Inner courtyards and loggias are part of the floor plan in many older buildings, and to a cat they are a whole world to explore. The problem is that there are walls to climb, ventilation openings and neighbours to jump across to. A cat net in an inner courtyard is therefore almost always necessary.
The good news is that a courtyard or loggia is usually even easier to secure than a cantilevered balcony, because there are more solid surfaces to anchor into. Here you will find what options you have, how to measure properly and how your cat can use this part of the home safely.
What makes an inner courtyard special
A courtyard or loggia starts with an advantage: almost everything is surrounded by walls and fixed structures, and that makes anchoring at several points easier. Unlike a projecting balcony, here you usually have a wall at the side, a ceiling or overhang above and a parapet below.
In return it brings its own risks. A light well connects several floors, so a fall can be deep even if you live low down. Loggias often have sliding windows and ventilation openings that a curious cat squeezes through without warning. And the dividing walls invite a jump into the neighbour’s courtyard. Once you know these points, you know what to close and how.
What solutions exist
Depending on the layout of your courtyard, the net can be planned in different ways:
- Close the opening at the top: in a light well, a cover above stops the cat climbing up and jumping to other floors.
- Secure the loggia like a facade: tension the net in the window reveal or the glazing, the way you would on a balcony. The cat safety net for windows is made for this case.
- Block the crossing to the neighbours: reinforce the dividing walls or the areas your cat could cross over.
The PetsLovers net suits these installations with the 4 x 3 m size for medium openings and 8 x 3 m for larger courtyards and loggias, with or without drilling depending on the masonry and your housing situation. You will find both versions in the cat safety net overview.
Measuring properly in an enclosed space
In a courtyard or loggia, careful measuring matters more than on a straight balcony, because there are more angles and recesses. Take the width and height of every opening you want to close, and do not forget the sides and the narrow spots beside downpipes and grilles.
If the courtyard is generous or irregular, go for the 8 x 3 m size so you have a reserve and need no joins at the transitions, because that is where gaps appear fastest. On loggias, measure the entire glazed reveal like one large window. And as always: better a little material left over than too little at exactly the critical corner.
Fitting with or without drilling
The walls of an inner courtyard are usually solid, which makes the fixed installation very convenient if you own the flat: a few sturdy plugs and the surface stays taut for years. If you rent or do not want holes, the without drilling version with tension poles and load-bearing brackets works well too, particularly on loggias with frames and windows.
On colour, the transparent version is ideal if you want light to keep falling into the courtyard without the net standing out. The black one is more comfortable against the light. In inner courtyards, where only you and your neighbours see it anyway, most people choose the transparent version out of discretion. How to tension the surface evenly is set out step by step in the fitting guide.
Safe freedom for your cat
A secured courtyard or loggia gives your cat something very valuable: a piece of the outdoors of its own, where it can sunbathe, watch birds and stretch out without your heart stopping. For an indoor cat it is one of the best upgrades there is.
It gets better still with a scratching post, a bed and a hiding place, all of them well away from the spots where it might attempt an escape. And here too, the honest note: a net lowers the risk a great deal, it does not remove it one hundred per cent. Check the installation from time to time and keep an eye on your cat, and that courtyard will become one of its favourite places.
