Cat jumped on turntable


OK, I know the obvious response about this but moving past ditching the cat . . . I was playing my VPI Scout 'table with a Dynavector Karat cartridge when the cat (Jack) leaped onto the 'table.  The tone arm slide across the record and the platter stopped.  After addressing the situation, I didn't see any obvious problems (but I have an untrained eye) and dropped the needle.  The tone arm immediately slide across the record to the center.  Upon reflection, it seemed like the tone arm was light since it moved pretty effortlessly.  Before taking it, I thought I would solicit some thoughts here.
scarlson
Right. So my daughter is spending a year in China. My wife graciously agreed to keep her cat Maseo (Jane's Addiction). I can always replace the socks on my speakers but there is are two 6 thousand volt power supplies back there which I assure all of you, hurts. So my wife gets three of these electrified floor mats to stretch from one wall to the other in front of the system. The animal steps on it and gets a little zing which is supposed to keep him away right. We watched him step on it (we were watching Once Upon a Tine in Hollywood) think about it a second then walk right on an sit down! On the Mat! The cat likes it! Now the mats were on their lowest setting so Mr genius here turn them up to max and we'll see how the darn cat likes that.
Scarlson, just get a dust cover. Tell the wife her cat busted your $2000 cartridge so you need to get another one to replace it. Then take your dust cover off every two years or so:) 
I am so thankful all my TT have dust covers that I keep on while not playing music.
With 2 Savannah, 2 Bengal and 2 rescue moggies it's a lively place.
I have found them sleeping on the dust covers more than once.
Touch wood only once did I catch a Savannah about to leap onto a playing record.
My 115 db scream persuaded her to change direction fortunately!

Interestingly not one of them has shown the slightest interest in the covers on the Maggie's which are right there.
Hope that did not doom them......

Thanks everyone (again) for your input, and cleaver and entertaining responses!!  I do have a Gingko cover but am a little . . . let's say skittish about dropping that bad boy over a spinning record.  Uberwaltz, he previously did some damage to my Maggies but as mijostyn noted, the socks can be replaced.  They are now wrapped in a plastic "barbed wire." 

Oh, and schmitty1, it was Zeppelin IV.

Jack also says "thank you" for not being too harsh.


@scarlson, y’know that feline language was finally translated...most of it boiled down to:

"Feed me Faster!"
&
"All of this...is Mine."

The last is usually delivered with a obviously irritated tail twitch...
Having been owned by multiple cats in the past, generally that which you pay the most attention and care to is considered either a prime place to be....or a rival for attention.

One cat = You will have ’issues’.
2 cats = Conspiratorial behaviours
3 cats = They Own Everything..including that dumaz dog...;)