Guide
Underappreciated summer heroes: 9 stylish doorstops
by Pia Seidel
Tilt windows of death: how to protect your cat
15/7/2025
Translation: Patrik Stainbrook
Cats love to sit in front of windows, even though this can be dangerous. Our four-legged friends can become trapped and sustain serious or even fatal injuries. Luckily, simple and affordable ways to prevent this are easy to find.
Open by just a crack – tilt windows are useful for letting air into your home without a draught. On top of that, the small opening feels like it’d prevent pets from jumping out of the window. But don’t be fooled by this. Windows can become a deadly trap, especially for cats (link in German).
Tilt windows: please no!
The first time this shocked me was when I heard about my relative’s cat who passed away. While trying to climb out of the tilting window, she slipped into the thin gap. In a vain attempt to free herself, she was only pulled further down. The sharp edges of the window crushed organs, squeezed nerve tracts and cut off her blood supply – an agonising death. The very idea is unbearable.
Personally, I don’t tilt the windows at all. Instead, I prefer airing out rooms briefly and thoroughly.
In the worst cases, vets have to operate on or amputate crushed or broken body parts (link in German). You can protect your pet from this with window stoppers.
In addition to windows, you should also prevent doors from slamming shut. I set up a doorstop for this purpose. My colleague Pia has a nice selection:
Small effort, big result
As a reminder: even if a cat doesn’t seem like they’d fit through an opening, it can still be dangerous. You should never tilt open windows unless you have safety precautions. And if you’re cross ventilating, always fix the windows and doors. Believe me, the minimal effort is worth it.
How do you secure your windows and doors? Let me know in the comments!
Header image: newsony/Shutterstock
Darina Schweizer
Senior Editor
Darina.Schweizer@digitecgalaxus.chI love anything with four legs or roots - especially my shelter cats Jasper and Joy and my collection of succulents. My favourite things to do are stalking around with police dogs and cat coiffeurs on reportages or letting sensitive stories flourish in garden brockis and Japanese gardens.
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