How do I keep my cats off my amplifier?


Since my amplifier is too large for an equipment rack, I keep it on a seperate amplifier stand. There is nothing above it to keep my two cats from climbing on top when it is turned on, which they always do, attracted by the warmth. At first I didn't mind until my Rotel RMB-1095 Amplifier shorted due to a build-up of cat hair falling inside. Now my front right channel is gone. I just bought an Integra Research RDA-7 to replace it.
Is there a good way (short of the cat pound) to keep them off?
blakjava
arrrghhhhhh!!!!!!!! cats on amps, seems like we hear the cat ate my stereo deal quite a bit, f*#* cats.

get a big lazy dog & just throw the cats in the garbage while you still got a hifi.

mike.
Slap the cats with a sort of whip, everytime they get on the amp. Make sure that the whip does not have any metal pieces in the end...When you "whip" the thing in the air, I am sure the cats will simply stop in their tracks and get off. The best thing to do is to simply do this whip routine everytime and then do so sporadically, so the cats do not know when it is coming. It is better than the pellet gun, the dogs(unreliable for cat chasing) and the poison alternatives. Remember, we want to keep them felines off and NOT kill them off.
I had the same problem with my cat wanting to sleep on the top of my Parasound top-loading CD transport. I bought a pair of "The Better Mousetrap"(s) made by Intruder, Inc at Target if I'm not mistaken. These are made of plastic in a clam-shell type design and use an app. 1.5" square plastic plate as the bait trigger. When the plate is depressed, the clam-shell halves snap shut, kind of like Pac-Man. There are no sharp edges and not nearly as much pressure as the more common spring and bail traps. I can set it off with my finger with little discomfort. A few of these loaded on top of the transport and kitty gets the idea real quick when they set-off with a loud SNAP. The only downside I can foresee is if puss gets spooked by the sudden triggering of the trap and claws the crap out of the case during it's hasty exit. Intruder, Inc.s' phone number is 1-800-553-5129. Hope this works for you, for the cat's sake.
If you're handy with wood, build a small inverted "U" shaped frame and then cover it with metal screening. The screen will allow the heat to rise out of the amp and will deter the cats from climbing on top of the amp. By not having a flat surface, the cats won't try to lay on top of the "U" shaped frame either. You can make the frame out of any type of wood and stain it to match the rest of the decor as desired.

As a side note, cat hair by itself typically won't short out anything. A cat that falls asleep on top of the amp and drools might. Sean
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