How can I protect my window screens from my lovely cat?

May 28, 2018 6:13 AM

My lovely cat, Phoebe, likes to claw at my window screens, and has already made small tears or holes in a few. I like to keep my windows open when it's warm, but I don't want to continually repair/replace my screens--and I also don't want to worry that she'll tear a hole large enough to get out.

Right now I've settled for just opening the windows a few inches from the bottom, but that doesn't allow much breeze to get in. All of my windows are double hung and the screen portion of each measures 26 W x 30 H. They don't open from the top.

I'm not going to have her declawed, so please assume that solution is off the table. She already has a scratching post that she uses often. I was able to help her stop clawing part of my couch by putting a strip of clear packing tape over the part of the couch she wanted to claw, but I can't cover all my screens with packing tape! She really doesn't seem interested in clawing anything else.

Suggestions? I've shared my home with various cats over the past 30 years and Phoebe is the first cat who just seems incredibly attracted to window screens!

posted by bookmammal to Pets & Animals (19 answers total)

Hardware cloth? We have a kitchen table that will not be replaced until the old cat dies, because she has clawed every rectangular leg into a graceful curve, and my daughter will never have leather-upholstered sofas ever again.
posted by Peach at 6:16 AM on May 28, 2018 [1 favorite]

Is it your home, rather than a rental? You could get your screens replaced with actual metal screen mesh instead of the plasticky stuff that tears easily.
posted by elsietheeel at 6:28 AM on May 28, 2018

Another version of hardware cloth. You could make or buy a wooden frame and set it in front of your screen.
posted by H21 at 6:31 AM on May 28, 2018 [1 favorite]

I'd check the screen frames to see if they're designed so that it's easy to replace the screen material. If it is, there are screen materials designed to resist cat claws. I'd replace the existing screens with cat resistant screens as your cat damages the old ones sufficiently. My cats aren't horribly interested in my screens, but they certainly haven't damaged any of my cat resist screens after three years.
posted by wotsac at 6:31 AM on May 28, 2018

Pet screen is a thing! It's darker than normal screen, and thicker. Our Pepper was uninterested or unable to claw through them after she put a bunch of holes in our regular screens.

Replacing screens is a (theoretically) simple DIY job (video).
posted by Wulfhere at 6:31 AM on May 28, 2018 [2 favorites]

Is it because she wants to get outside? Do you have a safe cat enclosure? (Could be a balcony or a window box)
posted by corb at 6:32 AM on May 28, 2018

(we were renting at the time, so used the wooden frame trick mentioned above, but replacing the screens would probably have taken just as much time as building the frame)
posted by Wulfhere at 6:32 AM on May 28, 2018

I don't have an answer for this but do want to give a cautionary tale about my beloved and stupid cat Kona who managed to claw open a teeny piece of window screen within a few hours and escape, never to be seen again.
posted by yes I said yes I will Yes at 6:37 AM on May 28, 2018

Response by poster: Pet screening—who knew???
In response—
I own my home, not a rental.
I don’t think she’s desperate to get outside—she never tries to dart out the door, etc. We don’t have a safe outdoor cat enclosure.
posted by bookmammal at 6:38 AM on May 28, 2018

Hardware cloth would work but it would be super ugly. I'd consider it a last resort.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 6:42 AM on May 28, 2018

Get an adjustable window screen to put in front of your real screen. I've found that these fit well in my windows, let the breeze in, and were good quality for the price.
posted by TwoStride at 6:54 AM on May 28, 2018 [1 favorite]

My cats do the same thing. The solution is pet screen. It's made of thicker nylon strands and is much more difficult to tear through. You can buy rolls of it at the hardware store.
posted by Anonymous at 6:56 AM on May 28, 2018

You can also buy insect screen made of anodized aluminium wire, which will be far more resistant to cat claws than any of the fibre-reinforced plastic types. And if her claws still prove capable of damaging aluminium screening, or if you live somewhere where salt spray eats aluminium, it's also available in bronze wire which is harder again.
posted by flabdablet at 7:28 AM on May 28, 2018 [2 favorites]

I've also successfully prevented destruction-by-cat-scratch of everything in my house by applying caps to my cats' claws. It sometimes takes two of us to apply, but they usually last a couple of months. When the cats are being particularly ornery, I buy caps in weird colors like pink and yellow, and alternate the colors on each paw. The cats don't care but it makes me laugh.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 8:03 AM on May 28, 2018 [1 favorite]

I came to recommend the claw covers that SuperSquirrel talks about (well, not necessarily that brand; there are a bunch. I personally have SoftPaws.) I just put them on my cat a couple of weeks ago for the first time and she’s fine with them. They make her claws too big/blunt to tear the screens.
posted by Weeping_angel at 8:49 AM on May 28, 2018 [1 favorite]

Replacing screens is a very easy job- I did it with minimal tools and experience. Used the pet screen and it worked great.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:23 AM on May 28, 2018 [1 favorite]

Seconding the pet screening. I put it on my screen door after my kittens tore holes in the original screening. One of the now-15-pound cats has climbed the damned screen multiple times, and there are no holes or tears. It's amazing! Highly recommended!
posted by lazuli at 11:16 AM on May 28, 2018 [1 favorite]

Nthing pet screening, I had to replace ALL our screens after the little bastards wrecked them all (I love the cats, I just wish they didn't destroy all our window screens). Replacing them all too approx an afternoon, I got pretty fast at it by the end.
posted by smoke at 4:18 PM on May 28, 2018

Weirdly enough, a Youtube cat channel just recently posted a video for a timely summer DIY trick for keeping cats from scratching up window screens, while being able to keep your windows open and letting air through. (channel's based in Korea so lots of high-rise apartments there, so this was a video as a safety tip for cat owners, but also should work in your case.)

No English subtitles, but it's pretty self-explanatory. They bought some of those sort of caging (? not sure how to describe it) slides they sell in bulk at Daiso, and basically measured to buy the correct size and zip tied together a few to make an additional sturdier "cage" screen". Maybe not aesthetically pleasing, but a possible solution.

Video here.
posted by kkokkodalk at 5:28 PM on May 28, 2018