware stores carry
    burglar-proofing items that allow you to fasten these windows
    partly open.
    
    On another note, perhaps your kitties are bored?  Some energetic
    games might distract them.  Also, they are neutered, aren't they?
    If not, that might be why they are trying to get out, although even
    so, I would not leave unfastened windows around these kitties.
    

    Karen:
    	Both my cats are neutered, and have toys that are safe enough to
    leave lying around. Which means half of them are under the couch.
    My windows have wood sills, and big one piece glass windows, about 1.5
    by 2 feet that slide sideways to open.  If I get a stick or something
    to block the window from opening further, Oscar still tries to wiggle
    his body through.  And if he gets past the glass, he's as good as gone
    because he'll either eat another hole, or go out the same hole he ate
    earlier.  Because the screen is so stretched, he has lots of room to move
    around between the window and the screen.
    Even if the window is open just a crack, he still thinks he can get
    out.  He'll stand on his hind legs and see if the opening is larger
    near the top, or as long as he can get his mouth close enough to the
    screen, he'll start to chew.
    You don't even want to know how bad he is when he see's you putting on
    your shoes, or even hears you.
    
    Maybe I should tie them to the coffee table...Oh don't worry, I'd give
    'em 'bout 30 feet of rope each so that they could roam around...Or
    maybe big rocks...big enough to pull around but to big to actually
    jump! 

    Maybe you should stand outside with a squirt bottle full of water 
    and give them a good squirt when they do these things (aim for the
    body, not the face).  Maybe if they get wet enough they'll reconsider
    the window/screen thing.
    
    Jan

    I thaught of this, but this is the same cat who will get drenched
    from sitting in the tub. Watching water drop from the tap to the
    drain, then lean over the drain to see where the water went while the next
    drop of water from the tap hits him in the head. 
    
    O.K, like a speeder tyring to lie to a cop...
    Both cats where originally raised in another apartment.
    Could he be rejecting the new aptarment?  Or even thinking he has to go
    back to the old apartment?( We've all heard stories of animals finding
    there way back home)
    
    Does anyone know how expensive cat pyscology appointment are? 

    I have one that likes to play in the water too.  However, he does
    eventually respond to getting squirted.  It just takes a little 
    long and he gets a little wetter than the rest of them before he
    responds.
    
    Jan  
     

    
    It's incredible how persistent our little furred friends can be when
    they want something *REAL BAD*.  I keep their sparkle wand toys in a
    dresser drawer and lately I've come home to find the bottom drawers
    open.  They know the toys are in the top drawer, but they can't open
    them (I don't know how they manage to open the bottoms ones without
    hands!), so they must figure the one they *can* open maybe leads to the
    one they want to open.  Actually I think it's Rocky that's doing this,
    with the "moral support" of the rest of them - he's the one with the
    muscles, Robin's the one with the brains, and Blueberry's the project
    manager, while Floyd watches - I can just imagine the following:  
    
    Blueberry:  Let's get the sparkly toy to play with!
    
    Rocky:  Where is it where is it huh, where is it?
    
    Robin:  It's up there behind that in there thing.  Rocky, open the
            thing.
    
    Rocky (Standing up and trying to get his claws behind the drawer's
           front):  Uh, I can't get it, I can't get it, what do I do now, huh?
    
    Robin:  Try this one then.
    
    Floyd:  I don't think Daddy wants us doing this.  I think he keeps them
            closed for a reason.
    
    Rocky:  It's ok, he takes them out to play with us.
    
    Robin:  He'll be impressed tha we opened it ourselves!  Go Rocky, you
            can do it.
    
    Rocky:  Uh, this one?  OK.  OK, a little more,  OK, there it is.
    
    Blueberry:  But that's not it.  That's just stuff for his nest.
    
    Robin:  Maybe they're underneath the nest stuff.
    
    Rocky (digging under the sheets):  Nothing here.
    
    Floyd:  Daddy's going to yell at us!
    
    Robin:  Maybe its's connected to the one where they are?
    
    Rocky:  I'll look. (Climbs into drawer)
    
    Floyd:  I didn't have anything to do with this.  I warned you.
    
    Rocky:  It's kind of tight in here and it doesn't go anywhere.
    
    Blueberry:  Can you get my cookies off the kitchen counter?
    
    ...
    

  We inadvertently solved the problem by replacing the windows.  Our house 
is old and the old aluminum and wood windows were too drafty.  The new 
double-pane insulated windows come with screens that are very nearly kitty 
proof.  I only wish I could remember the material they used -- I'll see if
I can find out for you.  I'm sure you can get it at a hardware store and 
rescreen with it.  It won't solve all the problems but it should keep them 
from tearing holes in it.  Our next project is the sliding glass door screens 
as the patches are coming loose again.
    
				SQ    

    FRIDAY JUNE21.1996
    Oscar broke out the living room window this afternoon.
    He pushed the screen right out of its runners!  We did'nt even know he
    was gone, untill my wife called his name and she heard him talking to
    himself outside.  Monday, we're ordering new screens for every window.
    Hopefully when we have them installed and then secured with nails from
    the outside he'll stop these little shenanigans!(sp)