Adapting baby gate into a cat gate

[GoldenFleck]

Hi all

We have an extra tall baby gate on our stairs. We want to adapt the gate so that we can restrict our cat to the lounge and downstairs hallway at night. However she can jump the gate.

The gate we own cannot be made taller by extender accessories so we need to come up with our own solution.

Has anyone adapted a baby gate to make it taller? How have you done this without making the gate look silly?

Haven't done it, but would chicken wire and bamboo or lightweight metal bars work?

Hmm good luck with that! She'll find a way round it!

Chicken wire is a good idea. I'm thinking perhaps I should visit a zoo to get ideas from the big cat enclosures! The chicken wire could work especially if I curl it over at the top like in zoos.

My cat never rests she is a pocket rocket of energy. I don't think it would be possible to fatten her up even if I tried . It is going to be a battle I can picture her becoming obsessed with the gate once she realises that its stopping her from getting upstairs at night.

just to warn you that my cat could not only fit through the bars of a stair gate, but if she twisted her head and really scrunched herself up she could squeeze through the tiny gap between the gate and the wall.

You need some hardboard cut quite a bit higher than the gate. Punch some little holes in it and use cable ties to attatch to the gate. If you have the smooth side on the outside it will be slippy for the cat

Can you mount your gate much higher and then fill the gap at the bottom? Or alternatively buy a second gate and tape the catch open on it, and mount it above the bottom gate? Tie wrap the top/bottom of the two gates together so they open as one?

This is impossible op. Cats can jump a long way and get purchase to clamber and jump higher still. Forget it.

Oh no... Not only is she a thin(ish) cat but she is also of petite build so she would be a perfect candidate to squeeze through bars. Seems I may have two gate problems to solve

Thank you for these ideas - I am going to use them all.

I am determined to stop her getting upstairs at night. I WILL win this battle despite having lost most (if not all) of the other battles elsewhere in the house!

Can you not just shut her downstairs with a door or keep your bedroom doors shut at night. I really can't think of a way of keeping her downstairs with a baby gate without making your house look like some sort of cage and even then she will probably get through it.

Unfortunately blocking the stairs is our only option .

I agree that it will be a challenge to stop the gate looking silly. I need to have a good think. Perhaps the upper section could be made detachable for during the day. Argos sell a foldable safety gate which can be pushed aside much like a tracked shutter when not in use. I'm thinking that one of those or something similar which is positioned at an angle above the gate may be good way to block any jump attempts.