Cat Window Perch

July 4, 2021 5:20 AM

Please tell me about cat window perches. Some attach with suction cups. What are the other methods? Do you need to open the window at all? Do you have a perch you like?

The cat in question is about 10 lbs. The window in question is about 20 in. wide and starts about 36 in. from the floor. The window does not open.

I would like to buy this from Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.

posted by NotLost to Pets & Animals (10 answers total)

We used to have a short cat condo that was about that height, with the top of the pedestal at the right height for our cat to sit there and look out. I can't find the exact one online (we bought it locally probably 20 years ago), but this is vaguely similar and close to the right height. There are a lot of different ones out there.

I haven't tried the suction cup kind, but they always make me nervous (I know tons of people use them, though).
posted by primethyme at 6:48 AM on July 4, 2021

Best answer: There are some cat perches that attach with velcro to the top of the sill and a bracket under the sill. They only work if your sill is wide enough and they can (will?) damage the paint.

I prefer cat sills with suction cups. I currently have this one, which is probably too wide for your window.

It works well. My cat is about 15lbs and very active. He launches himself onto that thing regularly.

The suction cups do occasionally come loose - maybe around once a month, so not often. I've never had a cat take a tumble though, because they've never all come loose at the same time. What happens is one will come loose and the perch will be off-kilter until I fix it.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 7:07 AM on July 4, 2021

Best answer: I have this suction-cup-mounted perch. We have it mounted on a door with a 19"-wide window and it just fits. The cardboard base is 20" wide and sits 2" from the glass once mounted, so if your window frame is both a little less than 20" wide and more than 2" deep it might be a touch too big.

It's advertised as holding 50 lbs and has easily held probably 30-35 lbs, when our three cats have all piled on. (They're too big to all fit at this point.). The suction cups are large and strong and have never come loose.
posted by magicbus at 8:00 AM on July 4, 2021

Best answer: My cats didn't like the suction cup one, but they did like the kind that has screws down into the window sill plus brackets leaning against the wall. They don't like the hammock feel, surpsingly, and prefer a hard surface with cushion. Lots of both kinds on Etsy.
posted by bluesky78987 at 8:32 AM on July 4, 2021 [1 favorite]

Best answer: The easiest cat window perch is an armchair with a good back on it.
posted by aniola at 8:46 AM on July 4, 2021 [2 favorites]

Best answer: I got this one, which is heated, by K&H Products. I bought mine online but you can probably find a local shop that sells K&H has them or can order you one.
My 13lb Siamese mix loves it, except when it's really hot I unplug it.
posted by fiercekitten at 9:49 AM on July 4, 2021

Best answer: We use a suction cup window perch for the cats. Both cats (total weight of 22 pounds) will squish up on it together for afternoon naps (it's on the window right by the front door). The one we bought was 23 inches wide, alas, so not the right size for your purposes.
posted by spamandkimchi at 11:00 AM on July 4, 2021

Best answer: I’ve had the Kitty Cot for a couple of years and it’s been great. The packaging has specific instructions like, don’t wet the suction cups b/c they’re straight from the factory and don’t need it. I bought it from a locally owned pet store—if you have one in your town they can likely order in anything you can find on the internet.
posted by homodachi at 12:32 PM on July 4, 2021

Best answer: If you want to use something like the Kitty Cot, it'd be safer to replace the cups with heavy duty suction cups, the kind with a lever. They’re generally inexpensive and used for removing computer screens, window glass, etc.
posted by artdrectr at 4:29 PM on July 4, 2021

Response by poster: Thanks for all the info. This helps me narrow things down. My wife had thought the window needed to open, so this does give us options.
posted by NotLost at 9:22 AM on July 5, 2021