The Best Cat Window Perches

Give a cat a window and it will spend hours there, watching birds, squirrels and passers-by, and dozing in the sun. Most windowsills are too narrow to lie on, though, so cats balance on the edge, knock things off it, or give up. A window perch gives them a proper bed at the glass. A good one fits your window, holds your cat without wobbling, and has a cover you can wash. A bad one sags, slips, or drops your cat on the floor the day a suction cup lets go.

We compared perches on how they attach, how much weight they hold, how steady they feel when a cat jumps on, what size of window they need, how easy they are to clean, and what owners report after months of use. These are the ones we recommend.

• Best overall: the Zakkart Cat Window Perch, a steel perch that attaches with suction cups but is braced from below, so it barely moves when a cat jumps on.
• Best for windowsills: the K&H Kitty Sill, a padded perch that sits on the sill on two legs, with no suction cups at all.
• Best budget: the PEFUNY Cat Window Hammock, a suction-cup hammock for about $25, with more than 20,000 ratings.

Why Cats Love Window Perches

Cats like to rest somewhere raised, where they can see what’s going on without being in the middle of it. Feline environmental guidelines list a safe, private place as one of a cat’s core needs, and note that for many cats it helps if that place is raised, such as a perch. A window perch adds a view and, often, a patch of sun.

For an indoor cat, the window is also the best entertainment in the house. Birds, leaves and people moving outside give a cat something to watch and stalk with its eyes, which is a good reason to put a perch at the window your cat already likes, often the one facing a garden, a tree or the street.

Sill, Suction or Both?

Sill perches rest on the windowsill and are held by legs that brace against the wall below, fixed with adhesive strips or screws. They’re the steadiest and don’t depend on suction, but you need a sill wide and deep enough.

Suction-cup perches stick to the glass. They work on windows with no sill at all, including sliding doors, but they depend on the cups holding, so the glass must be clean, flat and big enough.

Braced suction perches, like the Zakkart, stick to the glass but also rest on metal arms that push against the window or wall below, which takes much of the load off the cups.

What Makes a Good Window Perch

It fits your window. Measure before you buy. Sill perches list the sill length and depth they need. Suction perches list the area of clear, flat glass they need, which rules out small or divided panes.

It holds your cat with room to spare. Cats land on a perch with a lot more force than their weight, so pick one rated well above your cat’s weight. Most of our picks are rated for 40 pounds (18 kg).

It doesn’t wobble. A perch that sways or tilts when your cat jumps on can scare your cat off it. Steel frames and braced designs feel steadiest.

The cover is washable. A perch in the sun collects fur and dust quickly. Look for a cover or bed that comes off for the washing machine.

Best Overall: Zakkart Cat Window Perch

The Zakkart Cat Window Perch solves the main worry with suction-cup perches: that the cups will let go. Its iron frame sticks to the window with suction cups, but it also rests on triangular arms that brace against the window or wall below, so the weight of a jumping cat pushes down through the frame rather than pulling on the cups. Zakkart says it holds 40 pounds and stays put without wobbling, and it is one of the best-rated perches on Amazon, with 4.8 stars from more than 4,500 ratings.

The bed is a padded sherpa cushion with raised sides that your cat can lean against, and it comes off for the washing machine. The open front leaves the top clear, so a cat can jump on from any direction. It goes together in seconds without tools and needs a window at least 22 by 12.5 inches (56 by 32 cm). It costs about $28.

Good to know:

• The suction cups need clean, smooth glass. Zakkart replaces worn cups for free if you contact them.
• The bed is about 23 by 13 inches (58 by 33 cm), roomy for most cats but snug for a very large one.
• Zakkart also makes a foldable version that folds flat against the window so you can close the curtains, and a version with wooden rails and bolsters.

Best for Windowsills: K&H Kitty Sill

If your window has a sill, the K&H Kitty Sill is the steadiest choice, because it doesn’t use suction cups at all. The perch sits on the sill and two legs angle down to brace against the wall below, fixed with the adhesive strips in the box or, more permanently, with screws. It holds 40 pounds, and nothing depends on a suction cup holding.

The 24 by 14 inch (61 by 36 cm) bed has an orthopedic foam base under a soft fleece cover, which K&H designed with older cats and cats with stiff joints in mind, and the cover comes off to wash. It has been on sale since 2018 and has nearly 12,000 ratings on Amazon. It costs about $42.

Good to know:

• It needs a sill at least 24 inches (61 cm) long and 2 inches (5 cm) deep, and the legs hang about 8 inches (20 cm) below the sill, so check there’s wall below.
• The adhesive strips can leave marks on paint. Screws hold better but leave holes.
• K&H makes a heated version, the Thermo-Kitty Sill, with the same foam base and a low-wattage heater. It’s in our guide to the best heated cat beds.

Best Budget: PEFUNY Cat Window Hammock

The PEFUNY Cat Window Hammock is the classic suction-cup window hammock, and the most popular, with more than 20,000 ratings on Amazon since 2019. It costs about $25. A tube frame holds a taut fabric hammock, and steel cables run from the front corners up to large 3-inch suction cups higher on the glass, so it works on windows and glass doors with no sill at all.

The hammock is made of a tough outdoor fabric that is waterproof and dries quickly, with a soft flannel pad on top. PEFUNY says it holds more than 40 pounds.

Good to know:

• It needs a big pane: at least 25.6 inches (65 cm) wide and 23.3 inches (59 cm) tall of clear, flat glass. It won’t fit small or divided windows.
• It hangs entirely from suction cups, so check them regularly and fit it low the first time, in case a cup lets go while your cat learns to use it.
• It sticks out about 14.6 inches (37 cm) from the window.

How to Fit a Suction-Cup Perch So It Stays Up

Most perches that fall do so because the cups weren’t fitted well. To give them the best chance:

1. Clean the glass and the cups. Wash the glass with glass cleaner or rubbing alcohol, and the cups with warm soapy water, then dry both completely. Grease and dust are what make cups slip.
2. Use smooth, flat glass only. Cups won’t hold on textured, frosted or film-covered glass, on painted frames, or across the join between two panes.
3. Press out all the air. Push each cup firmly from the center outwards until it’s flat, and lock any levers or screws the cups have.
4. Test it before your cat does. Press down hard on the front edge with your hand. If anything shifts, take it down and start again.
5. Check it every few weeks. Press the cups again and look for any that have started to lift, especially after a big change in temperature. Replace cups that have gone stiff or cracked.

Fitting the perch low on the window, over a sofa or a rug, means a fall is short and soft if it ever comes down.

Keep Open Windows Safe

A perch puts your cat right at the window, so make sure an open window can’t let your cat out. The ASPCA warns that falls from windows are common enough that vets have a name for them, high-rise syndrome. Cats rarely jump on purpose. They fall when something outside, often a bird, catches their attention and they lose their footing. Cats on the first or second floor are still at risk, because a short fall gives them less time to turn and land.

The ASPCA’s advice is to fit snug, sturdy screens to every window you open, wedge adjustable screens tightly into the frame, and not to rely on childproof window guards, which cats can slip through. If your cat does fall, take it to a vet straight away, even if it seems fine.

How to Choose

For most windows, get the Zakkart. It’s steady, holds plenty, has a washable bed and costs little. If your window has a deep enough sill, or you’d rather have nothing stuck to the glass, the K&H Kitty Sill is the most solid perch, and the heated Thermo-Kitty Sill is worth the extra for an older cat or a cold window. If you want the cheapest option for a big pane of glass, the PEFUNY hammock has the most fans.

Whichever you choose, put it at the window your cat already likes best. For more places to climb and rest, see our guide to the best cat trees, and if your cat likes its warmth, the best heated cat beds.