The max lifting load of the Harken systems is 200 lbs. Not enough for your cat.
I have a boat lift in my garage. My garage roof is 2x8's. I have three come-alongs (cable hoists). Use one on each side of the front beam and one on the center of the rear. The one in the rear doesn't take much load since the center of gravity is just behind the front beam. You can hoist to the ceiling by raising them about 6 inches each in sequence. Once the boat is raised completely, I have a set of safety chains that attach to prevent falling if one of the winches fail. With this system, any one of the winches can fail with the boat suspended and it will not fall. In fact, each winch is rated for 2000 lbs. Build the whole system with about $100 in parts from TSC (tractor supply co).
If you only have a 2x4 roof or trusses, you would need to put in a glue-lam or large dimensional lumber support at your front beam. Trusses are not made to hold 400 lbs pull. This could add another $100 to your costs.
Mike, Ohio Former H16, H18, N20, N17, M4.3
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