Ideas To Cat Proof Floor Hvac Registers?

[beckbjj]

I've lived in this house for over 12 years and none of my (many) kitties has ever thought about laying on the floor registers until my Gina. She is a feral kitten I trapped last September, so now about a year old and a whopping 12 lbs. When I'm not home, she spends the day sleeping on the floor register in my office. But tonight she was over there when I was home so I went to check on her, and her tag had gotten stuck in the slats. She was happy as could be, playing with her toy, but I'm terrified by what could have happened. Her breakaway collar works fine but the vent is very light metal. She is easily strong enough at 12 lbs to just get up and walk off with the vent attached, leaving a big hole in the floor and lots of ducts in a 2 story house for the other cats to explore.

So...I get that I need to screw the vent into the floor. That's fine, I can do that. But does anyone have any ideas to deal with the slats? Like are there vents made with screen type material on top rather than slats? I haven't been able to find any on Amazon but if they are available somewhere, I need them desperately, and quickly. The plastic magnetized deflectors won't work because they don't stay put well. I thought about getting some window screen material, but I'm pretty sure they'd play with it, get hooked in it, etc.

Any ideas?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Does she need the collar on? That would be the simplest solution - to take the collar off of her.

 

[beckbjj]

Honestly, I'm pretty paranoid about the "what if" of any of them slipping out of the house somehow, even though they're chipped. But besides that, we have a big house (nothing special, but it is large) and I need to be able to know where all of them are at any given time, so they all have bells.

I'm happy to cat-proof by replacing the vents or whatever it takes...it seems like it would make sense that someone would make products for this niche. In doing some poking around the internet, I note that this is a huge problem for people with very small children as well. Not so much getting stuck in the slats, but getting cut by them etc., which makes me think there should be something out there, somewhere, that I just don't know how to find.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Take one of the registers to a home improvement store and ask one of the employees there if they might have some ideas. They actually might have had some similar requests in the past.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

Maybe you could replace your current vents with ones that have smaller openings -- like on this page, search the ones with "wicker satin" in the title:
https://www.lowes.com/pl/Floor-registers-Registers-grilles-Heating-cooling/491896866

 

[beckbjj]

Oh that's a good idea! We do still have two "old school" full service hardware stores in town (amongst all the big box ones). In the meantime, so I could sleep last night and not be up worrying, I've jerry-rigged it with a magnetic deflector, but double-sided taped it to the vent since those magnets are useless, plus a couple of screws so it can't be pulled out of the hole. It's not perfect because she could still get her head in there if she really wanted to, but I feel like it's like 80% safer because it at least limits access to the slats.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Just make sure she can't get her head stuck in there if she tries to access the vent to lay on it!!!

Even when I have asked for help at both Lowes and Home Depot most of the employees have been more than happy to try to help me. Also, same for Ace Hardware down here too!

Edit: I also think there might be some options you might like in the link PushPurrCatPaws provided. Didn't even know so many options existed! Those would still allow your cat to lay on the registers!

 

[beckbjj]

The Lowe's vents are definitely closer to what I was looking for. I still worry a bit about some of the openings that look (in the pics) wide enough for a tag to get stuck in. I wish there were vents that were just like 1/4" or so squares but so far no luck. I think I will go to Lowe's and see them in person though, and maybe bring a collar and tag with me, because they are the right idea and if the openings are small enough they would be perfect.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Would love to hear what you find out when you go to Lowe's!! Let us know!

 

[beckbjj]

Just make sure she can't get her head stuck in there if she tries to access the vent to lay on it!!!

Edit: I also think there might be some options you might like in the link PushPurrCatPaws provided. Didn't even know so many options existed! Those would still allow your cat to lay on the registers!

Yes, definitely! They're kind of used to the deflector because my husband also has one on the vent in his office, so I think as a temporary solution this works.

I agree about the Lowe's vents! I had seen lots of the scrollwork ones, which seem like a really bad idea to me (in terms of cat feet and tags), but had not seen all these designs Lowe's has! The ones with the smaller rectangles could work, assuming the rectangles are small enough that the tags can't go in. So I'm going to go to Lowe's as soon as I'm able, to see them in person.

Thanks all!

 

[beckbjj]

Would love to hear what you find out when you go to Lowe's!! Let us know!

Will do! :-)

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

By the way, Gina is a star! So pretty!
Love that photo of her.

 

[beckbjj]

By the way, Gina is a star! So pretty!
Love that photo of her.

Thank you! She's a big goofball, and just a doll especially considering she was living under a shed in my neighbor's back yard 9 months ago. Her sister Gregg (long story on the names) is as well!

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

They are both gorgeous!

 

[LTS3]

Maybe a vent cover with small spaced squares?

Or look into having custom covers made with a pattern that allows for air flow but keeps your cat's tags from being caught.

You can replace the hanging collar tags with a slide-on type. Lots of places make these such as Chewy.com

 

[susanm9006]

Go to your local craft store and buy a piece of craft plastic mesh, cut it to size and then use a glue gun to adhere it to the top of the vent.

Darice® Plastic Canvas, Squares

 

[Kflowers]

You might try this - using the plastic cover with the magnets taped to the vent. Use the mesh to cover from the top of the plastic cover to the vent, fold under the edge of the vent and tape it to the vent. That would keep her from getting her head stuck in it.

Mine never wore tags and they all liked to sleep on the heat vents. One for each vent, it made the house cold, but not having the tags kept them from getting stuck. But, yes, I totally hear you about being afraid they will get lost even with the chip.

It's not perfect but it might give you some more time. I scanned Amazon and all their vent covers were the usual only decorative.

 

[Kflowers]

What Susanm9006 suggested looks good. though I've never had any luck with a glue gun.

 

[beckbjj]

Maybe a vent cover with small spaced squares?

Oh! Those are what I was looking for but couldn't find! Will look some more!

Go to your local craft store and buy a piece of craft plastic mesh, cut it to size and then use a glue gun to adhere it to the top of the vent.

You might try this - using the plastic cover with the magnets taped to the vent. Use the mesh to cover from the top of the plastic cover to the vent, fold under the edge of the vent and tape it to the vent. That would keep her from getting her head stuck in it.

This idea is also very promising!!! Will see if I can find the vents above, but if not, this mesh/cover combo idea will do the trick! The vent is in a place in the room that isn't visible, so it doesn't much matter what it looks like as long as the kitties are safe.

Thank you all!!!

 

[Kflowers]

Amazon has them in different spapes and sizes put
Darice® Plastic Canvas, Squares

into the search. Just in case you get the two day delivery and it's easier than going to the craft store.