Knitting with Cats

MarietheKnitter · 11-26-2008, 11:17 AM

My sister wants to learn to knit, but she lives in a small apartment with two cats. Everytime she touches yarn, they come running. Putting them outside or locking them away is out of the question. Has anyone else coped with cats while knitting? What works?

suzeeq · 11-26-2008, 04:31 PM

Mine don't bother me or the yarn, except to occasionally bat at the moving yarn. They don't play with the balls of yarn either, but do like to sit on the WIPs and finished items if they're laying around. I suppose you could swat them if they try to `help' but that may not work, cats being what they are.

cftwo · 11-26-2008, 04:50 PM

My cats will sometimes bother moving yarn (try to catch it while I'm knitting), but otherwise they leave it alone. I did learn, the hard way, to keep my WIPs put away. Otherwise, the yarn could be wrapped around furniture when I came back. A drawer, a covered knitting box - anything like that works to keep their little paws out of the yarn.

DorothyDot · 11-26-2008, 05:00 PM

Geez, I can't resist...

I prefer knitting with yarn. Cats get too noisy and scratchy when you knit with them.

Okay. There. I feel much better now. lol

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Dot

Abbily · 11-26-2008, 05:08 PM

Hee hee, Dot, I was thinking the same thing!

Marie, a spray bottle of water usually works wonders on cats. Spray them whenever they get near the yarn- they'll learn quickly not to do it.

dairywife · 11-26-2008, 05:18 PM

Originally Posted by Abbily

Hee hee, Dot, I was thinking the same thing!

Marie, a spray bottle of water usually works wonders on cats. Spray them whenever they get near the yarn- they'll learn quickly not to do it.

Exactly how I train my cats. They do not realize where the water is coming from, I used it to teach them to stay of counters, tables and leave the yarn alone! Set the bottle nozle at stream (mistjust isn't effective). It does work, aim for the nose. They really don't like water in the face.

HorrorRetro · 11-26-2008, 05:25 PM

I have three cats, and they're pretty good about leaving my knitting alone. They do love to sleep on the finished projects, though. When I'm not working on a project, I usually keep it in a bag or basket, and they leave it alone.

My part Siamese/tabby will hunt finished dishcloths. At night, he'll go into the kitchen, open the cupboard door, pull out dishcloths, carry them around the house, and howl and carry on about how great a hunter he is.

ekelley36 · 11-26-2008, 05:31 PM

Marie,
I have five cats (one is still a kitten). I have learned to leave the yarn in my knitting bag. They are not quite as interested since the ball of yarn isn't out. If it is out, then it becomes the toy. My problem is that at least one or two of them want to share my lap with my knitting.

dairywife · 11-26-2008, 05:56 PM

Originally Posted by HorrorRetro

My part Siamese/tabby will hunt finished dishcloths. At night, he'll go into the kitchen, open the cupboard door, pull out dishcloths, carry them around the house, and howl and carry on about how great a hunter he is.

How cute is that......I love cat stories.

thecanfield · 11-26-2008, 06:43 PM

the water bottle works
the trick is to keep it close enough so that you can grab, aim, and squeeze [insert smiley squerting water gun here] before they notice and dash off, then it just becomes a a game to them

and yes i too have thought about taking my needles to my cats,
right about 3:00am when our kitten, Chewy, was learning he could cry in that ever-so-siamese fashion