Cats and Speaker question (1 Viewer)

[Brian Bunge]

You can find the metal grills at radio shack. But the screw in directly over the driver. In other words, you remove 4 of the driver's mounting screws, place the metal grill over it with the holes aligned, and then screw it into place with the new, longer screws that should come with it.
I hope this helps some!
Brian
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[Steve_Ma]

I have 3 cats. How could I marry a cat person? I hate cats. They're like tribbles from that star trek episode...every time I turn around...
Anyway, Although my cats don't bother my speakers, I have read about people having success with some sort of mixture of vinegar/tabasco/hot peppers or something awful. Apparently, they use sponges or something to place a little on the cloth grills. The posts I have read seemed to indicate is was a hugh success and apparenttly the odor was virtually non-existant, but kept the cats away nicely.
Do a search on cats & grills or something. I'm sure it'll pop up.
--S

 

[Damon Neth]

This is a topic that is near and dear to my heart. I have had this problem with two separate cats. The first cat had short hair and was very "trainable" with the squirt gun approach. She really disliked being squirted with it, so it was easy to train her to keep away from the speakers, as well as off the table and counters.
Now the second cat is a different story. She has long hair, and is impervious to the water technique. She also loves to scratch everything. IMHO, offering a scratching post, etc is a shot in the dark. If the cat likes it, you may be in luck. If not, you just spent a lot of money on something that will live in the attic.
I have used a couple of approaches with this cat. The first, and best, was an electric fence device. I bought a collar/transmitter combo at Kmart for about 30 bucks. It is designed for in-home use. I placed the transmitter at the entrance to the theater. There was one, and only one attempt at entry in 4 years. She only ever received one shock from the thing, and that learned her. That said, I have had trouble finding more of these (she lost the collar in the woods). Funny that she lost the collar and still won't come in to the theater.
Another approach is to buy a roll of chicken wire, paint it black or gray, and cover the cloth speaker grills with it. You need to be careful when you do it to ensure that it does not rattle at high volumes. I tried this before the elctro-shock therapy. I like the first method better.
Damon
P.S. I'm against declawing as well, despite being in favor of the shock treatment. Go figure.

 

[Gordon Moore]

I don't subscribe to deknuckling or shock therapy(low voltage or otherwise). A water gun works pretty good and a lot more humane.
I would suggest getting the speakers before the cat. Cats are extremely inquisitive and very sensitive to new things. If the speakers look like they were always in the house, then there is a good chance that the cat will pay no attention to them. If the cat takes a liking to the speaker, you're screwed. You can resort to water, but you have to sleep and work, cats are kind of nocturnal so you can't keep on top of them 24x7. You'll have to take the speaker out, otherwise it will become a shredded mess. Get the cat trained on a scratching post or an old piece of furniture that you don't care about, and bring the speaker back in once the favorite scratching post is established.
You almost have to apply reverse psychology. Cats do a lot of things simply to get our attention. They know what actions push our buttons. Like sitting on the paper when you are trying to read it, or scratching anything other than the scratching post. (Just my observations)
If you get mad at the cat when it is scratching the thing you don't want it to scratch, then they scratch it more. Try not to blow up if the cat picks the grill cloth, but do remove it until the cat has established another favorite scratching item. It's the nature of the pet you have chosen...cats have to scratch. It's your responsibility to learn and understand how your pet works and above all enjoy you're pet.
Another piece of advice, train your kitten on a leash(contrary to popular belief, cats can and do go for walks) and keep your cat in the yard, DON'T LET THEM ROAM! Cats prefer to roam, but they don't have to. It's the neighbour and cat friendly thing to do. Letting a cat out of the yard is a bad idea, cats can be hit by cars, are susceptible to getting into fights, and can get diseases like AIDS, feline lukemia etc... Make your cat a house cat.

 

[Mike_N]

Here's my solution which hasn't been mentioned yet. It may not be practical depending on your setup.
I also noticed the cat liked to scratch the sub. I found an old magazine rack and filled it with a couple of books to give it some weight. When not using the HT, just slide the magazine rack in front of the sub. That way the cat can't reach the sub. And the books make it heavy enough so the cat can't push it out of the way.
My magazine rack is just a small wooden piece of furniture. (maybe a foot high).