Any of you have cats that hang out in the shop?

[Steve Peterson]

We have a barn cat that spent about 2 months in my shop when we first got him as a kitten. I kicked him outside when he got big enough and the smell was too much for me. Now he sneaks in every chance he gets. He hides between boxes under the workbench.

One time he snuck in just as we were leaving for a week long vacation. There was a pile of shavings on the floor in front of the lathe that he used as a litter box. He was thin and thirsty when we came back.

I like having outdoor cats. We feed them well and they don't appear to do any damage to the environment other than eating a lot of gophers.

Steve

['Jacques Malan']

The only problem with my workshop cats is that they bring the dead rats into the storeroom for us to discover them, sometimes much later.

But we are in the middle of an industrial area and we need cats for rodent control, and it is nicer to have two spayed and cuddly cats around than try and control some wild cats.

And they are not afraid of noise, the only thing that make them run is compressed air tools.

[Dave Anderson NH]

In my rural neighborhood outdoor cats tend not to survive very long. Both the coyotes and the fishers occasionally enjoy a meal of cat when someone either lets one out or is new to the neighborhood and thinks they have an "outdoor cat". Any number of times I've found a little bit of fur, some bones and a flea collar .

[Jerry Thompson]

My Maine Coon cat is so laid back he won't even budge when I use compressed air or crank up the planer. He is conserving energy. At this rate he should be able to take off like a rockett in a few months.

[Rod Sheridan]

Dan, I'm very sorry to hear about your loss os Shakti.

Glad you've found another shop cat............Rod.

[Tom Fischer]

... the harm that outdoor cats can do to the local wildlife.

Dan

Dan, sorry for your loss.

We have two indoor cats, both ragdolls. Neither is allowed either in the shop or outside.
I never was a "cat person" until getting these guys, really very remarkable animals.
Supposedly the closest a cat can be like a dog.

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[Kevin Groenke]

There are 3 cats in the house, only one of them is not totally freaked out when machines come on.

This is MoJo, he's always curious about what I'm up to but he seems to know when to keep his distance. The wet pawprints on the iron surfaces after he romps around in the wet shower are the worst. He's been known to hop on the dustmop and ride around on it when I sweep.

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You're right about the thread/string, they'll eat it and it can kill them or require surgery.

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[Jim Koepke]

We have three cats, one is outside all the time. She, Turner, is a friendly feral and was here when we moved here. Our other two cats adopted us when we lived in California. Skittles likes to go outside. Cricket is afraid of people and has only ventured outside once or twice and is always freaked out by being outside.

Skittles and Turner both will cruise through the shop looking for mice. Turner likes to rub and bump and sleep in a pile of shavings. Watching them walk away for a private meal with a fresh caught mouse makes my day.

jtk