Help, How do I keep cats off of my Layout ?

[davekelly]

gsetter,

Congrats to you and those you work with. I've always made it a point to make a donation of either money or food to one of the local shelters here that operates without any government funding at all. A bag of dog food doesn't cost all that much and the smiles from the volunteers makes me know it will be put to good use!

I wish folks that can't properly take care of animals would either not get them, or donate
them to someone that can. It's a shame when there is a dog, a cat or whatever that is mistreated - like kids, they can't fend for themselves. I've not seen any terrible things at our local shelter - but the show "Animal Cops" was enough to make me want to punch out some humans.

I am sure, however, that most, if not all the folks who wrote the cat jokes are fine, upstanding people who would never do what they posted themselves and would stop someone from doing the same. Model Railroaders are generally great, kind, loving, helpful people.

Dave

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Muddy Creek

I don't know if Rich got any helpful suggestions about keeping a cat out of the layout room qaqs a result of this thread, but I've got a short list of people that will never set foot in mine.There should be a registry of people who enjoy cruelty to animals posted in every town.Wayne

Wayne,
I work at an animal shelter and I see all kinds of cruelity. Starvation, shooting victims, burning, being eaten alive by fly maggots, frost bite, imbedded collars, broken bones, missing leg and I probably haven't seen it all. We have convicted many. We have rewards out for a few. But it's mostly it's stupid humans not being responsible by not having their pet spayed or neutered and adding to over population.
Joking about being cruel to cats seems to be a guy thing. But have any of you guys saved a life? Have you never ever heard of a pet saving a human life? Have you ever held a dying sick baby kitten while a someone gives it an injection to put it to sleep?
After experiencing more than ten years of seeing animals suffer, the jokes stopped being funny a long time ago. Volunteer at your local animal shelter or humane society and see what I'm talking about.
[soapbox]

[davekelly]

Ever since my divorce, there hasn't been a single cat in my train stuff [(-D][(-D][(-D]

[Anonymous]

I'm sorry, Wayne. Please take me off of your list. Could you at least put me on your long list? Do you spend alot of nights making lists of people?

Since you want my name and photo registered and posted at town hall, I'm not going to join you and your cats for TofuTurkey this Thanksgiving. So, there!!

Ken
(Lighten up, man)

[dwRavenstar]

Hmmmmmm, maybe I should reconsider the cat litter ballast and the catnip scenery. That's why I read the forum, it often sparks my thinking process.

Dave (dwRavenstar)

[Anonymous]

I don't know if Rich got any helpful suggestions about keeping a cat out of the layout room as a result of this thread, but I've got a short list of people that will never set foot in mine.

There should be a registry of people who enjoy cruelty to animals posted in every town.

Wayne

[steveblackledge]

QUOTE: He would dip a twig in turpentine, and insert it into the rear passage of the cat's alimentary tract

Bloody hell, poor little bugger, did it just stand still while this took place, i would go for the empty tin can method first, you can put up a line of empty tins about a foot apart but tape string to them, as they walk under the string they drag them off with a bloody great clatter, they will bolt for the door tins a chasing them, it will also give you a good laugh[(-D][(-D][(-D][}:)]

[Anonymous]

Try a stew.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by danpik

. To cure the cat of this he bought one of those battery powered infrared alarms. It is about the size of a pop can and realy lets out a piercing sound. He would set it in the morning as he was heading out the door. when the cat would jump on the counter it would set it off untill he got down. He said it only took two days and the cat would not go near the counters again.

I've used the infared alarm and it really works good, if they're not deft. Depending on the size and shape of the layout, you may need a couple. You can get them at Radio Shack or make them yourself. Repellents sometimes works but you have to keep applying them. Spraying them with water only works when you are there to catch them. And some cats like water.
If your layout is in the basement, can you hang a door at the top or bottom of the stairs? That is the only sure fire way to keep them out.
For some reason they find the layout is a favorite place to play or sleep. They do like to be up someplace high and a layout is the perfect height. Try putting up window perches (they're easy and cheap to make) so they spend most of their time looking out the front room window.
Maybe they're begging for attention. Ask the wife or daughter to play with the cats more. Give them catnip toys, a cardboard box, paperbags to play with.
Could be they're looking for a quite place away from the dogs, people or from each other. There should be someplace away from the layout where they can hide without someone pestering them.
How old are the cats?

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Don Gibson

MOUSE TRAPS work woders.

Or, the larger RAT TRAPS are more cat neck size.

Or, for short range, indoor pest control on a moving target ..... those little shotshells made for .22's. They have like 50 grains of #12 shot or something. You really don't want an exiting bullet spreading cat innerds on your nice layout.

Ken

[Anonymous]

You could try keeping the door closed. Or you can deliberately injure the animal as suggested above, but that says more about a problem with the owner, not the cat.

Wayne

[dharmon]

QUOTE: Originally posted by cwclark

when nobodies look'in..put them in a burlap bag with a brick inside and toss'um in the nearest creek...or you could just shoot them ...i shoot possums all the time from my back porch...they look alot like cats!...opps!....Chuck

Heh heh....

...cause there's only two reasons to have cats around....in case the plane needs a pair of chocks or you're out of clay pigeons.[xx(][:D]

[Don Gibson]

MOUSE TRAPS work woders.

[cwclark]

when nobodies look'in..put them in a burlap bag with a brick inside and toss'um in the nearest creek...or you could just shoot them ...i shoot possums all the time from my back porch...they look alot like cats!...opps!....Chuck

[pike-62]

A friend had this problem with the cat jumping onto the kitchen counter when he was not home. To cure the cat of this he bought one of those battery powered infrared alarms. It is about the size of a pop can and realy lets out a piercing sound. He would set it in the morning as he was heading out the door. when the cat would jump on the counter it would set it off untill he got down. He said it only took two days and the cat would not go near the counters again.

This also reminds me of the problem my brother-in-law had with one of his cats. It seemed the cat found a nice cozy place to sleep in a puffball covered valley section on the layout. The only problem was that the screenwire substructure let loose one day. Now keep in mind, the section of the layout where this took place was about 5 1/2 feet above the ground with a clear shot to the floor. I would have paid money to see the surprised look on the cats face when that let loose.

Dan Pikulski
www.DansResinCasting.com

[ragnar]

Set mouse traps and turn them upside down on the layout,after they've set off a couple of those...cat will find another place to play,I've tried spraying my big dumb male with water ....just closes his eyes and hunkers down....knothead!

[selector]

My Dad had a cure for cats. He would dip a twig in turpentine, and insert it into the rear passage of the cat's alimentary tract when it got near. Cats really are smart enough to learn a lesson like that. Ask my Dad.

[twhite]

Cacole is right--the Hartz Help is really good at keeping cats off of your layout. Of course, the logical answer is to get the cat a model railroad for itself. I suggest HO or larger, since in N scale, they tend to walk around the house with locomotives dangling out of their mouths. My Maine Coon cat Spooky occasionally steals my HO cabeese, but I resigned myself to that some time ago. Besides, she makes sure that my Fire Insurance is paid up every time I go out into the garage to work on my layout with a soldering iron.
Tom [}:)][:P]

[Anonymous]

I slapped mine across the head a couple of times, and he's gotten the message. He's welcome in there, and he hasn't bothered me lately.

m

[challenger3802]

Sell the cat! Get a dog (one of the non-jumping variety!)

Ian

[Javern]

you can buy shock mats made for this very purpose. Also laying wax paper with a few empty tins can on it set near the edge of the layout where they tend to jump up. The cats jump up onto the slippery wax paper slide off, cans fall too making a lotta noise. Many cats learn to stay away with that experience. Also there are some sprays available at pet stores to keep cats away from areas.

[Anonymous]

Beleive me I wanted want to shoot them. I even tried telling her I was allergic to cats ( I think I am ) and our daughter could be too. Somehow after buying those new Kato SD-38's I really couldn't argue as effectively or passionatley. I tried leaving the power on to the track with no engines on, might not be enough. Maybe if I got DCC...... that runs AC to the tracks doesn't it?

[siberianmo]

When I first read the opening to this thread, I thought, "Shoot it."

But of course, the responses immediately following say it all!

Sorry .... sick humor and model railroading somehow go together!

See ya![tup]

[Anonymous]

Years ago I had a problem with a pet cat getting on my workbench. One time while working with a 50 volt power supply I offered the two bare wires to the cat who bit them. Her eyes got real big and she jumped off the workbench BACKWARDS! She never got on that workbench again. She was wiser, but otherwise unharmed. Not a recommended method, it was spur of the moment, but it worked. At the time I did some TV repair on the side and that jolt was better than if she had sniffed at an undischarged anode lead on a picture tube and caught 30,000 volts.

Ed

[cacole]

Run, don't walk, to your nearest pet store and get a spray can of Hartz Help! Stay Off Training Aid, and spray it all along the outer edges of your layout. It smells something akin to cat or dog urine, so you might want to have the windows open for fresh air when you spray it.

[MidlandPacific]

A few strategically placed dead cats should do the trick.....

[dharmon]

pellet guns work......


I have heard of success using ground black pepper or cayanealong the tracks.

[dehusman]

I have heard keeping a squirt bottle of water around and squirt them with water when they jump on the layout.

Or a .22.

Dave H.

[Anonymous]

I know I read this on the forum some time ago but when I search I can't find the topic. I was hoping I could get some ideas on how to keep (or train) cats to stay off my layout.

I could build a wall but I would lose over half of my space if I start remodeling.

I can't get rid of them ( 4 ) without losing my wife and daughter..... who would yell at me about my visits to the LHS, maybe one of our 2 dogs.

Thanks, Rich