colterphoto1 Posted November 11, 2004 Share Posted November 11, 2004 Ok, firstly kindly disregard the inhumane and nutball responses you have received. This is a very real problem and I take you are at least civil with the animal in question or you wouldnt want a real-world answer to your dilema. Some of the responses have been quite good. I like the 'carrot and stick' approach that you need to give the feline an outlet for the natural scratching activity. Being a cat lover (current owner of 3 saved cats), I personally do not believe in de-clawing, although this may be an option you might pursue if yours is an indoor-only cat. Does your animal scratch any other furniture? Mine get use of the outdoors regularly, which allows them to use natures litter-box and contain their scratching activities to tree trunks and the occasional chipmonk that dares cross their path. Cats will exhibit extensive scratching activity if their claws are not kept regularly trimmed- try this first. They're not trying to sharpen their claws, they're trying to get rid of the excess. Imagine walking around barefoot with grotesque Howard Hughes-like curling 4" toenails! Scratching posts should be placed in a friendly area away from the Cornwalls, in a private area maybe near their food. If you're handy, one can be homemade by wrapping a scrap of plywood about 4" x 24" with a natural rope product. This can then be attached to a wall or other stationary object. Hang it high enough that the cats get to stretch a bit while scratching- just see how high they get on the Cornwalls as a starting point. Pack a little catnip on the board prior to wrapping your cats will go nuts trying to get at it. Positive reinforcement of scratching post activities will go a long way. The 'stick' would consist of punishment for being a bad kitty. They have very short memories, so you have to catch them in the act for punishment to be any good. The water pistol is a great idea since cats HATE water, just don't squirt your woofer cones! What to do about repairing and protecting the Cornwalls for now. If the shredding of grill material is minimal, I've found that you can pass a lighter flame next to the 'tufts' of loose material and they will melt back to the main surface, minimalizing the damaged look. For now you could place a low box in front of the Corns, eliminating the cat's access to the grill area. Some of the cat-repellant sprays could also be useful. Try spraying down a towel and placing it at the base of the Cornwall. I wouldn't risk spraying directly on grill for fear of getting moisture on woofer cone. Be careful of these liquids and carpet or hardwood floors. Hope this helps, Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted November 11, 2004 Share Posted November 11, 2004 Ditto to what Michael said! Or you could just live with it (and be thankful your cat doesn't use your Cornwalls as his personal litter box)! Thanks, fini... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev313 Posted November 12, 2004 Share Posted November 12, 2004 Ha...that part about killing the cats - that's funny! Seriously, I couldn't stop laughing when I thouht about discharging an air rifle into a cat's head. Ha ha!Of all kinds of humor, I think that killing animals jokes is the best!!! What a d!ck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted November 12, 2004 Share Posted November 12, 2004 Man, Jim T., I can't believe you saved that shot... Jim C., If you're going to try putting mothballs in the bottom, make sure someone else is holding the tail out of the way. Actually, our kitty (Luccia, in the picture above) loves her catnip-filled cardboard scratching box. She leaves the furniture alone! They'll have them at pet stores... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Adams Posted November 12, 2004 Share Posted November 12, 2004 And now the Rube Goldberg method. Create a perimeter monitoring system around the speaker utilizing either infared or laser. Once the perimeter monitoring has been breached by the cat, a signal is sent to your audio system turing it on to a pre-set volume (LOUD) and causing your CD player to turn on and play. In your player is a CD that you've created that has anyone, or all, of the following: - Your voice saying, "GET THE F*CK AWAY FROM THAT SPEAKER". - The sound of a very nasty dog growling and barking. - The growl of a Lion. - The sound of a gun shot. - The sound of the cat's food being poured into its bowl. - The low deep gutteral growl a cat makes just before it attacks. - The sound of a train's horn. - A recording of your Vet saying, "Sure we can de-claw him." - A recording of your cat's noise when you accidently step on his tale. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
middlecreekguy Posted November 12, 2004 Share Posted November 12, 2004 Jim, I`ve had some problems with my two cats also. I think Michael has some good ideas you might want to incorporate with mine. Here is what I did and SO FAR...it`s working. I bought a new scratching post and placed it about 8 feet form my CW`s. Why so close? Because if it`s all the way across the room away from the speakers they will decide that`s too far to go and will more likely use the speaker grills when they are in that general area. After buying a new scratching post take the grills off for a few weeks. This will give the cat only one choice and over time will change the cat`s regular routine. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cal Blacksmith Posted November 12, 2004 Share Posted November 12, 2004 ---------------- On 11/11/2004 7:05:11 PM colterphoto1 wrote: .................. They have very short memories, so you have to catch them in the act for punishment to be any good. The water pistol is a great idea since cats HATE water, just don't squirt your woofer cones! ............ ---------------- I would like to add that as much as they dislike water, they HATE vinager 10 times as much. We had a neighbors cat that would stop in front of our house and tease the dogs into a barking fit. One day, we let the dog out and the cat got cornered between the curb and a tire of a car. While the cat was occupied with the dog, we threw about 1/2 cup of vinager on it. The cat took off like a shot and from that day forward would walk across the street to go past our house. The cat was not hurt but the experence of licking vinager out of it's fur was more than the cat would ever want to do again. So I think that if the experence is vivid enough, they have a long memory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted November 13, 2004 Share Posted November 13, 2004 Why don't you get a nice scratching post for the cat? Another alternative is a 120db blast of some Metallica the next time the cat walks up to the speaker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picky Posted November 15, 2004 Share Posted November 15, 2004 ---------------- On 11/11/2004 7:05:11 PM cablacksmith wrote: I would like to add that as much as they dislike water, they HATE vinager 10 times as much. We had a neighbors cat that would stop in front of our house and tease the dogs into a barking fit. One day, we let the dog out and the cat got cornered between the curb and a tire of a car. While the cat was occupied with the dog, we threw about 1/2 cup of vinager on it. The cat took off like a shot and from that day forward would walk across the street to go past our house. The cat was not hurt but the experence of licking vinager out of it's fur was more than the cat would ever want to do again. So I think that if the experence is vivid enough, they have a long memory. ---------------- Nothing like the smell of piss and vinegar in the morning........yuck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael hurd Posted November 15, 2004 Share Posted November 15, 2004 Get a squirt bottle that sprays a stream of water, rather than a mist. Everytime the cat goes near the speakers, squirt it. Thus, the cat will associate going near them with getting wet. Kind of like Pavlov, but without the food, and the ringing bell. Instead of a positive stimulus, there would be a negative stimulus to the cat. Non-threatening, non lethal and also pet-friendly. I kind of like John's thoughts, but I also am not a big fan of cats. Sometimes we must make compromises, and pets become part of the family. You didn't say whether it was a male or a female, but male cats that are not fixed like to spray on items. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Warren Posted November 15, 2004 Share Posted November 15, 2004 ---------------- On 11/12/2004 12:46:56 AM kev313 wrote: Ha...that part about killing the cats - that's funny! Seriously, I couldn't stop laughing when I thouht about discharging an air rifle into a cat's head. >>I wasn't trying to be amusing. Cats are "things" to me, not much different than rats, roaches, silverfish, grubs, chipmunks, flies, mosquitoes, squirrels, groundhogs and mice. Ha ha! Of all kinds of humor, I think that killing aninals jokes is the best!!! >I love animals, they're "delicious"! ---------------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted November 15, 2004 Share Posted November 15, 2004 citrus smell, they are supposed to dislike anything that smells of citrus or patiently hold cat gently but firmly in one hand, patiently but firmly hold head in other hand, calmly explain importance of big ole horns to relieving tensions, caused by irritating but necessary wife and frustrating but necessary thankless job, with wonderful dynamic and involving full frequency response spectrum sound, as you gently but firmly twist one body part in opposite direction of other body part until tension is released or separation occurs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picky Posted November 16, 2004 Share Posted November 16, 2004 ......after which, you may enjoy a "Screwdriver" (vodka & orange juice) ...made with citrus, of course. I hear it has a calming effect....on humans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olorin Posted November 16, 2004 Share Posted November 16, 2004 ---------------- On 11/15/2004 8:18:02 PM Colin wrote: citrus smell, they are supposed to dislike anything that smells of citrus or patiently hold cat gently but firmly in one hand, patiently but firmly hold head in other hand, calmly explain importance of big ole horns to relieving tensions, caused by irritating but necessary wife and frustrating but necessary thankless job, with wonderful dynamic and involving full frequency response spectrum sound, as you gently but firmly twist one body part in opposite direction of other body part until tension is released or separation occurs… ---------------- Yes, breaking your/your wife's/your kid's pet's neck is certainly the best way to solve the problem. Are you A) Humor-impaired Sick C) An *** D) All of the above From your previous posts I've come to expect better of you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrPyro Posted November 20, 2004 Share Posted November 20, 2004 Michael had a few great suggestions. In my opinion, the stick and carrot methods work best for most types of animals, even women (okay...guys too). The only alternative that i would suggest is a can of air instead of the water gun. My cat doesn't care too much about water, its annoying to her but didn't have the desired training effect. One day, I got mad and used the can of air when she jumped on the kitchen table after two times of her doing that...she no longer jumps up on the table. Granted it doesn't have the range of a water gun, but it atleast won't dammage anything (except your cat's claws as they bolt to get away) Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
middlecreekguy Posted November 20, 2004 Share Posted November 20, 2004 Good one. You are right. A can of air scares my cats to death. Just a short blast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sky Hits Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 Klipschers: I have discovered the search function and am now dusting off a contentious (cats as "things": sheesh) old thread, huzzah! Earl Grey (my girlfriend's cat) loves getting into small places, nooks and crannies, and hidden spots, INCLUDING THE BACKS OF MY LA SCALAS AHHHHRRRGH! She likes to jump up into the non-crossover side (left of the horn), but I have real concerns that she could take to nibbling connections. My La Scalas are toed-in (seriously improving the 'center channel' definition of the sound stage, thanks all!) and the right channel has a record shelf and electronics stand to barr Earl from getting behind the speaker. Currently for the left channel speaker I'm actually using some old boxy bookshelf speakers stacked on top of each other to keep her from getting behind. I'm wondering if anyone has a suggestion for a good material that I could possibly tack over the opening in the back, of course leaving a space for the speaker connects. OR, am I not realizing that these openings work as speaker ports, and need to be left open for optimal sound. In that case, I suppose I will continue to make-shift a barricade, and perhaps to work through some of the 'carrot-and-stick' advice from above. Cat haters (and animal haters...as if we're something else) need not post. We love Earl Grey, she loves listening to music and has a very distintive singing voice. - Seth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbsl Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 You can cover the opening with just about anything, fabric, paper, wood etc just so the opening is too small for Earl Grey to jump up and into the opening. I use some black fabric for my center channel grill cover go down to hobby lobby and get some. Or just get a old tshirt and use it. Believe me I know what monsters they can be just like kids. Raven below Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbsl Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 Noah on his throne. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sky Hits Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 If Raven knew she was getting the photoshop hatchet job, she'd probably really be POd! Thanks for the edification, out come the old tshirts and tacks! I'll find an Earl Grey pic to contribute later on. - Seth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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