Question, re cats.

[kyrielle]

Anyone know the best way (besides closed doors) to confine cats to or from one part of the house? Is there a baby gate, doggy gate, or other barrier that works well? Does it require screws in the wall, or is a free-standing one going to be enough? (Bearing in mind that at least one of the cats is moderately strong and heavy.)

Comments

[tibicina.livejournal.com]

Most of the baby/doggy gates I've seen are things that cats can either climb or squeeze through. And while not all require screws in the wall, many of the better ones do. Doors really work best in my experience.

[davmoo.livejournal.com]

Something that covers the entire doorway is probably going to be your only safe bet. I've had indoor cats that could jump from the floor to kitchen counters even in their old age, and I've got outdoor cats now that can jump just as high and then scale a utility pole faster than I can type this part of the sentence.

[canyoncat.livejournal.com]

We have a pet gate that we used when Tigger first hurt her legs to keep her from being able to go up/down stairs on her own. It doesn't require any screws and works by tension. You adjust it to the width you need and there is a spring-type clampy-thing (really technical I know) that provides additional tension to keep it in place. Tigger and Ashley are both pretty hefty kitties and they never got past it. An agile (and non-over-weight) cat could easy just jump over it though.

[mandydax.livejournal.com]

I have to agree with everyone else so far. For most cats, if it can be vaulted, climbed, torn, or squeezed through, it's not going to stop them. With my cats, a door that latches or is otherwise immobilised is the only thing that can stop them.