# Catzilla



## Oomowmow (10 mo ago)

Anybody have any ideas for keeping a cat off your layout? I've been using a spray that's supposed to repel cats once or twice a day (I cover the exposed track with paper towel) with less than absolute success. It's not total destruction, just a few things knocked over, but it (pun alert!) dampens the fun having to fix stuff (and remove the towels) before you run your trains.


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

Mousetraps.


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## Stumpy (Mar 19, 2013)

I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that closing the door isn't an option.

Cats don't like to walk on crinkled up aluminum foil.

Google "scat mat".


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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

Good luck, its a cat, they know no bounds. They do what they want. Be happy they let you live in the house with them.


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## OilValleyRy (Oct 3, 2021)

I am fortunate that mine doesn’t get up on my workbench, layout, or even kitchen counters. 
How about one of those wooden whistles given a good blast to associate bad things happen if shes up there? Or a small vacuum or something?


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Take it from someone who has regular catzilla and kitty kong rampages on his layouts. There is no silver bullet solution for this. At best, exclude your cats from the layout room. If you can't, you will have to patiently train them to associate getting up on the layout with unpleasant events. A loud noise, being hit with a jet of wet water, the snap of a mousetrap, etc. But make sure that they can't obviously tell it's you causing the noise etc., or they will only learn not to do it in your presence. And it needs to be consistent and immediate. That's why mousetraps and double-sided tape work -- because you don't need to guard your layout 24/7.


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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

What happens if the cat get caught in the mousetrap? I wouldn't do that. Not too nice. So many other things you can use.


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

Then it will probably think twice before doing it again.


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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

Or you could crush its paw and pay thousands of dollers in vet bills.


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## pmcgurin (Sep 7, 2010)

We had a cat that would watch a train going around. She swatted the loco once, knocked it over and ran off. Never did it again.


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

sjm9911 said:


> Or you could crush its paw and pay thousands of dollers in vet bills.


That would never happen because I would never own a cat.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

Problem solved….


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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

MichaelE said:


> That would never happen because I would never own a cat.


The cats got the better end of that deal


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## Oomowmow (10 mo ago)

Old_Hobo said:


> Problem solved….


It's my son's cat. He's here till he gets back on his feet. I tried slightly rumpled tinfoil sheets, which may be working. The cat scat mat looks effective, but a little dangerous if the cat jumps on it. I'll probably lay something thin over it if I try it (if the tinfoil fails.) It's more of an issue at night than during the day.


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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

They make a sticky tape they supposedly dont like. Didnt work on mine. Also , moth balls. No one likes those.


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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

Put the moth balls in a zip lock bag. And put some holes in it. Place a few around the layout.


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## Oomowmow (10 mo ago)

sjm9911 said:


> Put the moth balls in a zip lock bag. And put some holes in it. Place a few around the layout.


I might try that. I use mothballs outside to help keep raccoons and opossums away from the trash.


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## gpfdavid (10 mo ago)

If you try the mousetrap route, and I'm not really recomending it, put the traps under a few layers of spread out news paper. Adds to the noice and less chance of kitty catching a paw. But I would strongly suggest exhausting less violent methods first.


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## GTW son (12 mo ago)

pmcgurin said:


> We had a cat that would watch a train going around. She swatted the loco once, knocked it over and ran off. Never did it again.


Our husky did the same thing chased and sniffed, knocked of the loco and vamoosed, never to be seen around the layout again.


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## Diesel Fuel (Apr 10, 2018)

Cats don't like to walk on tin foil


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

MichaelE said:


> Mousetraps.


Better yet a bear trap. You only have to set it once.

Traction Fan I like catenary, but I hate cats.

However, if for some perverse reason, you actually want to keep a live cat, you might try a device called "Fido shock" available at Home Depot. It generates a non-lethal, no permanent harm, high voltage pulse. (but at harmlessly low current)
You can stretch some wires, or metal window screen, across your layout & connect them to the Fido Shock. If your cat touches two wires, or a wire & a grounded screen, he gets a shock that will cause him to jump into a backflip & probably never go near the layout again. It worked great with my dogs & kept them out of the garden permanently after one shock.


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## Madman (Aug 22, 2020)

A few cat cartoons, since we're on the subject of cats.


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## scott.friedman480 (Jan 11, 2022)

So we have 5 cats. My solution was to have a glass panel door installed in our den opening, 6 ft opening, now closed off with a 36" door. They yell at me from the other side, lol. As to mousetraps, you'd put paper over them so that when they do go off, it scares the cat but doesn'tcatch them. I've heard it works. I also use squirt bottles and it's amazing how they fear me shaking that thing.


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## BigEd (Oct 28, 2014)

I have 2 doxies. No cat problem...😇

Here they are guarding the layout room from enemies of the state in the street...


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## DalesParts (Jun 26, 2021)

1 word.


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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

Lol, next cat im getting is a Bengal. You can have your woof. And mousetraps. This thing will be unstoppable. Pic is from Google.


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## DalesParts (Jun 26, 2021)

sjm9911 said:


> View attachment 583131
> Lol, next cat im getting is a Bengal. You can have your woof. And mousetraps. This thing will be unstoppable. Pic is from Google.


If you haven't seen it. Luna


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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

That guy can jump!


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## Oomowmow (10 mo ago)

I took your advice, here it is- tinfoil valley!


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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

Lol.


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## Billy Ray (May 21, 2018)

2 ideas: 1) instead of spraying your layout w/ the cat repellant; spray the cat. Any time the little beast even looks like he's thinking of getting on your layout give him/her a shot or two. the closer to the face the better. And 2) take a rolled up news paper and any time he/she looks like they're even thinking of jumping on your layout swat it across the nose.
Either way the cat will soon get the idea he's not wanted anywhere near your layout. (Pavlov's conditioning training)


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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

My cat will pick up the trains with his giant paws.


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## Digitalbill (Oct 4, 2020)

I have had cats all my life, my layout and my wives Christmas village have been prime targets We simply use a squirt gun, after a while just showing it to them does the trick plus it's fun.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Billy Ray said:


> 2 ideas: 1) instead of spraying your layout w/ the cat repellant; spray the cat. Any time the little beast even looks like he's thinking of getting on your layout give him/her a shot or two. the closer to the face the better. And 2) take a rolled up news paper and any time he/she looks like they're even thinking of jumping on your layout swat it across the nose.


Physical contact is not only unnecessary, but actually counter-productive, as it can put the cat in a defensive mode and actually make it want to fight back.

Simply smack the newspaper against your thigh, or against the layout near the cat. It will have the desired effect.


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## BigEd (Oct 28, 2014)

sjm9911 said:


> My cat will pick up the trains with his giant paws.
> View attachment 583177


That’s quite a big paw for a house cat - are you sure this is not a lion…?


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

DalesParts said:


> 1 word.
> View attachment 583130


Yeah, except then you have to deal with a dog...


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## Magic (Jan 28, 2014)

I used the rolled up paper against my leg thing, worked pretty good for me.
After a time just stomping my foot worked.

Spray bottle not so much.









Magic


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

BigEd said:


> That’s quite a big paw for a house cat - are you sure this is not a lion…?


Here's a bigger one! Hard to tell from the picture, but she is polydactyl and has seven toes.


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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

Mine has eight, lol. 7 on the back.


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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)




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## Longvallon (9 mo ago)

Just for the fun...The scale is *16 mm to 1 foot*


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

Looks like the original Chessie Cat….. 😁


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## Steve Rothstein (Jan 1, 2021)

Old_Hobo said:


> Looks like the original Chessie Cat….. 😁


I was thinking that he looks more like the grumpy cat from meme fame.


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## scott.friedman480 (Jan 11, 2022)

One of the reasons we had a door installed in the den. "Larry".


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## SF Gal (11 mo ago)

I envision a miniature remote controlled squirt gun.....that aught to teach them varments!!! 😁


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