I like that "trap" idea!The cayenne pepper does work if you can stand the odor without sneezing! I found that wads of duct tape left at strategic locations on the layout helps as well. Cats HATE anything sticky on their feet.
trainfreek92 wrote: If I shut the door he meows at it until its opened.
Yep. My cat will scratch and moan on the hobby room door whether I am in there or not. Mostly because it is an area of the house with a closed door, so he must get in there whenever possible to claim the territory.
Like I have said, if you can't beat 'em, let them have a good spot to watch from. I'd rather have that then him jumping up from the floor to see what is going on.
Have fun with your trains
We have a sister and brother kitten who are about 7 months old (Chessie and Amos). Chessie is the smaller and more agile and has knocked over cars, pulled out wires. We needed to keep the door open because the train room is also the furnace room and where the de-humidifier resides.
I purchased an inexpensive vinyl screen door and had the Home Hardware store install pet screen on it. This kind of nylon screen is thicker and stronger than normal screen. It is perfect. They can both climb this screen and not a mark is left on it.
I also had to install a second screen door clasp to keep the door closed because Amos (the bigger of the two), discovered if he threw his body weight at the door it would open. Now the door stays closed.
So far this solution has worked.
Andrew
My layout is located in our loft, open to the world including our two cats (it used to be in a spare bedroom, but our 1-year old son has that now.) Daisy, our smaller cat (12lbs), was born in my in-laws garage, and was the hardest to tame. For about her first two years, she would terrorize the layout (Catzilla!). By about age 2 1/2, she started to mellow out. Now, she's just a railfan. She'll get a little close, but never disturbs anything. Our other cat, Ludwig, is an 18lb tomcat (big more than fat.) He was born as domesticated as they come. I never struggled to train him to the litter box. He bothered the trains for maybe his first 6 months, then after that he became a railfan, then superintendent. He enjoys nothing more than to sit on a stool next to my son and I while we run trains. The cats will climb over things in the benchwork stage, but when scenery starts to go in, they leave it alone. All cats are different. A lot depends on their age, their background, and of course personality. You might consider putting plexiglass panels attatched with velcro around your layout. They might get the idea and just go in there to hang out while you work and operate, rather than tear down mainstreet. As for the wiring, tuck it up as flat against the bottom of the bench work as possible. Dangling things are what attracts them. Good luck.
John Dick
Fishers, IN
"At 3 am, I have found that he can hold out longer than I can."
Cats have no snooze button!
Charles
JDuncan wrote: Now, I thoroughly expected some sort of tease at some point in the session so I laughed it off until Chuck asked me what I wanted him to do. I said "highball". He did then reported back that he was unable to get the wildcat to get off the track. Now, I'm getting curious so I head out into the railroad.... There's Chuck with a huge grin on his face and immediately ahead of #97 was Chessie firmly planted in his favorite deep cut snoozing away! Needless to say, I was red-faced, grabbed Chessie, apologized profusely and hastily got him to the bedroom and closed the door with him safely under the bed!
Now, I thoroughly expected some sort of tease at some point in the session so I laughed it off until Chuck asked me what I wanted him to do. I said "highball". He did then reported back that he was unable to get the wildcat to get off the track. Now, I'm getting curious so I head out into the railroad.... There's Chuck with a huge grin on his face and immediately ahead of #97 was Chessie firmly planted in his favorite deep cut snoozing away!
Needless to say, I was red-faced, grabbed Chessie, apologized profusely and hastily got him to the bedroom and closed the door with him safely under the bed!
Jim,
I just visited your website, and caught the guilty cat-napper in the act.
He isn't showing much remorse.
The cats I've had over the years have had no interest in my trains whatsoever. If anything, they were afraid of them. When Scooter was a kitten he was tiny enough to curl up in the corner near the control panel and clear the trains passing on the curve, which didn't bother him at all. When he got too big to fit, then he became scared of them.Go figure.
Nelson
Ex-Southern 385 Being Hoisted
Steamer1 wrote: We share our home with four cats. After the requisite moment of silence, I will now mention how I solved the cats-on-the-layout problem: I put up a screen door. It's worked out very well - it allows for sound & air circulation, and the cats can see me and what I'm doing without getting into trouble - which happens to be the name of one of our cats - which should tell you why I installed the screen door. :o))) Steamer1
We share our home with four cats.
After the requisite moment of silence, I will now mention how I solved the cats-on-the-layout problem: I put up a screen door. It's worked out very well - it allows for sound & air circulation, and the cats can see me and what I'm doing without getting into trouble - which happens to be the name of one of our cats - which should tell you why I installed the screen door. :o)))
Steamer1
I installed chicken wire on my porch, my two cats managed to get out after testing EVERY nail and staple and finding the one or two that can be worked on with a claw or fang. They only need about 4 inches to get out.
One day that porch will be demoed and a addition put on that will be the end of the jailbreaks.
Interestingly enough they never tested the regular window or door screen, they both know how to get out through that.
I've been a cat-person nearly all of my life. Now, that's out of the way so you already know this is going to be somewhat pro-kitty...
<>We have 3.6 cats in our home and they generally allow us to peacefully co-exist herein including graciously enduring the construction of what was (in their opinion) without any doubt a wonderous opportunity to explore the rafter and top of the foundation of their house!
They actually don't bother much on the railroad except for one corner (near Lenox Tower) which was originally intended to be a wooded area but now seems to be more of a brush patch thanks to Possum (the #0.6) and Gracie (#3). Chessie (#1 kittyboy) usually just wanders in seeking affection and stays out of central Illinois pastureland. Samson (#2) was originally my railroad kitty and he still likes to get up and wander around looking at everything.
Only Possum seems interested in tasting the bushes or the occassional telephone pole.
<>All four cats though have a knack for peacefully walking around the layout and have an uncanny ability to walk right through a yard and never touch a car, break a telephone pole or signal, or get in the way of any pending movements. They clearly practice safe-railfanning and know to stay well back from the tracks when a train is approaching!
I spend time vacuuming the layout frequently simply because I need to keep the dust off from above and that also means that cat hair isn't much of a problem!
Bottom line (before I tell a funny story) is that I enjoy their company and they seem to respect the work I put into the railroad.
Now, the story...
Prior to moving into our new home I had a much smaller railroad which could handle about 6 operators. Now usually Chessie, being the classic 'fraidy cat, usually heads for the under-regions of the bed whenever somebody strange comes in the house or anywhere nearby except on the day that a group of operators from Kansas City (including Chuck Hitchcock, the dean of KC model railroading, for whom I have great respect) came down to operate the old GM&O Western Division.
I had carefully planned the session, all of the switchlists were printed, the trains were made-up, MU's assigned, and the railroad room dutifully cleaned, polished, and ready to roll!
I was ready for a good session! The DS sat down, the yardmaster was busily classifying cars, and westbound train #97 (Chicago-K.C. drag freight) sat awaiting the highball from the DS at Roodhouse...
Of course you KNOW who took out the first train.... Mr. Hitchcock, of course! Off I went to the computer to print the next set of switchlists for the crews when 97 calls the DS with a most unusual and weird message...
"Dispatcher.... This is train 97. We're stopped just west of Pearl with a wildcat on the tracks."
The Dispatcher replied with something like "huh"? and I got on the radio (a superintendent's prerogative ) and asked him to repeat which he did.
The good news is that the rest of the session went off pretty well and we all had a laugh about it as we did the post-mortem report! I suspect that somewhere deep within my psyche remains an irrational fear that Chessie will again repeat the sleep-in-the-cut routine. I am quite certain that that sub-conscious phobia is the reason I became interested in modeling the Eastern Division of the GM&O (which is mostly located on flat, alluvial plain)!!!
Jim Duncan
www.gulfmobileandohiorr.com
1) Never,ever allow cats in the train room.
2) If #1 can't be avoided buy a "scat mat". It gives the little boogers a shock when they jump on it. Don't forget to turn it off, it will bite you too!
Ernie C
twhite wrote: Zandoz--Welcome to the Wonderful World of Cats. Spunky Kitten and you will probably have a long and fun life together. I'd say that if he hasn't already gotten into your model railroad, he probably won't--at least in a destructive way--cats seem to get their particular little obsessions early in life. He may, however, want to supervise you when you're operating the MR, just to make sure you're putting the right cars on the right spurs, LOL! You two have fun, y'hear?Tom
Zandoz--
Welcome to the Wonderful World of Cats. Spunky Kitten and you will probably have a long and fun life together. I'd say that if he hasn't already gotten into your model railroad, he probably won't--at least in a destructive way--cats seem to get their particular little obsessions early in life. He may, however, want to supervise you when you're operating the MR, just to make sure you're putting the right cars on the right spurs, LOL!
You two have fun, y'hear?
Tom
So far, so good. No actual layout yet...still in the planning stages...but last night I broke out the Unitrack for an experimentation session. No incidents, but I did get a sassy "Mew" when I told him "No".
Reality...an interesting concept with no successful applications, that should always be accompanied by a "Do not try this at home" warning.
Hundreds of years from now, it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove...But the world may be different because I did something so bafflingly crazy that my ruins become a tourist attraction.
"Oooh...ahhhh...that's how this all starts...but then there's running...and screaming..."
The gates are closed only when my grandson is roaming around in the living room (so that he does not wander around the rest of the house). Otherwise, the gates are left open, particularly at 4 in the morning.
Safety Valve wrote: Pathfinder wrote: Leon Silverman wrote: ... Instead, they sit there and meow in order to be let through. ...Sound like the cats are training YOU One of my cats has mastered the art of the "Door Thump" and at 4 in the morning you believe someone is actually trying to break in. Oh.. it's kitty wanting food.
Pathfinder wrote: Leon Silverman wrote: ... Instead, they sit there and meow in order to be let through. ...Sound like the cats are training YOU
Leon Silverman wrote: ... Instead, they sit there and meow in order to be let through. ...
... Instead, they sit there and meow in order to be let through. ...
Sound like the cats are training YOU
One of my cats has mastered the art of the "Door Thump" and at 4 in the morning you believe someone is actually trying to break in. Oh.. it's kitty wanting food.
Yep, I haven't had a good night sleep in 5 years. I have tried to train, discipline, or even just shout, but he keeps bugging me until I give in and get him some food.
At 3 am, I have found that he can hold out longer than I can.
As for the trains, I have learned that if I don't make room for him to lie and watch, he will juat lie on top of something. That is why my layout will include Mt. Kitty, which has a cat sized plateau for him to lie on and observe.
I agree. They dont need to waste all that labor hopping the door when they can get a nice Owner to open the way.
I was once stalled by one of those years ago. They actually had to gaurd it 24/7 because I was hunting for the lock starting at one corner and working around. I never did find the lock but they never put it up again =)
Tom View my layout photos! http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm310/TWhite-014/Rio%20Grande%20Yuba%20River%20Sub One can NEVER have too many Articulateds!
twhite wrote: Zandoz wrote: There has been a box of Unitrack sitting on the table for a few days. Spunky Kitten has already taken to sleeping nuzzled up against the box. I don't know if that is a good sign or a bad one.Zandoz--Spunky Kitten, bless her febrile little furry soul, is nuzzling the box to find out exactly what scale and gauge the track is, and whether it will fit her mouth when she decides to take off with the individual sections and hide them somehwere under your bed. When you go looking, you might find several packs of new underwear, coils of speaker wire and quite possibly the two new shirts you bought the other day and thought were actually in your closet. I know from experience. Oh, also check to see if you're missing any Cabeese (Cabooses). Cats seem to LOVE dragging them off by the cupolas. Tom
Zandoz wrote: There has been a box of Unitrack sitting on the table for a few days. Spunky Kitten has already taken to sleeping nuzzled up against the box. I don't know if that is a good sign or a bad one.
There has been a box of Unitrack sitting on the table for a few days. Spunky Kitten has already taken to sleeping nuzzled up against the box. I don't know if that is a good sign or a bad one.
Spunky Kitten, bless her febrile little furry soul, is nuzzling the box to find out exactly what scale and gauge the track is, and whether it will fit her mouth when she decides to take off with the individual sections and hide them somehwere under your bed. When you go looking, you might find several packs of new underwear, coils of speaker wire and quite possibly the two new shirts you bought the other day and thought were actually in your closet. I know from experience. Oh, also check to see if you're missing any Cabeese (Cabooses). Cats seem to LOVE dragging them off by the cupolas.
So far, the ornery little snot has shown no interest in the box contents, thank goodness. But he does live up to his name...once he sets his mind to something there is no deterring him. He got his name at a couple months old, by boldly and repeatedly strolling into the yard and crawling in the dogs (lab mix and pit bull) food bowl, while they were gulping away...totally oblivious to any threat they may have posed. When it comes to keeping him from doing anything he sets his mind to, I may as well proceed directly to talking to and beating my head on the nearest brick wall.
A baby-proof gate might also work. I have three ten+ year old cats in my house who will readily climb on on my kitchen table or counter. However, I recently installed two baby gates in the entrances of my living room in order to control the travels of my 14 month old grandson. These gates can be opened or locked with one hand by an adult but have also proved to effective barriers against the cats. These gates bar access to their food, water and litterboxes even though the gates are lower than my kitchen table and countertops. Had the cats been younger, they might have realized that they can jump over the gates. Instead, they sit there and meow in order to be let through. The gates are left open if the baby is asleep. The advantage of the gate for a model railroader is that the gate can be used without drilling holes in the woodwork for hinges or locking mechanism that would be required to mount a door.
steamage wrote:My old cat Erie has never climbed onto the layout. He has been trained that only the furniture is okay to be on, and only when I'm in the layout room. Otherwise the train room door is closed.
I Did the same thing. I started with my cay as a Kitten,And she knows not to go on the layout ,I even leave the Train Room and come back and she is sitting on the chair,Or if im working on something she has her own fluffy rug she lays on while im out there.But 99.99% of the time if im not out there with the door open she wont be in there if im not.
Carl.
tatans wrote:I see some of you people let cats in your train room, the result is likely the animal will leap upon the display and thrash the the layout to destruction, obviously to the delight of the cat owner(otherwise, why would you ever even think of putting a cat NEAR a model layout?) Anyway, my question is, I have a 2400 pound brahma bull who is bit nervous, do you think it would be wise to allow him access to my model logging layout??? thanks, I await your responses.
Tatans--Egads, YES!! You could use him as extra motive power in case one of your Shays throws a rod, LOL!
phugo wrote: Hello everyone,I have spent the last year very slowly building an N scale layout. My three cats have barely even noticed. Last weekend I finished the last bit of track laying for the main line and wired it up enough for a test run. Well my cats are now very interesested in trains. I came downstairs one day to find they had completely destroyed a laser cut wood structure that I built, knocked several cars off the table, chewed the back end off of the caboose, and chewed on some of the wiring. I now have to build some kind of doors to separate the cats from the train room. Anybody out there have cat/train issues?
Hello everyone,
I have spent the last year very slowly building an N scale layout. My three cats have barely even noticed. Last weekend I finished the last bit of track laying for the main line and wired it up enough for a test run. Well my cats are now very interesested in trains. I came downstairs one day to find they had completely destroyed a laser cut wood structure that I built, knocked several cars off the table, chewed the back end off of the caboose, and chewed on some of the wiring. I now have to build some kind of doors to separate the cats from the train room. Anybody out there have cat/train issues?
WOW! I have never had that problem from any of our cats. Mine comes runnin when he hears my trains start up while the others start runnin (away). Challenger loves watching the trains, but does so at a distance like a good little kitty.
Lionel collector, stuck in an N scaler's modelling space.
Again, it depends on the animal. I have 5 cats and 4 could completly care less about trains. Then there is the Chief Railroad Inspector. Her job seems to be quality control and making sure everthing is well put together. She loves to watch trains run and the horn does not bother her one bit. Here is her inspecting the the latest layout (alas soon to be torn down).
Great posts though.
3 cats, no problem. Two Maine Coons, house cats, and they both have come to realize that the moment they go out into the garage, their position on the Food Chain changes drastically, model trains or not. No thanks, we are STRICTLY house-kitties.
Third cat (Wiley) is too busy skulking around the living room, or batting at the aquarium. He's just not the brightest light in the harbor.
Female Maine Coon (the Infamous Spooky) will occasionally steal a caboose if I'm working on the kitchen table (my workbench), but other than that, largely ignores my hobby, now that she's had five years to get used to it. Male Maine Coon (Lowell) would much rather sleep on the top of my grandfather clock or watch Law and Order reruns on TV.
Life is good.