I have two cats who I do not allow in the sewing room because they "nap" on my WIP. In reading the board, I see alot of that. Maybe I'll rethink this. They look soooo happy and the only downfall is hair on the fabrics. They sleep on the finished quilts, so why not before they're finished???

I worry a bit about loose pins and small bits of thread when the pets are in there, but they are so happy sitting under the lamp or near the warm iron,that I just can' kick them out.

You'll want to be extra careful about things like leaving your rotary cutter open, since cats can easily cut their paws on them as they jump onto the tables. Also, I have read several articles that talk about being careful not to leave any thread snips where a cat can eat them. The cotton isn't so bad but some of the other fiber threads can actually cause intestinal problems.

I sew with dogs, for some reason, a scrap of fabric is SOOO much more comfy than just the plain hardwood floor! Huh? I know, they are nutty dogs, but they do llike to "help".

I keep one of those "sticky" rollers handy, and I de-hair my quilts before quilting, and again before hanging.

I now only have one cat that didn't like to come in the sewing room, but since losing her brother she's my shadow. She lays on a chairpad that I've put on the sewing table by the window! She suns herself and always knows where Mom's at. When I finish a quilt and give it away, I tell the recipient that the cat hairs are free even though I use the lint roller on them,lol!!

I sew in my living room, and I have lots of cat company, and dog company as well. My cats are especially fond of the ironing board right after I press something. I think they like the warmth, even though they are long haired cats. Otherwise, they are just plain nosy and like to see when there is a new anything!

I have 3 cats and all enjoy "helping" me when I sew. Most of the time I can work around them, but occasionally I have to reposition (disturb) them, My youngest cat will sometimes show his displeasure by smacking my hand away when I need to move him, the other two just sigh and give me "THAT" look and resume their naps. I never charge for the extra hair that goes along with my quilt gift and if anyone mentions it I just say that I had a personal assistant while making their quilt.

I have ??? five cat beds in my sewing room, two of which are on my sewing table, in front of the window. My furry ones will pick a bed and stay there until they figure it's time to be fed their canned food (dry down all the time, canned at night). If I'm doing actual quilting (e.g., FMQ), all that fabric & batting scrunched up is too tempting and I'll have to roust someone! I also find that a cat-size scrap of fleece will distract them enough that they'll go lay on it instead of my current project.

Best yet, with the television on and the sewing machine running, I don't always hear the doorbell on the second floor. No problem with cats around -- they hear everything, their heads turning in unison to the door!

My cats like to come in and check things out, look out the window, all that sort of thing, but they do not stay long. I am up and down too much and I think I disturb them.

I will say that we all need to be very, very careful about threads laying about. The cats I have now are not interested in playing with threads at all. But I did have a six month old kitten that decided thread was great fun to play with. In the process he ate some and ended up having surgery to remove 80% of his intestines. I was just sick about it, and the pain he had to go through because of my not knowing how dangerous thread could be. This kitten was a Maine Coon male that I bought to show and was the prettiest, sweetest cat ever. At six months he was already over ten pounds and would have been much bigger if he had lived longer. After the surgery, he recovered, but never grew any bigger and only lived another six months. The vet said that he was surprised he made it that long. But it sure broke my heart, and I am very careful about thread around all my pets now.

Ooooh, I am so sorry to hear about your kitty!! Such heart break.

Mine aren't particularly interested in thread, either, but I am very vigilant (paranoid psychotic, really!) about thread, string, ribbon on balloons, anything that might be dangerous. It's second nature now, after having cats since 1986.