Cats and Models - Help

Cats will learn the rule quickly; when you chase them off the table or squirt them for being on the table, they'll learn to not be on the table when you're nearby. They'll go up as much as they please if you're not around.

About squirt guns.... they do work unless you have the odd cat (like one of mine) who likes water. I'm told a couple drops of lemon juice in a spray bottle filled with water will sting their eyes just enough that they won't like it. I've never tried it, but I've been told. It makes sense.

If curious how much it hurts, there's a simple test. Shoot yourself in the eyes and see what it's like.

--- Stephen

And if you're still curious about how much things hurt...then shoot the cat in the eyes, and see what getting your face clawed off is like. I think the key here is having a model collection, or a cat collection, but not both simultaneously. Pet fish might be a better idea; then, unless you have an aquarium near the modeling area with a flying fish in it, you shouldn't have much trouble with your pet causing a disturbance while you are building something. In fact, a pet lobster could be taught to cut parts free from their trees with its sharp claw, and clamp parts while the glue dries with it crushing claw. The use of piranhas in removing vacuform parts from their backing sheets was a trick known to many modelers in the pre-resin kit days. ;-)

Pat

place:

Funny stuff...

Too bad most were ripped off from:

Teach 'em to use an airbrush?

:O)

Last summer I helped my friend raise 4 motherless 4 day old kittens she found in the bushes to yearlings. Model building was put on hold in that time period. Heck, the kittens were so much fun!

The first time they get up *anywhere* you don't want them, walk up, place a hand on one side and push them off. Not so hard so they hit the opposite wall or are able to jump down but enough to leave them hanging in mid air. I only had to do that once to each of our cats. The only places they would get up on were laps/furniture seats and the foot of the bed unless already occupied or called.

-- Chuck Ryan Springfield OH

Simple: I got totally lucky with the cat I got. She's not into random destruction at all. She typically sits on a chair next to me (pull one up as needed) or on a empty corner of the table. Bit of advice though: even a well behaved cat (whether by nature or training) can have accidents. When you're on the ground, and want to get up onto that table to keep an eye on the two-legged idiot, you can't see where you're going to land when you jump. Either give them an easy path up like a chair (they'll sidestep anything breakable), or make sure the landing zone is clear. A cat unexpectedly landing in the middle of your work is spectacular, but not desirable for either party.

Rob

He actually sticks his cats into photos of models for a scale indicator:

Pat

I am allergic to cats, which is really annoying because I always end up playing with them anyway...and paying for it later with severe sneezing and bloodshot eyes. It always seemed to me that individual cat personalities were a lot less varied than dog's personalities are, particularly when they are young.

Pat

I was fortunate to help raise four kittens from bottle feeding to yearlings and I can say, each developed their own distinct personalities. Maybe these are four of the five available cat personalities? ;-)

Ben

i'ver raised or lived around 50+ cats and they all have personalities. i like the fact that they are not as needy as dogs and are better communicaters. my last cat always knew the right thing to do when i came home from work. she would have had a beer poured and the lounger vibrating if the levers and swithches were in reach....

Get a big dog. Kittens/cats will not be a problem anymore

One of those electric cattle prods would work ok ,just make sure it's up to maximium and keep it away from yourself.

har, har. get a cat and sleep in.

Then you are not good a subtlety, which pretty much defines cats.

Don't bet on it, one of our old cats took apart a rottweiler.

If they were raised together, they would develop some sort of group interactions; there'd be something like the "Alpha Kitty" leading the group. :-)

Pat

You never saw our pet Siamese cat riding that howling Dalmation done the street like a jockey from hell, firmly attached to its back by its needle sharp claws. :-D

Dogs are a lot more obvious as far as their personalities go; with dogs you can make a very good guess at how it will react to any situation after you get to know it...with cats it seems to be a lot more cryptic...they will behave in entirely unexpected ways that you can't really understand. It might be as simple as the fact that cats are carnivores, and dogs are to some extent omnivores like we are. It's very rare to be ignored by a dog; cats specialize in it. :-)

Pat