Insulating Windows with Cats

zoeysmom

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We're living in a big, old house with original windows. They are horrible, especially in the living room, where there are 4 big windows and a door leading to the porch (a door with window panes).

My landlord claims he's looking into buying new windows, but at the rate he works, they won't be here until at least the spring (probably more like a couple springs from now). So, he bought us a roll of the plastic insulating film, despite me telling him that it likely won't survive the cats.

However, I think we need to do something. It is quite cold in here. Does anyone use the plastic film on their windows? Do your cats leave it alone? Are there any other alternatives?
 

strange_wings

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Have you ever put plastic up over windows before? You can't just staple the plastic up, you have to use cardboard strips.

My childhood home had bad windows and we had to cover them. I can't recall our cats ever bothering them though we would leave a couple windows uncovered for them. If your cats have a favorite window, I wouldn't cover it.
 

farleyv

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We have an old farmhouse. The windows are the wavy glass they are so old. I stuff them with foam rubber on a windy day. That way I can tell if I get all the drafts. There is the kind of plastic that goes on with two sided tape and you use a hair dryer to shrink it tight to the windows. If I did that, I would take all the tables away from the windows so the cats could not claw the plastic. It is a real challenge to keep the house warm with cats!
 

3catsn1dog

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I used it last winter with our cats and neither of them bothered the plastic. And it was the kind that you use cardboard strips to staple on. They left it alone and never bothered it. We did leave the big bay windown uncovered for my window kitty because he likes the shelves to sleep in. It shouldnt be a problem for you to use...Let me know when you replace the windows (we are currently replacing ours) Ive got some good tricks for you to keep the cats away from the work area lol....
 
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zoeysmom

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Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. The plastic the landlord got us is the stuff with the double sided tape, I think. The problem is that the windows are 6 feet long (pretty much floor to ceiling) and have built in sills, so there's really no way of keeping the cats away from them. I may try the two front windows and see how they do with it.

Does the plastic on the outside of the windows look horrible? I'm not sure it's even an option here (we'd need a very tall ladder and a very long extension cord for the hair dryer), but I don't think I've ever seen it on the outside.

Perhaps I'll just go turn the heat up! Maybe the high gas bill will motivate the landlord to get the windows replaced a little quicker!
 

goldenkitty45

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We used it last year. Most of the windows survived, but a few had a few holes in them. Not sure what we will try this year.
 
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