Reinforcing Screens

[adweena]

Hopefully I put this in the right place

My two girls, Zoe and Isabella, love to sit in the windows and dream of catching the fat robins outside. I worry that maybe my screens aren't very sturdy. Is there a trick to make them more cat safe? I only leave the windows open when I'm home but I would like a bit of extra protection.

Thanks!
Megan

 

[adweena]

I wanted to add that they have their claws and sometimes try to climb the screens in pursuit of their prey

We are working on that, but, well, you all know how that goes.

 

[white cat lover]

There is stronger screening that you can use, but I've never used it so I'm not sure how much help I can be. I think it's pet screening (?) & you can find it at places like Menards/Lowes/Home Depot. Hopefully someone else will be along soon to give better details than I can!

 

[jcat]

This is a tip I got from a longtime admin/mod and "resident expert": You can cut plastic or metal trellises to size to reinforce or even replace screens.
Pet Screen, available at a lot of home improvement stores, is really sturdy, especially when put in metal frames. It tends to make it darker because of the tight mesh.

 

[farleyv]

Whenever we put in a new window, we replace the feable stuff they call screening with claw proof. It is soooo tough.

Yes, it is dark, and makes the room a bit darker, but who cares if it keeps your cats in. It does not rip. No matter how much a cat tears at it. My cat, Gel, is famous for clawing a screen in a certain spot. It will look misshapen, but it will not rip.

We also screw all screens in from the outside. Use a screening replacement tool when putting this screening in. My son also uses hardware cloth. Which is wire about 1/2 in grid. He does not have clawproof so he cuts a piece of this to size and fits into the window. That can be screwed in also.

Both are available in all larger stores and some good hardware stores.

Good for you wanting to keep your guys safe.

 

[ritz]

Ritz does this too. I have replaced the flimsy screen with a pet proof screen, available, as everyone else said, at your local hardware store.
Another tip I learned on these forums: put a cooling rack in front of the screen, hold it in place by moving the window up/down according to the type of screen/window you have and the size of the cooling rack. By 'cooling rack' I mean the type of rack on which you place cakes, cupcakes or bread to cool before icing or eating. You can easily find these racks at your local thrift store. Makes Ritz think twice about charging at the screen.
Word to the wise: If you have a sliding screen door, make sure it is always on the tracks, and there is no gap between the window and the screen. Cats basically don't have a spine; if they can fit their head in between the screen and door, they can escape onto the balcony/ground floor. Nothing like seeing your Love Bug coming in from being outside on the balcony, looking like: Mommy look what I did.....I'm an explorer. Aren't you proud of me !

 

[momofmany]

My Spanky loves to rip through screens. Not only can he tear the screen itself, but he's learned to push on the screen hard enough so that it pushes the screening spline out of its track. He's very proud of himself when he does this.

If the screen mesh is solid, you can still have an issue where they push out the screen without ripping through it. I've had to replace the spline with a thicker variety on some of mine, even when the screen itself was of pet mesh.

 

[jcat]

Amy, Jamie was doing that, so we had a company that installed windows put the Pet Screen in custom aluminum frames. The spline is a little over an inch inside the frame all the way around. It was pricey, so we only had four windows done that way, but Jamie hasn't managed to budge the screens, despite throwing his 16.5 lbs. against them.

 

[momofmany]

Originally Posted by jcat

Amy, Jamie was doing that, so we had a company that installed windows put the Pet Screen in custom aluminum frames. The spline is a little over an inch inside the frame all the way around. It was pricey, so we only had four windows done that way, but Jamie hasn't managed to budge the screens, despite throwing his 16.5 lbs. against them.

I got around this by putting a double layer of screening material in the splining track. Spanky primarily attacks our sliding glass door screens these days, and I have finally stopped him from pushing through them.

 

[adweena]

Thanks for all the replies! So many helpful suggestions!

Zoe is collared and microchipped, and Isabella is collared but she won't be chipped until she is old enough to be spayed - they do it together, but I am still worried about them getting out. Collars can come off and a vet or shelter has to look for a chip so I'd feel better with a little extra protection. Mine have never been outside so I'm afraid of what could happen to them.

I'm gonna look into Pet Screens and nail them from the outside. I can handle a little darkness for the safety of the girls. After all, it's their house - they just let me live there.

For the short term, I may nail the screens just in case.

I don't have a patio yet, but I would like to have one in the future. That would be a shock to see them waltzing back in!

 

[Docs Mom]

I use those sliding temporary screens that you can put in a window with out a screen. You can get them in various heights at Menard's or Lowe's. I put them up against the regular screen in all windows that are opened, then duct tape or tack them to the window frame. It acts as reinforcement, they are pretty inexpensive too.

 

[just mike]

Originally Posted by jcat

This is a tip I got from a longtime admin/mod and "resident expert": You can cut plastic or metal trellises to size to reinforce or even replace screens.
Pet Screen, available at a lot of home improvement stores, is really sturdy, especially when put in metal frames. It tends to make it darker because of the tight mesh.

I've been looking for Pet Screen and can't find it. My Maine Coon/Siamese is a big girl and somehow manages to poke out the corners of the screen on the sliding glass door to the patio. I've been trying to find something to reinforce it with and if I can find it in a hardware store I'll start looking again. Thanks.

 

[shadowsrescue]

Originally Posted by NutroMike

I've been looking for Pet Screen and can't find it. My Maine Coon/Siamese is a big girl and somehow manages to poke out the corners of the screen on the sliding glass door to the patio. I've been trying to find something to reinforce it with and if I can find it in a hardware store I'll start looking again. Thanks.

You can look online at both Lowes and Home depot under "pet screen" and they sell the screening material. We are looking into replacing our screens too, but I am worried about the darker colored screens compared to the rest of the screens.

 

[catsallaround]

I have used 2 things-baby gates for overly big windows, and the screens in a frame from big lots and ace hardware.

Did lose a cat who pulled the entire thing down and left...shes a pain all around tho lol...I have the little frame screens on all the windows I open now and shes yet to figure them out.

 

[just mike]

Originally Posted by ShadowsRescue

You can look online at both Lowes and Home depot under "pet screen" and they sell the screening material. We are looking into replacing our screens too, but I am worried about the darker colored screens compared to the rest of the screens.

Thanks, I'll check out Lowes and Home Depot. I normally shop at Ace and have never come across the Pet Screen. I'm not particularly concerned with the darker color of the screens myself. The other problem I might have is finding someone that knows what they are doing to properly install the screens.

 

[shadowsrescue]

Originally Posted by NutroMike

Thanks, I'll check out Lowes and Home Depot. I normally shop at Ace and have never come across the Pet Screen. I'm not particularly concerned with the darker color of the screens myself. The other problem I might have is finding someone that knows what they are doing to properly install the screens.

Some old time Ace hardware stores will have someone who can install the screen if you can bring them the frame. I need to find someone too. Yet, I don't want to have to take my sliding screen door some where. I hope that DH can figure it out!

 

[farleyv]

There is nothing to putting in screening. Just lay the cut to size piece over the frame and press the spline in with a spline tool. Looks like a small pizza cutter with wheels on both ends to accomodate different sizes of spline.

Make sure the size spline you are using corresponds to the size of the track you are pressing it into. You want a nice, tight fit.

I work on the tailgate of my pickup truck. Perfect height. I also use those big clamps, they are squeezeable..like large clothes pins to hold the screening in place while I am working.

Trim off the excess and there you have it!

 

[lovewhiskers]

I too can vouch for pet screen. We changed the screens on all our windows last year when we brought Sweet Pea home (he is a former feral). We could not find the pet screen locally and ended up ordering it online.