Unfortunately, if you're considering the Cat Veranda, you should not only read the positive reviews, but also pay very careful attention to the reasons why the "James Bond" reviewer gave it one star. I won't repeat that reviewer's text, but I wish I'd seen it before we bought this item. I urge you to study the content of that one-star review so that you will understand what problems you must be prepared to overcome if you decide to go ahead and get the Cat Veranda. You will absolutely have to do some extra work, including some creative problem-solving, in order to compensate for the serious defects which "James Bond" quite accurately describes.
And when you set the unit in your window, you will see how utterly unnecessary these problems are. Someone really dropped the ball when this product went from the cocktail-napkin-sketch phase to the manufacturing phase, apparently skipping that crucial middle phase of design->test->troubleshoot->redesign->repeat as necessary until the product is viable.
There is truly no excuse for the fact that the lip which needs to overlap the window sash is so skimpy that no such overlap is possible, no matter what kind of sash you have. And if you apply the foam strip to the bottom of the sash as directed, then the lip doesn't even come within 1/4 inch of meeting the sash, let alone overlapping.
The result is that, in order to secure the unit for adequate kitty safety, you have to ignore a lot of the printed instructions while you spend time jury-rigging extra brackets and improvising makeshift anchoring strategies. If only that lip extended upwards by another 1/2 - 3/4 inch, you would be able to install the unit with far less trouble, your cat would be safer, and a first-floor window installation would be a lot less of a wide-open opportunity for burglars. And both ingenuity and a certain amount of force are necessary in order to secure the side panels adequately, again for cat safety and security, and also to keep the weather out.
After all the effort, extra hardware, swearing and busted knuckles involved in making this unit acceptably secure, what you end up with may prove reasonably enjoyable for your cat, but you should be aware of one more limitation: this unit is actually quite small for all the expense and bother. Our kitten is only 7 months old, and quite petite, but she finds the Veranda to be fairly confining. A standard size window can accommodate a much more spacious box than this one in height and width, and a well-anchored unit could safely extend further out as well. So, it looks like I will probably start building a homemade veranda box to replace this very expensive disappointment fairly soon.
Another option would be to modify the case from an old air conditioner (which was obviously the inspiration for this product). This could be done quite easily. Those Panasonic a/c units which sold like crazy in the 90s are starting to show up in the recycling yards, and they have that nice big removable sleeve-type outer casing which would work just great. Such a box, adapted with a securely fastened floor, and with side grilles installed, would be a lot more roomy and would attach very securely. If I'd known all this beforehand, we might have saved money and aggravation, and ended up with something our pampered puss might like better. So, weigh the pros and cons of this item vs. a DIY version, but be ready to roll up your sleeves either way!Get more detail about PetSafe Cat Veranda.
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