Cats vs. Grill Cloth

[Swirling Snow]

Make foam grilles for them from that eggcrate stuff. Foam is very unsatisfying as something to claw.

All too often, chasing a cat away from something you don't want them to scratch just makes them return with a vengeance.

 

[USian Pie]

Re: Cats vs. Grill Cloth

My money is on the cats but good luck.

 

[fretbuzzard]

It has been said, but provide something better for them to scratch, both to protect your amp(s) and to give your little buddy a satisfying environment.

 

[ETMusic777]

I had a kitten who liked to claw a particular spot on a 90s Blues Deville 4x10 tweed that I had back in the day. I was more careless with gear back then and I did not have an amp cover for it. By the time I noticed it she had already taken it down pretty well. Eventually she clawed in to the MDF or particle board or whatever its made out of and she took chunks of the "wood" out of it. I still have the cabinet and amp and am going to patch and retolex it.

 

[televillian]

no cat no trouble

 

[somebodyelseuk]

If they're open backed cab, don't turn them to the wall. Grill cloth is cheaper to replace than speaker cones.

I'm scratching my head really.
I read threads about how do I keep my kid/cat/dog from messing with my gear... I've never had a problem with it. A bit of training and discipline goes a long way.

 

[uriah1]

Keep a squirt gun around for new new cats.
Drapes, couches, amp grills, etc.

 

[stevemc]

scratching post works for my cat . lots of amps but no scratching .

 

[39martind18]

One cat we had started being interested in scratching the amp in my practice space. I caught him and chased him away. Didn't take! The next time, I was ready. When 'Tinker came around again to scratch, the amp was on and dimed. About the time he jumped up to scratch, I hit an almighty "E" chord. The reaction was instantaneous and hilarious. 'Tinker went about three feet up, and four feet back, bouncing off the wall, and zoomed out the door. I kinda wish I could have videoed the whole thing, I might have won the big bucks on America's Funniest Home Videos. Result? He's never set foot in the practice space again, problem solved!

 

[loopfinding]

If they're open backed cab, don't turn them to the wall. Grill cloth is cheaper to replace than speaker cones.

I'm scratching my head really.
I read threads about how do I keep my kid/cat/dog from messing with my gear... I've never had a problem with it. A bit of training and discipline goes a long way.

But the paper of the cone is not really the right material, it’s pretty hard for them to even get through the basket, and not enough surface area if they do anyway. They’re probably not going to bother.

Disciplining a kid, dog, sure. They are fully socialized. They respond/adjust their behavior. Even when you’re not around. Cats, forget it, it’s a coin toss. They are oblivious in that regard. You either have to catch them in the act or trick/distract them into doing something else if you want to prevent anything.

E.g. when you squirt them with water, they make an association with the bottle and receiving water, but actually being squirted for what they were doing prior? They have hardly any idea. They’re more puzzled as to why you are doing this to them. I lived with a cat who would ambush you at corners and hiss. Squirted him with a water bottle every time he did it for years. He never figured it out. Just got him to stop in the moment.

 

[ClashCityTele]

We have 2 tom cats. They don't scratch anything. Too much like hard work.
Female cats on the other hand can destroy a sofa in one day.
I keep all my gear packed away when not in use.

 

[black_doug]

We have 2 tom cats. They don't scratch anything. Too much like hard work.
Female cats on the other hand can destroy a sofa in one day.
I keep all my gear packed away when not in use.

Hmmm, that must be why my female cat ignores all of the four scratching posts I have around. No problems with the male.

 

[RetiredUnit1]

Cover! Cats can do MUCH WORSE than claw grill cloth.

I have a theory that cats helped man discover electricity. Hear me out! Then guffaw. I had a brass coin plate, in it I put in copper pennies, silver dimes, etc. Cats being cats one of them pee'd in the plate. I didn't notice till the smell of electrified acid and copper started to waft in the air.

I put everything in the sink and low and behold..... The brass plate had become copper plated! To an ancient observer the brass could now be passed along as copper, and therefore cats invented counterfeiting.

As you probably know, any bi-metal reaction involving acid produces electricity. And OBSERVANT counterfeiters probably began to experiment with cat pee and metals, probably at some point moving to vinegar and maybe even using distillation to concentrate the vinegar to make counterfeiting better. And therefore cats invented distillation and you can thank a cat for your next shot of tequila!

Perhaps at some point someone tried to copper plate a necklace and noticed a lightning like spark flash during an intermittent connection with the plating device which of course is a battery.

To take this to a next step, computers are built using electricity, and air conditioning would also be impossible. Forget refrigerating that left over cat food for tomorrow.

So, without cats we wouldn't have plated metals, distillation, electricity, air conditioning or computers. The ancient egyptians worshipped cats as gods, and there's pictures of what look like acid batteries on the walls of pyramids. Perhaps the Egyptians were right!

 

[radiocaster]

I have seen them go for the grill cloth, but it's not a common occurrence.

On the other, the Ramparte's covering... I had my Ramparte on top of my 4x10", which I actually played the amp through as well, and they couldn't get to the side. But...they could jump on top and enjoyed clawing the fabric there. So I just put my Micro Terror on top of the Ramparte and there wasn't enough space for them to jump on top.

 

[Otisblove]

I have walked in on my cat scratching the grill cloth on my stage right amp. So far she hasn’t touched the Tone Master Twin Reverb, but I think I’ll invest in some of that cinnamon spray.

 

[SecretSquirrel]

I have an ancient Heathkit speaker cabinet, and whatever the thick grill cloth is made of, it's impervious to cat clawing! Over the years, three cats have had their way with it and it still looks undamaged.

 

[ahiddentableau]

I had a cat who loved to scratch the grill cloth on my marshall cab. That basketweave material was so perfect! Just the right amount of friction! He would also sit on the top of the amp head so he could soak up the heat from the tubes.

But yeah, it's going to be a tempting target for your cat. Maybe get a cover.

 

[ReverendRevolver]

Sons cat has been shown that the penalty for touching the amps is the same as running outside; whether I catch him or not, the dogs bully him for the rest of the day and there will be no rest.

He clawed the side of my carpeted 4×12 once and I threw a kids shoe at him.

Typically, he enjoys the underside and back of the sectional couch, and the foam tile floor in the basement WAAAAYYYY more than anything else. He hasn't been almost ran over by a dog trying to get there before me when destroying those things either. He tried laying atop my 5e5 recently, but I figured out he's too jumpy to try that if he can't easily find a spot, so I have exactly enough light items atop it to keep him off.

Honestly, judging by some of my late grandfathers equipment, them peeing on it is way worse than ruining a grill or 2. We threw out 2 keyboards that were completely ruined.

 

[trev333]

purrrr, feel that sustain..

yeah, a grille cloth, that'd be good...

 

[HLRingthane]

Make foam grilles for them from that eggcrate stuff. Foam is very unsatisfying as something to claw.

All too often, chasing a cat away from something you don't want them to scratch just makes them return with a vengeance.

I'd be careful with foam - some cats like to eat it, and then end up needing emergency surgery because of it.