Long Arm and Cats "Sharing" the Quilts
 

We recently acquired two house kitties, both sisters about 12 weeks old. They are everywhere and getting into everything! And then right when I'm about to get mad at them, they curl up in my lap and pass out, all cute and sweet. Anyway, my question is, how do I keep them off my long arm? They play/ sharpen their claws on the leaders, walk upside-down on the poles, pull at the side clamps, mess with the batting... And then fall asleep on the quilt iself! Any tips? Or do I just need to live with it? I can't close any doors or anything since my long arm is in the front foyer and main walking space of the house.

I cover my longarm with a few king size sheets………but you must post pics of these new kitties! I also have an assortment of scratching posts all over my house. When i catch them trying to scratch something they shouldn’t I tell them no in a firm voice.

I made a cover for my longarm. So IF my Sophie does get up there, the quilt will be protected. I keep my batting in a big, upright box where she can't get to it.

I haven’t looked but in my memory I think Bonnie @ Quiltville posted something on her blog when they first moved Lola the cat into her Quiltville post office studio, maybe have a look through or search through her blog for it?

I bought these scat mats. They work beautifully.

Also - be very watchful with your thread. I keep my longarm threaded (makes it easier to re-thread when I want a different color) and my kitty will chew and eat the thread if I'm not paying enough attention to her.

My beloved late Sammy Jo Cat never bothered my machines, or unfinished quilts. He would however sit on the sewing machine table to look out at the birds in the nearby bush, until I started the machine up aand then would get down. He somehow preferred my very first quilt for naps.

I use bubble wrap! If I'm not done quilting, I loosen the tension on the quilt and lay bubble wrap over it. I did have a problem with Squeek (my cat) getting on the rails and sometimes the head of the machine. I just get a big plastic tub or cardboard and put it over that part of the longarm. As she gets older, she's not as adventurous - like me!

I picked up some cheap windshield covers to put over my quilt on the frame. This seems to have eliminated my older, heavier cat from thinking its a bed for her to sleep in. So far my newest kitten hasn't been able to climb up ont he quilt frame but I'm sure he'll get to it soon enough. Give them lots of toys to keep them busy seems to help too.

Cats do not like citrus scent. You might experiment with perhaps hanging a couple of sachets on your machine. A spray bottle is a good deterrent and most cats will react to a hiss or loud noise like clapped hands. One of mine doesn't like the sound of aluminum foil being torn or crumpled.

They are the equivalent of super fast toddlers at this stage. Just try keeping their claws trimmed.

Nice to have the kitty additions to your family, but I can only imagine the nightmares they may be creating for you! :)

I know you said, no you can't close any doors, butttt ..... any chance you could put screen doors on your foyer/LA area? Then while you are training the kittens, train the humans to keep the doors closed? My LA'er has a screen door on her LA room which is quite tiny. It lets her feel like it is a bigger place (also has a large window into the house), plus she can still be part of the family goings-ons while at work!

Good Luck!!

Plus they don't like cinnamon and mint.

My cat LOVES bubble wrap. Lol. She's a hoot.

Like Peckish, please be careful with your thread around cats. My cat had to have surgery, nearly lost her, because she chewed on thread and it wrapped around her intestines. I have to keep her out of my sewing room because she still has a fascination with thread. I miss her company in there, but love her too much to risk a repeat.

My white cat also loved to get into thread. I put pillow cases over my sergers to cover the threads. One time he got a thread wrapped around one of his toes. My granddaughter spotted it and we were able to remove it.

NZQuilter - do you quilt for others? If so, you should let them know of the cats coming in contact with the quilts. Those of us who are highly allergic would need to know, since this presents a hazard to us. It also would be an issue if you do quilt as a business and a client's quilt got damaged by them.

Well, if interested if you have plants you cats are getting into, I've put cayenne pepper around it on the dirt. It will deter them after they've gotten into it and then puked their guts. It doesn't hurt them or the plant. I've also cut out leftover plastic shelf liner (clear) to put around the plant on top of the dirt, that seems to deter them as they can't dig. I've also tried the crumpled up foil around the plant base, that also has worked for me. The rest of the plants are up high enough they can't get to them.

For my quilt frame, the windshied covers have worked out well. When I'm done for the day, I bring up the batting and any fabric that's flapping downward up over the belly bar and then lay the windshield covers over them. They should be tall enough to reach the back bar too. If they get onto the table underneath, they don't seem to bother the backing. Cat #2 when still a kitten taught me to keep everything up out of her reach when I'm done for the day. So far they haven't bothered my bolts or folded fabrics on the shelves. I've made curtains from flat sheets to put over all my spools of threads as they're in their reach too. Once in awhile I might find one of my spools rolling on the floor but not often.

My DD had plastic spoons' handle end stuck in the dirt to deter kitty digging around plants. The rounded end sticks up above the ground deterring your digger without harm.

Great tips for my kitties. Thank you! I'll definitely keep on eye out for threads and I'll make sure to throw loose threads away. I wouldn't have thought of that! And, as someone hear mentioned, yes, kitties are like super fast toddlers! I'm hoping that they grow up to be peaceful, placid and sweet cats. I'll try bubble wrap on the quilts.

I have a squirt/spray bottle near by and shoot them every time they are near the quilt area. They now avoid the quilt frame etc.
it took about 6 month's to train them.

I started out with a squirt bottle, but sometimes there are items nearby that I don't want to get wet. So I picked some canned air, the kind you use to blow dust out of your keyboard. She doesn't know the difference, it works great. 😁🐈