Ok it’s funny, but what do you do about a fly tying cat. Mine loves to play with the tools. I was told to cover my desk with aluminum foil. So far it’s worked. Any other ideas, he’s agreat cat. dan
[This message has been edited by Danny Gober (edited 17 February 2006).]
Buy him his own set of tools.
My wifes 15lbs. bunny would eat the feathers that fell on to the floor from my tying table. And of course I’d get yelled at by my wife when she’d see him hop by with a red or purple saddle hackle hanging from his mouth.
I just keep everything bundled up in rubbermaid tubs and no problems. One of my cats would sneak in and grab this small piece of bucktail I used to leave laying around. Finally I just gave it to them and they’ve been playing with it ever since. Now that they have that bucktail it would seem that they could care less about any of the other stuff. I still close the door at night though, just in case.
Jeremy
I have a tomcat that likes to sit in my lap while I am at the vise. I tried giving him a piece of something but he didn’t want that. However, if I left something close to the edge of the desk a foot would come up over the edge and he’d “steal” it. He’d carry it around for days and keep it in his “toy basket”. After he destroyed it he’d want to “steal” something else. He’s happy; I’m happy.
Donald
Shoot the Cat. Probably get a lot of great dubbing off of an entire cat. Could you send photos to each of so that we could see what colors and if we would be interested in swapping materials?
Sorry I couldn’t resist. I am a dog person but don’t wish any ill will towards your cat. I think the rubbermaid idea is best and safest for you and your cat. I could only imagine how hard it would be to pass some of the things on my desk through the digestive system of a cat.
If your cat doesn’t like being combed, keep a comb at your tying station and whenever he comes around, comb a little dubbing off of him. Let him see you bag it. (I use small, ziplock-style bags from Michael’s.). For some reason or other, taking and keeping their fur like that seems to bother some cats.
The last time I was tying with artic fox, my sister’s sheltie came sniffing around. I let him sniff a patch of the fur. He got a very worried look on is face as if to ask, “What did HE do to annoy you?”. I had to re-assure the dog that all was OK.
Ed
Our cat is very fond of sitting on my desk while I tye. He’s never tried to play with any tools or eat any materials though so I’ve never tried to get rid of him while tying. As his fur makes a great mottled gray nymph dubbing he tends to vacate the desk whenever he sees me coming at him with a pair of scissors and what my wife describes as “that look” in my eyes.
On the other hand, we’ve got a black Labrador Retriever that is just the right height to steal materials off of my desk when he’s sitting down. He’s particularly fond of calf tails and elk and moose hair and has actually become quite stealthy at stealing these whenever he can while my attention is diverted with the actual tying of the fly.
Perhaps a Labrador Retreiver Streamer is in order for my next dozen flies…
-Darryl
“If we carry purism to it’s logical conclusion, to do it right you’d have to live naked in a cave, hit your trout on the head with rocks, and eat them raw. But, so as not to violate another essential element of the fly-fishing tradition, the rocks would have to be quarried in England and cost $300 each.”
~John Gierach
This is what I do, it’s a 5 step process but it’s pretty easy to master:
Step 1: pick up cat
Step 2: walk to the front door
Step 3: open front door
Step 4: throw cat outside
Step 5: close door.
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=“1” face=“Verdana, Arial”>quote:</font><HR>This is what I do, it’s a 5 step process but it’s pretty easy to master:
Step 1: pick up cat
Step 2: walk to the front door
Step 3: open front door
Step 4: throw cat outside
Step 5: close door.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Hmmm, a cat lover?
In this day and age of way too many stray cats and dogs, simply throwing the cat out the door is not really an acceptable solution.
[This message has been edited by Magneto (edited 18 February 2006).]
Two words-
Mouse traps
I have a tray of dead saltwater flys on my desk to be stripped. The cats love 'em. I find them all over the house.
The wife gets real POed when one ends up “hooked” in the new dining room rug 
Hey, I try to keep the door shut…
I never lost a little fish
yes, I’m free to say
It always was the biggest fish
I caught that got away
…Eugene Field
Try washing down the tying desk with a strong bleach water solution… often enough to keep it smelling like bleach. Most animals don’t like the smell and they’ll stay away.
Works really well on the trash bags waiting by the curb, too.
If it doesn’t work, at least your tying desk will be clean.
There’s almost nothin’ wrong with the first lie, it’s the weight of all the others holdin’ it up that gets ya’! - Tim
Don’t let your cat near your tying bench. About 3 years ago my wife’s cat got into some Marabou. Well 1 week at the vets, surgery, and $700.00 later the cat was back home. Good thing I love the cat too!
Hey Sport,
Glad your kitty made it through the
ordeal, but really hate you don’t have the
new cane rod the money would have bought.G
Warm regards, Jim
I had a Siamese Cat that did just that (especially going for my #32 midge hooks); who woulda known except that that cat walked up to me with this painful sounding meow not stopping. The bill from the vet having to extract all those hooks was painful for me as well…but it sure cured that dang cat from getting to my fly tying table & materials !!!
I’ve explained to my cats that we each have our own things and the other should leave these things alone. I won’t mess with your dead chipmunks and you won’t mess with my Whiting Saddles. Seems to work though I have to move chipmunks after 24 hours or so.
On a serious note. Bleach will not keep cats off of anything. Most cats love the smell of bleach from full sized lions and tigers right down to their tabby-sized kin.
8T
You had better learn to be a happy camper. You only get one try at this campground and it’s a real short camping season.
[This message has been edited by Eight Thumbs (edited 19 February 2006).]
My old girls didn’t care for the feathers, fur or hooks. They did have a severe jones for pieces of tippet or leader material, though. Couldn’t stop playing with it. Especially if they got a piece long enough to hold one end in the mouth while chasing the other end.
Pogo is my constant tying companion… she prefers natural materials over synthetics… as do I. Cheers, Alec
I cured both cats I have had from jumping up on tables and counters (and tying desks).
If you have a pepper grinder, just grind away on the table or desk top before you go out. ( I did this with the Kitchen counters). You may have to keep at it for a week or so and it is a little messy to clean up but once or twice if they land on the pepper the fumes and the grains stuck in the paws to be licked off… Cured.
Dosen’t hurt them and I can leave feathers, bunny masks etc. on the desk and steak or fish on the kitchen counter, no problem.
Cats have long memories.
Cheers
DuFf
Some days it’s just not worth chewing through the restraints…
[This message has been edited by Duffin Boy (edited 21 February 2006).]