OrdoSanguis

So, this has been making me very frustrated for the past few months, but very recently it has become a major problem.
My cat hates me, essentially.
Let's start from the beginning. My tower sits on the lower part of the desk, the only place where there is room, and, as most people know, wires are everywhere. Behind the monitor, behind the tower, coming around the back to hook up to the internet, etc. Now this would be perfectly normal and everything would be just fine, except my cat has this insane need to attack every wire/string/everything she sees.
We all know that cats love to do this; it's totally natural. But my cat always seems to go for my headphone/speaker wire. I'm not talking about it like it is sort of sitting off to the side where it would make sense for it to be chewed on constantly, it's in a jumbled mess of other wires.
I have lost 3 headsets, and one pair of speakers to her evil schemes. I've tried covering the wire in drinking straws, putting pepper all over the area, and blocking it off with the tower itself. I would use water, except it is in such close proximity to the tower that I am afraid I would damage it. Any ideas at all would be appreciated!

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"Ten soldiers wisely led will beat a hundred without a head."

Ferris Bueller

Once a week, rub vinegar on the wires. If the vinegar doesnt work, up the ante and rub them down with tabasco. Works like a charm against my cat who does (well...used to do) the same thing.

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|TG-6th|Ferris Bueller

ScratchMonkey

When my cat was tiny, I made a point of smacking her on the rump and sternly saying "no" when she tried to touch any wire in the house. My concern wasn't damage to the wire, but her chewing through a power line and electrocuting herself. (I did the same for her getting up on the kitchen counter, as I didn't want her pulling a hot pot off the range onto herself.)

Now I rarely have to say anything about it.

You have to start when they're young. Good luck trying to retroactively train one.

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Sig

=DdogG=

1) place a screw in the breaker box between the contacts of that particular breaker.
2) Unplug everything from that circuit.
3) take an old chewed up speaker wire and wire it to the power outlet.
4) place cat in vicinity of new and improved speaker wire.
5-10) enjoy.
11) cat tastes best with soy sauce.

11 alt) if you do not like the taste of cat, they make great puppets too.

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Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -Albert Einstein
The two most common elements in the universe are Hydrogen and stupidity. -Harlan Ellison

If all else fails: "rm -rf /"

sc1ence

with any behavior mod program using punishment you want to make sure punishment is swift and severe. otherwise the animal will learn to accept the punishment and you will get caught in a cycle of slowly making the punishment worse while the animal adjusts. it is a no win situation.

my suggestion is get a very loud airhorn and camp your wires. the moment the animal goes near your computer wires you blast that thing right at the cat. repeat whenever you see that get near or play with the wires. should not take many trials to work. doing this in conjunction with the suggestions from ferris seem like a good solution to me.

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OrdoSanguis

Alright, thanks a lot guys. I happen to have an air horn around, and Tabasco sauce aplenty... hehehe

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"Ten soldiers wisely led will beat a hundred without a head."

westyfield

How about just not letting your cat into the computer room?
My cats like to sit under my desk because the central heating pipes are under the floor there - nice and warm. I keep accidentally hitting them if I swing my legs, so after a long round of PR, they always get the foot (I forget about them being there). One of them also likes to sit on my keyboard.
But cats are great and it's not worth getting rid of the cat(s) for the sake of your PC.

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|TG-irr| westyfield

Thanks Oldirti for this sig!
Xfire: westyfield
Ikariam- Westopia, Quosios [18:35] (S). Colonies: Westyville, Nytios [18:29] (M), Westropolis, Tasetia [15:33] (CG).
Irregular since Sept 15th, 2007

OrdoSanguis

That would be the perfect solution, but my parents insist that if the computer is in a room with a door that I will never, ever come off of it. Which is absurd, because it's not like they ever make me get off; I come off of my own volition.

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"Ten soldiers wisely led will beat a hundred without a head."

=DdogG=

I think that's what they are afraid of.......

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Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -Albert Einstein
The two most common elements in the universe are Hydrogen and stupidity. -Harlan Ellison

If all else fails: "rm -rf /"

OrdoSanguis

Ouch, I'm not that bad of a person, that my parents want me to stay on the computer all the time

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"Ten soldiers wisely led will beat a hundred without a head."

ScratchMonkey

I can hear the whoosh of air in his hair.

Were I his parents, I'd just get him a tissue and his own keyboard, and let the door be closed.

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ScratchMonkey

http://www.sewingwitch.com/harley/

Order is from newest to oldest. Down at 08/18/2004 09:01p you can see her sitting on my chair in front of my computer. Note all the wires. She knows not to mess with them. At 05/15/2004 12:51a you can see her curled up on the rug below the desk, with a pencil for scale. She's about a month old there. I type this with her sitting on my lap.

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OrdoSanguis

AH DAMN IT!
I just got that. I hate you guys.

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"Ten soldiers wisely led will beat a hundred without a head."

ScratchMonkey

(We love you, Ordo! )

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OrdoSanguis

Yeah, it's all in good fun.

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"Ten soldiers wisely led will beat a hundred without a head."