I have been trying to find new ways to help my cat stay comfortable recently, in no small part because at fifteen years old Oscar has now got a bit of arthritis in his hips, and I want him to be able to fully relax. He still leaps and bounds all over the place, so luckily a window perch wasn’t an unreasonable ask.
He has always loved staring out the window, but he’s doing it less lately and I suspect it’s because the hard window sill isn’t the most comfy place to sit.
Some Initial Concerns
I have in the past been reluctant to try cat window perches because I felt that they might not be very safe only being held up by suction cups. However, my friend Sarah’s article convinced me that my concerns in that respect were probably not founded.
So I set up two very different designs, and I’ve got to tell you, I was really surprised by how much the quality, look and honestly my perception of their safety varied. Not to mention how easy they were to set up!
I’ve added affiliate links to them both where I’ve described them below. If you click through to buy you won’t pay any extra, but a small part of the proceeds will go to supporting this site. However, as you’ll see, I strongly prefer one to the other.
Don’t Make My Mistake
Before I dive into the two options Oscar has been trying out, I must warn you I made a rather foolish mistake when ordering these. I didn’t think about their size. Not for one second, until I tried to attach the first one to my living room window…
It was about half a window width wider than the space I wanted to suck it onto!
I guess I’d assumed that they were standard narrow window size for some reason, which is very much not the case. The windows you’ll see them pictured as attached to in my house are in my conservatory, and they are literally the only windows that either of them turned out to fit onto. Oops!
(paid link)Fitting The Perches
I had a bit more trouble fitting one perch than the other, as I’ll share in a moment, but neither one was too problematic once I’d found a window that fitted, despite the rather vague instructions.
However, almost as soon as they were up I had a clear favorite, and so did Oscar, and they weren’t the same one!
(paid link)Catism Window Perch
Although the instructions weren’t very clear for this perch, I found it very easy to put together as you could see how the pieces were positioned just based on the pictures on the box.
The finished perch is really pretty and surprisingly subtle for a fairly large piece of cat kit! It’s by far my favorite in terms of the looks and quality, but Oscar has been rather reluctant to spend time on this one. He seems like he feels less secure when on it, and hasn’t shown any signs of snuggling there.
One of the suckers has also come unstuck a few times since I put it up, but if I’m honest I hadn’t cleaned the window as well as the instructions asked me to, so I probably shouldn’t hold it against it!
(paid link)Pros
- Good quality appearance
- Easy to put together
Cons
- Firm bed
- Not very soft
Find out more about this perch here.(paid link)
(paid link)Fluffy Window Ledge
This ledge was a bit fiddly to put together and the instructions weren’t terribly clear, and that’s coming from me, a self confused flat-packed-furniture addict. I worked it out fairly quickly but if you aren’t familiar with putting stuff together yourself, then you might want to take a few deep calm breaths before you begin.
I loved the texture of the bed section, but it contrasts quite starkly with the posts that support it, so personally I’m not a big fan of it’s overall appearance.
This was by far Oscar’s favorite, with him spending time kneading the fabric and obviously enjoying the extra soft surface.
(paid link)Pros
- Stayed up since I installed it a month ago
- Very soft bed
Cons
- Not as subtle in style
- Harder to put together
Find out more about this ledge here.(paid link)
Should You Buy Your Cat A Window Perch?
I know a lot of cats love window perches, but after nearly two months of access to these my cat has rarely used them. And I’ve even tried to bribe him up there with his favorite treats!
This might be because jumping up is more of a struggle for him these days than I’d realised, and it’s something I’ll be chatting with his veterinarian about, but it’s also possibly because he simply isn’t interested in perching!
I’d say if your cat loves gazing out of the window then one of these is totally worth a try, or if you don’t mind spending a bit of money on a punt and not a sure thing in the hopes of achieving greater kitty happiness!
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