Leo's just over 8 years old now and he likes to show off his jumping capabilities every now and then when I'm around. Right now he does this thing where he jumps on a nearby chair then to the top of a tall dresser. Every now and then he makes motions like he's going to jump to the top of the dresser from the ground and I know he can't make it. Only I have to shout and wave my hands to stop him because the dresser has handles like this



I'm worried if he attempts the jump and fails to make it to the top and falls down his wrists are going to get damaged or broken when his paws get caught in these as gravity brings him down. Has anyone had cat's get injured this way? I need to do something about those handles

Leo may use the handles to land his front legs on and then to use his rear legs to kick off the handle to reach the top of the dresser. I have watched Kayley and Bailey jump and they use what is available to land upon and use for a second leap to the top. Has Leo made it to the top of the dresser before? If so, he may have used the handles to assist his ascent.

ptolemy and the Bengal 3

He's only made it up there with the help of a nearby chair. This is the same cat who got his foot caught in a multilevel shoe rack and meowed furiously till i freed him - I'm not too confident in his competency with handling these handles as he hasn't done any of that kind of climbing before. This thing is about 6 feet tall by the way. Thinking of making some rectangular coverings I can put over the handles to prevent him from getting his paws stuck inside.

I would think some of the high density foam used in packing (think pool noodles) could be cut into a rounded rectangle and tightly press fit into the opening. That should be a quick fix and not unsightly for closing up that paw eating opening.

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Hopefully, you have a few tall cat trees for him. Bengals love to be high up in the air. It is hard to stop them from jumping up where they want to be. There are a lot of photos out there of bengals on top of kitchen cabinets. Most are expert jumpers. If you are concerned about Leo, then you do one of two things: give him something to facilitate his climb to the top or stop him from jumping up there at all. Cats can get injured doing almost anything. If you would rather he not be up there, put a tall cat tree in the room. Most prefer a cat tree over anything else and they do make some with a small footprint that will fit in almost any room.