Cats and balconies

[StrawberryTraveller]

Will a cat attempt to jump off a balcony 2 stories high?

We have two kittens, last summer they didn't go out, and we had to contain them in various rooms when the balcony doors were open.

But realistically this isn't going to be possible once they have the full freedom to go out through the cat flap.

Our house is detached, with balconies off all bedrooms (top floor). Theres ground floor then basement floor underneath before the ground.
There is also a large balcony that wraps around the house on the ground floor (which is one floor of the ground on one side as built into a hill)

They have had an explore on the balconies but with us watching so far.

The way the house is built they can kind of get the the balconies easy from the hill level at the back and then wander around to the high levels at the front. Our neighbours have similar houses and cats, and don't seem concerned.

But would they injure themselves or just bounce from this height? it would be onto tarmac, not grass.

Yes they would, or fall while stalking birds, and yes it could result in severe injuries or death.

Balconies are a huge risk to cats. We probably get at least one a week into our clinic. And of course that's just the tip of the iceberg as most don't survive so don't get brought to us. Just last week I was called to a cat that had fallen from a 7th floor balcony and had miraculously survived. We won't home to flats with balconies unless the balcony has been cat proofed with special netting

Balconies are a huge risk to cats. We probably get at least one a week into our clinic. And of course that's just the tip of the iceberg as most don't survive so don't get brought to us. Just last week I was called to a cat that had fallen from a 7th floor balcony and had miraculously survived. We won't home to flats with balconies unless the balcony has been cat proofed with special netting

@thecatneuterer - but we don't live in a flat. Its a house, but it has balconies on each floor that wrap around. All houses are built like that here, and like I said all have cats as far as i can see.
We have plenty of garden and space outside for them to go, with a cat flap etc that can use so they won't necessarily go on the balconies that much, its just an if. We got them from the local rehoming place who came out and deemed the house suitable.

There are no windows in bedrooms apart from the balcony doors, so they can't stay shut forever as there is no fresh air in summer. All the other rooms have either balcony doors also, or tilt and turn windows.

If we netted the balconies, we would have to net the entire house like an Aviary

You say a cat fell 7 stories? that's very different from 2 surely?

Two floors is quite enough to cause serious injury