Cats are superb at judging a jump onto a sofa and genuinely poor at judging height, wind and consequence. A cat that loves an open window will sit in the breeze happily for years, and then one day a bird lands on the ledge, the chase instinct fires faster than thought, and the window she has enjoyed safely becomes the way out. In a high-rise flat the fall is the danger, not the escape, so every measure below aims at keeping her inside the glass line while she keeps her breeze.
Restrictors or Fixed Mesh on Every Openable Window
Choose one of two real protections for each window that opens, and fit it before the window is next used. A locked window restrictor holds the opening to a fixed narrow gap she cannot force her body through; remember that a cat's body follows her head through surprisingly narrow spaces, so the gap must be genuinely small, and the restrictor must lock rather than rely on friction she can defeat by pushing and leaning, which cats do with patience and full body weight. The alternative is fixed mesh: a claw-resistant screen, firmly attached to the frame on all sides, not a loose net or a fly screen resting in place that one determined lunge can push out whole. Test every fitting by pushing it hard yourself, recheck after cleaning or building work, and treat any window without protection as a window that stays shut while she has the run of the room. Ventilation survives this easily; cats need fresh air far less than they need a barrier that holds.
The Tilt-and-Turn V-Gap, and Balcony Doors
Tilt-and-turn windows carry a trap that catches owners out because the window looks nearly closed. Tilted inward, the pane leaves a V-shaped gap along the top and sides, wide at the top and narrowing downward, and a cat climbing into that V can slide down until she is wedged by the hips or neck, unable to climb out and injured by her own struggling. Never leave a window on the tilt setting in a room she can reach: use the fully closed position, the side-opening position with a restrictor or mesh fitted, or purpose-made guards that close off the V-gap entirely. Balcony doors get exactly the same treatment as windows, since a door standing ajar for air is simply a larger opening at cat height; fit the same locked restrictors or fixed mesh, and check that she cannot slip out at ankle level while people come and go with shopping and laundry.
Furniture Placement, Habits and Household Rules
Look at each window from her height and remove the launch points. Sofas, bookcases, cat trees and storage boxes placed beneath or beside a window give her a springboard within one leap of the opening, so move tall furniture away from windows and give her a safe viewing post instead: a perch or bed set back from a protected window, where she can watch the street through mesh without the ledge itself. Build habits around the hardware, because fittings only work when people use them: restrictors stay locked, mesh stays fixed, and windows are never left open and unguarded while you nip out, however brief the errand feels. Every person in the flat, plus regular guests and cleaners, needs the rule stated plainly once, not discovered by accident. Through KinsLe, Family Sharing gives the whole household her care information and house rules in one place, from window settings to feeding times, so a flatmate working from home follows the same protections you do.