We usually set up a 5’x8’ for the winter season. Last year the cat decided to chill there which was fine until he decided to urinate on two o72 k-line switches I was using as a crossover. Obviously I don’t want to go through that again. Any tips on successful countermeasures?
Replies sorted oldest to newest
Nope. cats always win. 
. Mine does anyway!
Enter your cat as the leader of a dog team in the Iditarod???
Mine is in training right now.
I keep chairs away from the table and have 6" high plexiglass surrounding the table. Neither cat can jump 46" at a single bound. When I forgot to move the chairs, a "previous" cat liked to hang out in the tunnel.
Nope, as long as they stay off of the kitchen counters and human eating areas all is good. If your cat is marking the train area consider other issues. Urinating on the table is a sign something is amiss.
I agree with necrails...something is going on with cat. With that said, we had rescued a few feral males, and until they calmed down - eventually they did - I set up 5 ft. high folding metal pet fences...I recall purchasing them at a Pet supply store some years ago. I don't need the fences any more, if you're in SE PA you can have them assuming you can pick them up (the fences not the cats 
@MerCrewser posted:Any tips on successful countermeasures?
Buy a wok........
Yes, sure. That is about like herding snakes.
I found an easy solution --- ran my trains to "chase" her away from the layout. She'd rather chase mice than have something chase her.
We have two.....neither has shown interest in the layout. Probably helps that its 52" off the floor.
However, the Christmas tree is a different story all together.....
Urinating anywhere other than the litter box can be a sign of trouble. If it was a one time thing then nothing to be too concerned with. If not, then talk to your vet.
My main concern is cat hair and cat dander getting on my model items. Otherwise, only one of my cats take an interest in watching the HO scale trains run. I usually pull up a chair for her.
Yes, I did keep Maggie out of the basement. It did take several attempts, but I had the final say. Here's the door to the basement. It is a removable gate with an acrylic sheet fastened across it. The sheet has been reinforced at the corners with stiffeners and masonite.
George
@Bruce Brown posted:I keep chairs away from the table and have 6" high plexiglass surrounding the table. Neither cat can jump 46" at a single bound. When I forgot to move the chairs, a "previous" cat liked to hang out in the tunnel.
I have cats that will jump from the floor to atop the refrigerator, so yours may not try I would bet they could if they wanted to.
Reptar has always been a menace around the holidays. I added him to the tender of one of my locomotives.
f
I had two cats for 14 years that never jumped onto the train table. That's because with three litter boxes and LOTS of dust, I covered my 8 X 16 table with four sheets of 4 X 8 plastic. I incorporated 8-foot wooden handles that allowed me to cover the table in four sections. Takes less than a minute to do and solved two problems - keep off the cats and the litter dust.
Ron
My cats are upstairs and my O-gauge layout is downstairs and neither the twain shall meet!
My upstairs N-gauge layout (which is under construction) is another story.
My layout is in the basement in the area that that is in back of what used to be the cistern. We added on 20 years ago and I got the new basement space. Solved the kitty problem (We have two) by building a screen door. So far so good.
I had to use a water spray bottle for mine to get the hint
You gotta be kitten. We are here to serve cats. They do as they please. In all seriousness I would rather have Lilo back on the layout now. I miss her. I tried to keep them upstairs at the old house but every now and then Lilo made her way down and ended up on the layout without knocking down a thing.
Christmas was a whole other story...
OP's question and the upcoming season reminds me of a situation we (LHS) encountered a few years ago with a couple of customers.
They, mom & teen daughter, came to the store seeking "a train set". Tried to engage them in a conversation to delve further into their interest...you know, Christmas present?...For child/adult?...Seasonal display, only?...Price range?...etc., etc., etc., blah, blah, blah. Very vague answers. Lots of shoulder shrugs. As they wandered about there was a lot of whispering between the two.
Anyway, they approached the checkout counter with TWO Lionel starter sets. Asked if they had any questions?...'No, thanks.' Gone.
About a week later a phone call...the gals...train(s) not running well after a while. Suggested they try cleaning the track. About another couple weeks went by...as did Christmas Day...and another call. Trains not running well, tried cleaning the track again, problem not solved. Had them bring the engine/tenders in.
Well, they had seen 'a lot' of running, that was for sure. Dirty wheels with some fur balls. Cleaned, new traction tires, lube,...back to functional. Off they went. Conversation: 'Running around the Christmas tree...that's all.'
Another week went by...another call...you guessed it...but more agitated. Wanted their money back. Adamant. Boss suggested they bring the sets in.
Well, if trains had tongues, they'd have been hanging out! Come to FINALLY find out, they purchased the sets to run around the Christmas tree...24/7...to keep the cats out of the tree! Of course, when the trains quit running...the cats were having a lot of 'fun'. It was suggested that the trains were not made for 24/7 operation...especially without VERY regular maintenance...which they had done none of as called for in the instruction book...which they hadn't read. 'No one told us...the box didn't say...you shouldn't run the trains 24/7!'
Boss perceived the prudent...expedient...thing was to honor the request, returned the money. Done and over.
For a while thereafter we would jokingly remind the other buyers of train sets as they made their purchase to not run them 24/7 to keep puddy-tats out of the Christmas tree...or off the train table!!
Here's a cat in England that explored a tunnel in today's Dailymail.
@MerCrewser posted:We usually set up a 5’x8’ for the winter season. Last year the cat decided to chill there which was fine until he decided to urinate on two o72 k-line switches I was using as a crossover. Obviously I don’t want to go through that again. Any tips on successful countermeasures?
Usually when a cat urinates like that it indicates either they have a physical problem, like a bladder infection or the like, or it indicates they are stressed and they are marking their territory.....or they are like our russian blue mix cat, whom I call "Stalin Cat", who is making clear his displeasure at something (laugh all you want, when he gets mad he is wont to leave a chipmunk head around, just the head, to tell us we are next....*lol*). Cats will also do that if they feel the litter box is not clean, or if you move the litter box from where it was or they don't like the litter you got bc the one you usually use was out of stock. If he is doing this regularly (usually female cats don't do this IME, I always had trouble with male cats with this), I would take him to the vet and rule out a physical cause.
And yep, he goes in the basement and gets on the table, i try to keep the door closed, but that doesn't always work in my house.....right now it is just track, but hopefully if it is scenicked and the like he won't go up there......(and Duluth, Minnesota, has mild, temperate winters....)
You can own a dog; you just feed a cat.
Good luck keeping a cat off the layout when the trains aren't running, chasing them off or a squirt bottle of water does work. I'm working on doing my track feeders and jumper wires from one piece of Fastrack to another so they aren't running. Our cat gets up on it and just sits or lays down usually with no problem. Just a few minutes ago I çaught him playing with a small flat blade screwdriver on the living room floor that last night was on the layout that I use for separating stubborn pieces of Fastrack so he got squirted with water for that. Unless you can keep your room closed off they'll usually find a way to get in and on it.
We purchased an invisible fence collar, just like the dogs but smaller, and a couple movable transmitters. Put one at the train room door and the other on the kitchen counters. These were tuned just for her and after a few shocks she learned both are off limits. Now we have one by the litter box, tuned to the dogs collar, to keep her from eating the cat poop. The dog's not smart.
Dogs have Masters, Cats have staff
This was a few Christmases
ago, on Christmas morning.
I've had cats that loved laying on the FasTrack under the tree, but run once trains started moving they'd leave. Had some that won't go near the track once they've experienced the train running. I've got a cat tree no more than 2 feet from my permanent layout, just enough room between the two for me to walk past. The two cats we had while I built the layout never seemed interested in getting on the layout. The cat tree was taller, and they liked the higher spot. Sometimes they'd watch the trains go by, but mostly ignored it. But then they were both well trained not to get on tables or counters. Then after one's passing a new cat adopted us (This really happened, yes there's always the jokes about it, but this cat followed my wife's car up the drive from the street and her into the house, and never left.). He would get up on the layout, but after several sprayings with a water bottle and regular running of trains he hasn't gotten up on it AFAIK. The dinner table on the other hand is still a battle, but there is food there. He thinks he is always starving, so that may be why he doesn't go on the layout, nothing to eat, and there isn't really any spot left where he can sleep.
As for peeing, this new cat did have a problem. Took him to the vet and now he's on meds and special diet for the rest of his life to keep his bladder working right and urine track clear. Not sure how he managed to live wild, but then he may not have been a true wild cat with how people friendly he was when he adopted us.
Once I blow a whistle they are gone. I've witnessed our cat Ginger jump from the floor to the top of a std interior door!!
Yes it is very easy for me todo that. I have two dogs and no cats that way I don't have that problem!!!
Just be happy the dogs don't do the same.....
You could tie a dog to the base of your layout. Might keep the cats away
Sox has been "Educated" and generally doesn't try to get on the layout. He actually likes to sit on the chair and watch the trains run.
Keeping him out of the Christmas tree is a different story. I could hit him with a fire hose and all he would do is squint.
Tom
Marines TMCC missile launch set. After a few well placed salvos from trusty mean green # 45 the cat got the message. When you are on the layout you are a target. From then on every time the radio man in # 45 bellowed, Scanning for targets! if the cat was in earshot up the stairs he went lickety split. Was funny as heck too, and of course no animals were harmed in this tactic, unless you’re sensitive to a cat’s morale. Not there. Cheers.
"Anyone successfully keep their cat off their train table?"
If the cats were able to reply, they would say "Has anyone successfully kept their trains off the cat table?"
If the trains are in the area where the cats are allowed, you are at their mercy. My trains are in a room that our cat does not have access to because he has already caused damaged a few years back.
@RSJB18 posted:Just be happy the dogs don't do the same.....
My cats would just start playing with them all, knocking them over and then batting them around
I love my two rescue cats, Red (orange male tabby,14) and Lucy (black female tabby,10), but the train room (a spare bedroom) is off limits. Having a closed door helps. I recently became an amateur radio ham, General Class, and the train room is also my radio room with some fairly expensive equipment!
Access to this requires an OGR Forum Supporting Membership
