Hot-tub cover and pets/cats

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After 5+ years with cover,think it's time I get a new 1!!

In the pics,you will see what two cats can do,when it's used as a cat scratcher

Looking to get another cover,what can I purchase,that will detere cats from using it?

Also,I'm draining all the water out of spa,and gonna shut it down during the summer. What should I do or not do,in regards to putting it down till wintertime?

Thx,
Rich

[Bonibelle]

Ohhhhh nooo



That is how this cat adopted us..she loved laying on my hot tub cover and YES she does stretch and dig those claws into the cover. ..I keep scooting her off...but I guess cats don't learn like dogs do...If anyone has a good solution, I would like to know it too... :-/

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Bummer,not 1 person besides Bonnie,can respond,and give me some tips/pointers

I did expect at least a response as far as preppin tub.

[Shaamus]

You could get a dog.  

Then again, the dog would probably chew the cover and do even more damage.

As a manufacturer, we get this question a lot.  Maybe do some research online to find a smell that cats don't like and spray it on the cover.  I would recommend against catnip.

[Bonibelle]

Forget the dog idea..My dog HATED this cat for months..It was a stray that was almost starved and I started feeding. Now the dog accepts the cat, we have a door for her cut into the garage and sometimes we even let her come in to warm up and browse the house...She doesn't want to be a house cat, and I really don't want a house cat...but the hot tub problem still exists..she is drawn to my hot tub cover. I have tried putting blankets, small rugs and sheets on the tub to get her to lay on them instead of the vinyl...no luck. So I just grab her off as soon as I see her land on the cover. My son wants to install indoor/ outdoor carpet on top of the cover  :-?  :-/ ...

Autoplay, I will take a logical stab at your other situation... If it were me, I would shock the tub really well to kill anything in the plumbing, drain and try to get everything out of the plumbing using a shop vac. I imagine with Florida's hot summer, it would be a good idea to vent the tub ..maybe prop the cover so the shell surface is protected from the sun, but any moisture that remains can exit the tub. Maybe the tennis ball idea that Brooke uses in the summer would work. Since you don't have to worry about freezing, I guess it should be a pretty simple process and worst thing would be that you might have some critters growing in the plumbing..maybe just have to hit it with a good shock when you refill...

I would also wait to get a new cover until you refill...just let the old cover serve as shade for the shell...

[wmccall]

Bummer,not 1 person besides Bonnie,can respond,and give me some tips/pointers

I did expect at least a response as far as preppin tub.

You cut off your wife's head and you want help from us?

You might want to try one of those green apple spray's on it occasionally on nice days.  Being outside it would wear off, but while you can't train the cat not to go up there, if they learn on their own its not a pleasant expereince, they can learn, but the lesson may have to be repeated occasionally.  We have a couple stray cats hanging around, but our swing is more directly in the sun so they prefer that.

[wewannahottub]

I agree with wmcall--there are sprays that can deter your cats from climbing up.  However, they have already established your spa cover as their territory.  Spray whatever you buy--check your local pet store---but you may need to back it up with a squirt from a squirt gun--------YES I LOVE cats-and have owned many---and that is what we had always been told to do from our vet.

Hey, you could always keep the old cover ans throw it on the new one  :-/ for your cats!! :-?

Good luck!

CHrisi

[The_real_Clown_Shoes]

Vinegar.

[Lumpy]

.22

[Bonibelle]

Vinegar to keep the cats off or to store the tub for the summer?  Or BOTH???

[BauerN]

.22

Airsoft would be legal, less damaging to the tub, and depending on one's point of view - a bit more ethical...

Bitter apple and vinegar both sound like good solutions.

[anne]

That apple spray is called Bitter Apple, and I doubt it'll work, as it is made to *taste* bad to keep pets (mostly dogs) from licking/chewing themselves/bandages/etc. There is no magic spray out there, but there are probably a lot of them marketed. I guess you could try them, but I'm not hopeful they will work. A lot of sprays are meant to keep them from urinating in the wrong places, but I doubt it'll help with scratching.

Now, dont think that I'm telling you there is no solution, I just dont think there will be a quick easy chemical fix!

I'd try the following:

Trim their nails to minimize damage while you are working on the training.
If you see them at it, use a squirt gun. Preferably one with a long range
Provide some other thing to scratch. You are more likely to convince them to leave your cover alone if there is an alternative that does not result in getting sprayed and yelled at.
Most cats dont like metal textures. If there is a spot that they always go for, and if you can reasonably do so, cover it with aluminum foil. This sometimes works for the corners of sofas, but I'm not sure about a whole HT cover.
If the whole thing is going to be shut down for the summer, and you put a tarp over it? It might be less appealing that the cover, and give you time to train them.
Here's one more idea to use *judiciously*....mousetraps. If you can set up mousetraps on the cover, but maybe under a heavy tarp, then if they jump up there, it'll make a huge racket and make the tarp bounce around, but wont hurt them.

Good luck!  

[The_real_Clown_Shoes]

Vinegar for the spa cover.  The smell is supposed to keep them away from things.  We used to have a little dish of vinegar at the base of my mom's Peace Lily to keep the cat from digging.

[wewannahottub]

.22

Yes, a .22 is perfect, to shoot Lumpy's dog on my property!!

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Great idea Anne as far as using a tarp. I'll probably do just that,till I order a new 1. The old cover was/is compleately shot,and was retaining water on account of the cats puncturing it.

I thoroughly cleaned it out,and sucked all the water out of it that I could. It's filled partially again lol,as we had a heavy downpour of rain last night.

Bill,as far as cuttin off wifes head....that's our daughter,pushin our grand-daughter around(I just looked at pics lol) and somehow I goofed when I uploaded pics. Was suppose to be pic of spa cover.

I have discussed declawing the cats with the wifey,but this was several years ago when they were climbing the pool cage,and puttin holes in screen. Wifey always had a way of not havin em declawed.... I.E. "I'll fix the screens etc etc" lol.  We did have an older cat declawed,and the cat became pyscho,so I'm sorta against declawing.

I'm gonna try aluminum foil,and the vinegar trick. Thx all for the helpful replies