If Your Cat Jumps Up Over Gates...

[Moonlight_wolf]

Then I just might have a solution for you.

The gate swings open both ways and is pressure mounted to the doorway.

Mia kept getting free of the gate that kept her upstairs and so we came up with a way to foil her.

First she would squeeze through the bars of the gate, then we put plexiglass over the gate covering the holes.

Next she started jumping on the top of the gate and making her way over that way.

This solution prevents both things.

Though she can (surprisingly) jump the height of the gate, since the top part is coroplast (corrugated plastic) it bends when she tries to jump over it. And makes her fall. So it might be a solution for someone looking for a gate that doesn’t break the bank but you also don’t have to screw into the wall like a screen door.

Just thought I’d share that, because I know keeping cats out of certain areas is notoriously difficult.

 

[rubysmama]

Definitely could be helpful. In fact, @buffster might be interested in your creation, as she has a "houdini" kitty.

 

[Purr-fect]

FORTUNATELY greg and arnold arent big jumpers. Kitchen counters, birdbaths and the dining room table is about their limit.

 

[Moonlight_wolf]

Hahaha Mia is a little climber and jumper so it’s very hard to find any way to keep her out of places.

She still keeps trying the newly remodeled gate, and so far it’s worked to deter her! She tried to fit her little face through that opening I made for the handle

 

[Maria Bayote]

How does it work? Do you have a video? I am totally problematic as well with my cat back home. My Pepsi keeps escaping and giving me panic attacks.

I also saw on the internet these rotating bars placed on top of the gates and fences. When cats jump on it, the bars roll and thus cats have no way of going over the fences or gates. I am planning to install these ones. Is that the same?

 

[di and bob]

Any height of gate/fence with a slant towards the inside at teh top will kep a cat in, it can be plastic deer fencing which is very lightweight and almost invisibble. It could be attached with PVC 45 degree angle fittings, and short length of pipes, and slanted IN towards the room the cat is in at a 45 degree angle, (or less). Look up cat fences on the internet to get the idea, It works very well.

 

[goingpostal]

I have a baby gate to keep my ferrets in their room and put a piece of plexiglass up on top of that so my cats stay out of there. I have a three foot gate to keep the dogs out of my kitchen/basement and the cats jump that no problem.

 

[Moonlight_wolf]

It doesn’t want me to post videos on here, it always says that they are the wrong format. So I uploaded the video to YouTube.

So here’s a video of how the gate works to keep Mia contained!

 

[rubysmama]

Thanks for posting the video. She really is a high jumper, isn't she.

I've "turned around" and reposted your picture, so we can see the design better.

Where do you buy coroplast? And how did you attach it to the gate? Zip ties?

 

[Maria Bayote]

It doesn’t want me to post videos on here, it always says that they are the wrong format. So I uploaded the video to YouTube.

So here’s a video of how the gate works to keep Mia contained!

This is a marvelous idea! Thanks. But is that material water proof? Can it be done on fences?

 

[Moonlight_wolf]

Yes it’s plastic therefore it’s waterproof!!
It’s actually the same material that people use to make signs.

You can buy it at Home Depot. But if you want giant sheets of it you have to go to a specialty sign store.

But yes I used zip ties to attach it, just pierced some holes in it and zip tied it on there.

It’s pretty easy to cut too.

The only thing if using it outside I would think you might have to use sections of it so that it’s flimsy enough to flop over if your cat tries to climb it.

 

[rubysmama]

Thanks again for posting, both the pic and the video. I'm going to bookmark this thread for future reference.

 

[Moonlight_wolf]

Update!! Mia has detected a flaw in my design. If she jumps at it hard enough it will bend in the other direction allowing her to escape.

My new solution:

Putting dowels on the one side, but not attaching them to the coroplast. So the coroplast can only bend in one direction.

So far this has worked. I will update you again if Mia finds a way to weasel her way out of the gate

 

[Moonlight_wolf]

This is another escape attempt with the added dowels do you can see kinda how it works

 

[rubysmama]

Awwww... poor Mia, just when she figures it out, you change things on her.

Just curious, is there a reason why she isn't allowed down the stairs?

 

[Moonlight_wolf]

I know I feel so bad and would love for her to be able to go in the entire house. Unfortunately my mom has some toxic plants and doesn’t want to get rid of them and Mia LOVES eating plants. In fact she just loves eating.

And my mom would essentially have to cat proof the whole house which she doesn’t want to. But she has a good amount of space upstairs (4 rooms and a hallway. So essentially a one bedroom apartment which is where I would be living if I didn’t live here) And I’m upstairs most of the time anyways. Though I do feel really bad about leaving her upstairs when I’m downstairs, so sometimes I even eat my meals upstairs

 

[Moonlight_wolf]

Oh now I can see what you mean when you said you re-oriented my picture, because it looked fine on my phone, it just is sideways on my computer, thank you for rotating that for me XD

 

[Maria Bayote]

View attachment 301369 Update!! Mia has detected a flaw in my design. If she jumps at it hard enough it will bend in the other direction allowing her to escape.

My new solution:

Putting dowels on the one side, but not attaching them to the coroplast. So the coroplast can only bend in one direction.

So far this has worked. I will update you again if Mia finds a way to weasel her way out of the gate

That is one very smart cat

 

[rubysmama]

Yes, it's weird that pictures will post sideways here, even though they're fine on a phone, but it's happened to more than just you.

How long have you had Mia? How old is she?

 

[Moonlight_wolf]

Oh yes she certainly is a very smart kitty!! I just taught her another trick and it took her one day to get the hang of it, she catches on fast.

When she’s figuring something out I can see the little gears turning in her head.

And I’ve had her for about 2 years, I got her when she was 1, so she’s around 3 now!