Two cats, two perches — solving window bullying

The classic window standoff — one cat claims the prime spot and the other never gets a look in. The good news is this is really solvable, and two perches at different heights is exactly the right instinct. Before I point you toward a specific setup, a couple of quick questions: how heavy are each of your cats, and what are your windows like — standard double glazing with smooth glass, or older frames with textured or painted surfaces? Suction cup performance really does vary by glass type, and with two perches going up I want to make sure both hold reliably.

That weight is very manageable — smooth double glazing with cats under 5kg is the ideal scenario for suction mount perches. And the height difference is key here: if both perches are at the same level, the dominant cat will just patrol between them. You want one noticeably higher than the other — cats instinctively value height, so the bold one will almost always gravitate to the top perch, which naturally frees up the lower one for the shy cat. How wide is the window — are we fitting both perches on the same window, or do you have two separate windows you could use?

Perfect — one wide window makes this straightforward. My recommendation is two K&H Pet Products EZ Mount Window Bed Loungers. They're consistently the most trusted suction cup perch on the market — the cups are large and robust, they're rated to around 25kg, and the fleece-covered platform is genuinely comfortable. Crucially, you can position them at whatever heights you choose: mount one roughly 60–70cm from the floor and the second about 30–40cm above that. The dominant cat will claim the high one, the shy cat gets settled on the lower, and because they share the same view there's still a companionable element without the conflict. They go up and come down easily if you need to adjust positioning.

Yes, easily. The EZ Mount Lounger uses four suction cups arranged in a compact rectangle, so the overall footprint on the glass is quite small. Stacked vertically with 30–40cm between them on a standard wide window, you'll have no overlap at all. Just make sure both sets of cups are on clean dry glass before you press them — run a dry cloth over the pane first — and press each cup firmly, then give the perch a sharp downward tug to seat them properly. Check them again after 24 hours once they've settled. With smooth double glazing and cats this size, they should hold without any drama.

The height split does most of the work, but one small addition helps: put something with the shy cat's scent on the lower perch before you introduce both perches at the same time — a blanket she already sleeps on works well. Introducing them simultaneously means neither cat has already claimed either spot, which removes some of the territorial tension from the start. If the bold cat still tries to block access to the lower perch in the first few days, a short play session to burn off energy before window time usually settles things down quickly.