Danger Kitty (long post)

Okay, so we're finally back home after being flooded out of our home for three months. Of course, the kitties are glad to be out of that one room they were staying in at my mom's. Now, they have the run of a two-story house.

Last night, however, one of my biggest fears almost came to pass. Rogue has rediscovered the banister. Last night she jumped up and lost her balance. Fortunately, my husband was there to catch her. She was scared, but not hurt. Thank goodness.

Initially, I was afraid to put double-sided tape up there, because I was afraid it might scare her even more and cause her to lose her balance. I'm still afraid of that. I'm just wondering if anyone has any thoughts/suggestions to keep her away from there (yeah, right...she's a cat) or something that might work to keep her off there if she jumps up. I'm at my wits end with her.

I have an old 2 story house with tall ceilings on the first floor. So when my cats jump on the upstairs bannister, it scares the heck out of me as the fall is longer than many houses. I also have a wooden stair case with no carpet so there is nothing soft to land on.

The 2 things that deter my cats from perching up there is: 1) I don't put anything near the bannisters for them to jump off of to get to the bannisters, e.g. make it harder for them to get up there, and 2) citrus wood cleaner. Many cats don't like the scent and I will clean the railings and bannister top with it on a regular basis. I use it very liberally and will include the floor near the railings.

I have had 2 cats fall off the bannisters over the last 11 years. The first would sleep up there and fall off on a fairly regular basis, until she figured out she didn't like the feeling of landing hard. The second fell off once, and never jumped up there again. Fortunately, neither was hurt, although the second cat limped for a few days after the fall.

Good luck! Wish I could offer more ideas to you!

I think the citrus cleaner is a good tip. My cats hate the smell of oranges - it's one smell that's guaranteed to clear the room of cats. If they are unpainted wood you may be able to find some orange oil cleaner or polish for the wood. I use it on the floor of my summer house - that cats don't like going in there either come to think of it!

The citrus cleaner has no effect on either one of my girls. I use it on my kitchen cupboards and they still try to open the doors. This is an old house. Probably about 100 years old. The banister is curved...and painted. I'm concerned about the furniture polish, too, because it might make it more slippery when she jumps up there. What about sisal? Someone at work mentioned wrapping it with sisal that way she'd have something to grab onto and maybe pull herself up on if she started to fall (she does have her front and back claws). My fear about that is will that encourage her to jump up there? Any thoughts?

I don't have any advice, but I'm in the same boat, so I sympathize. Sammy has taken to jumping onto the wall that serves as a banister at the top of our stairs. It makes me very nervous, but I can't figure out how to stop him.
Leli