Maggie's and cats

What worked well for me (cat repellent spray and a lot of other things failed miserably) was buying a battery-powered motion detector from RadioShack. When I first installed the neat little alarm, after retiring for the evening, I heard the alarm go off a couple of times. It scared the cats away, no problem. Now, I never hear the alarms go off anymore because the cats have been trained to avoid the area. But I still leave it in place just in case; and every once in a while I set it off myself, just to keep those rascals in line. I forget what it cost, but it runs on a 9-volt battery. I'm sure it was less than $20. Happy Listening. :)

I had a similar problem with my two cats when I bought a new rear projection TV in January. I didn't want them to claw the speaker grills (my hi fi gear lives in a seperate room not accessible to the cats). I found a nifty solution.

A company called Contech makes a product called the Scat Mat. It consists of a grey plastic pad with a small battery powered electronics package attached. When the cat steps on the pad it shocks the bejesus out of it. One or two encounters wih the pads teaches the cats to avoid them.

If my cats are running through the house and happen to come upon the pad they stop on a dime before touching it. I think I could actually remove the pad and they would avoid the area, though I haven't tried this yet.

The Scat Mat costs around $60 each, and is avaialble with different sized pads to fit your needs.

I bet that a pair of these will solve your problem.

Got to get an audio-cat. Mine just likes to sit on the corner of the couch and listen. Scary part she sits in a human position, rear feet out and on her butt and upright like a human front leg leaning on the arm of the couch.Even keeps pefect time with her extended tail on the cushions. Although much hairer! Only sits like that when the tunes are on. If I make a change or tweak I and the cat usally agree. Dosen't talk and better behaved than most people I know. Never tries to put a drink,leave ashes,talk smart or mess with my turntable.Also prefers redbok upsampled to 24/192 and anolog the best. she knows something is not in phase or time coherent. I would take her to my dealer when reveiwing possible new equipment but he won't put in a couch. Does like to stick her head in my horn speakers if they need dusting. Don't solve your problem sure helped me get things right. Although we do sometimes disagree on interconnects. Trained not to like speakers to close or on them with a squirt gun. But you hve Manx's there just a bit crazy to learn much and are vertical and high place loving to learn. The spray on the carpet NOT on the speakers will work most of the time and is available at most pet stores. Well got change the record someones not happy!

I know a Chinese restaurant here in MN that's more than happy to take your cat :)

A lot has to do with how old your cats are & how you discipline them. I have no doubt that you know these cats well, and if some part of you suspects they will use your speakers to sharpen their claws then you can have some confidence in your ability to predict their behavior. Of course, making your system unaccessible would seem to be the best solution- the less negative attention given to these cats via your speakers the better. The less verbal interaction the better. I agree that the spray bottle- water, with or without added odor, is the best solution. The effectiveness of this really has to do with how dilligent you are, how consistant, because this is how they will make the association between the unpleasant sensation and your speakers. If you can manage to make yourself neutral in all this then the effectiveness is all the more. Even saying "no" may make this a source of attention and confuse the issue.
I used this approach with my cat. She was all over my speakers to begin with, but over a period of time she learned to stay off them. At this point I do not even have to watch her. Now, she will come and sit with me when I listen to music. She loves the attention she gets and I like her company.