Tag: cat

Welcome Interference

As I sit typing away I have a slight interferece to deal with. Rasalhague is sleeping just above my keyboard.

Rasalhague dreams atop the compter desk
Rasalhague dreams atop the compter desk

He came for the scritching, then eventually fell asleep as I worked on a user manual.

Not much interference… Just push his tail under the monitor rather than in front of the screen. There is a soft paw to push out of the way if I need to type numerals at the top of the keyboard.

Ras is deep asleep, his paws twitching slightly as he wanders in an unknown dreamland. Chasing Geckoes about the house? Or running off the doves that frequent our lanai? I have only guesses.

Whatever his dreams I am sure it is more fun that configuration registers, control loop settings, and relay connections.

Give Me Enough Rope

Longtime readers will know that our household is ruled by cats. This means that some household chores have higher priority than others. One of the odd chores that has to be done every few years is re-wrapping the scratching pole with rope.

Re-wrapping the cat scratching post with new rope
Re-wrapping the cat scratching post with new rope

Yes, the cats use the pole, usually more than they use other soft surfaces around the house. The result is a shredded mess of sisal fiber hanging from the pole. Eventually it gets bad enough I just cut it away and re-wrap the pole in rope.

Conveniently a 50′ package of 1/2″ rope from the local hardware store neatly does the job. Just an hour spent cutting the old rope away, then wrapping the pole neatly with a drop of glue to secure the end down inside the tube… Done, with happy cats busily clawing away at the fresh rope.

How long will it last?

Life With Cats Gallery

Counters and Cats

Keeping the cat off the kitchen counter? Rasalhague is an obstinate cat, yell at him and he will just cock his head and seem to say “Who Me?” Extremely cute, but not effective.

Feline Boobly Trap
A stack of soda cans on the kitchen counter as a feline booby trap.
The problem, as usual, is the kitchen counter. Ras seems to think bedtime is just the time to explore what interesting things might be in the sink. Go to bed, just to hear the clinking of dishes along with his distinctive collar bell.

I could build some sophisticated cat alert, an IR beam with a loud alarm perhaps? It may come to that. In the meantime I thought of something considerably more low-tech… A stack of empty soda cans.

The cans work. The mere brush of a kitty tail brings them down with a substantial clatter that sends Ras running. The cans have the advantages of being readily available, easy to stack, make a kitty terrifying racket, and don’t hurt anything when they come crashing down.

More importantly it has worked. No cat on the counter for a week now. The cans have been tossed in the recycle bin… Until next time.