Oh, cats. What more can we even say about our little furry friends? They’re our companions, our babies, our personal jesters, and much more. Anyone who owns a cat knows what an adorable handful they can be.
A few things cats love the most are sunbathing, watching the outside world, and playing – particularly, playing with dangly string. So it goes without saying that windows are a hot spot for cats, and window shades are either a plaything or a blockade from their access to warm sun and their view of life beyond their home. In fact, every so often we hear from customers with shades that suffered the fate of a curious kitty’s claws, or we get questions from proactive pet owners on how to keep their shades safe. Well, we’ve got some answers!
Help! My cat will DESTROY any dangling cord!
- Fear not, fellow cat-owner. We have a myriad of solutions for this problem. In fact, each of our lift types comes equipped with child-safety features that happen to double as feline-safety precautions.
Cord Cleats keep string from dangling! - Our cordless shades totally lack any external strings, so there is no temptation to tango with tassels whatsoever.
- Our standard and standard top down/bottom up shades are available with cord cleats, which you just screw into the window frame and wrap the string around. These shades also come with small Velcro tabs, so you get the same result without needing to screw into anything.
- Our Smoothy continuous cord and Smoothy top down/bottom up shades come with a tensioner that you can anchor to the wall to prevent the cord loop from swaying around and catching your furball’s eye. Cords can also be ordered as short as 2-ft long!
Help! My cat will CLIMB my shades!
Cats like to act out their natural instincts, and climbing/clawing is one of them. They like to climb to high vantage points, release energy, stretch their shoulders, and just play! But that doesn’t mean they should go ahead and shred up your window treatments. To prevent any shade fabric catastrophes, try:
- Leaving the shade open when you’re home. That will keep it out of your cat’s reach and allow them access to the sunlight and views that they love so much!
- Buy or build a scratching post or cat tower – something your cat can climb, claw, and explore to exercise its wild instincts. For added encouragement, use catnip on the OK-to-attack cat lairs.
There aren’t any totally cat-proof window treatments, but there are ways to reduce the risk of destruction at the paws of your purring pal. There are also some types of shades you want to avoid. Namely:
- Aluminum mini blinds and small-slat blinds. Your cat will do whatever it takes to get through these blinds, and they will most likely bend the slats or completely take them out in the process.
- Woven wood shades. Basically an invitation for cats to scratch away.
Got cats? Want shades? Give us a call and we’ll help you find the best shades for your situation!
