Honest to God I don't know how to handle this or what topic heading it should come under. I inherited a cat who was being terrorized by toddlers about a year ago and ever since she moved in I cannot pick up my guitar without her scrambling for cover and looking all scared and panicky.
I know it shouldn't bother me but it does. I've tried to get her to like it. I've held her paws up on the strings to get her to feel it to see that it doesn't hurt her. It's giving me a major complex. I used to play for hours at a time. Now my practice time has gone way down. She follows me around this one bedroom apartment. I can't pick up the guitar without her flipping out. When I play my CD she's fine. She seems OK with my recorded vocals and guitar playing but 'live' she's the worst audience I've ever had. She sleeps in my guitar case. But she runs whenever I start to play. I can't help but take it personally after awhile. I want my music to soothe the little animals not scare them away. What's with her? Any solutions would be greatly appreciated. And no I can't get rid of her - except for the guitar 'thing' she's the most adorable kitty in the entire universe. If it's jealousy, well, my music should come first, right? How do I cope with a jealous kitty?
Portamento - The ability to move from a wrong note to the right one without anyone noticing the original mistake.
Harmonics - The buzzing sound that string instruments make.
Impromptu - A carefully worked out composition.
Animals learn how to "adapt" to situation/life style changes. It won't be easy at first but, the animal WILL get use to it.
Keep jammin'!!!
maybe the previous owner abused the cat with a guitar?!?!
..lol
maybe the previous owner abused the cat with a guitar?!?!
Maybe not a guitar exactly but probably something that looks equally large and menacing to the cat. I've got cats, too. And one of them did the same thing in the beginning when I first got him. The guitar came out, the cat freaked and ran. He also freaked when I turned the ceiling fans on. It was like he was expecting it to come down and get him or something. Two years later and with much guitar playing and fan turning on going on around him, he finally quit freaking. I don't know why. He just got calm. Maybe it's just that he got older and more confident. Maybe he started to trust that I wasn't going to put him in harm's way and I wasn't going to let that guitar or ceiling fan get him. Either way, he's happy and I'm happy.
My other cat has always loved it when I play my guitars. He likes to sit in front of me and occasionally will reach up and 'pluck' a string or two, which gets him really excited and he runs around the room like a crazy cat then comes back and sits in front of me again. He's very odd, but he's very lovable.
Your cat may come around. Since he/she came from being terrorized by toddlers, it may just take a little while to build up that trust thing with you. There's no telling what those toddlers threw at him or hit him with, so he's just reacting to past 'terrors'. Patience and persistence is the key, IMHO. Don't put your guitar away when he freaks. Keep on playing and maybe talk to him while you're playing. If you use a silly voice to talk to him when he's calm, use the same silly voice to talk to him while you play. I'd be willing to bet that, after a while, he'll come around.
Good luck!
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-:¦:- ((¸¸.·´ -:¦:- Elecktrablue -:¦:-
"Don't wanna ride no shootin' star. Just wanna play on the rhythm guitar." Emmylou Harris, "Rhythm Guitar" from "The Ballad of Sally Rose"
My cat seems to be really paranoid in general. He's usually cool when I'm playing unless I start playing hard and make sudden loud chords. He won't absolutely run away but will get surprised and wonder what's happening.
But I'm not all that surprised, he usually isn't around the area of the house where I play anyway and hasn't had a chance to adjust.
Thinking about it some more, you might wanna get some catnip and get your kitty high then try playing. Just sprinkle some on the floor in front of you. It will start associating getting high with guitar play and would probably be less afraid of it.
-Metaellihead
We have 2 cats. One of them doesn't care either way about my playing, but the other will come and sit next to me (sometime sit right ontop of my amp) and listen. He just lays there content but everytime I play a wrong note he looks up at me and rolls his eyes.
Everyones a critic
I think theres only one obvious thing we can do:
We'll need 1 small cat sized box.
500mg of dyphenhydramine hydrochloride.
A 530.00 One-way ticket to Russia.
And... hold on a sec, animal rights are at my door.....
....
....
....
Okay, well anyway. Where was I?
Kido.
Your cat, like most people have said just needs to adapt. It's probably just not used to people being nice to it with a guitar, it will learn to trust you in time... so don't let it get you down. I have 2 cats one of which is a kitten and when i used to play with my band i'd take her upstairs so she wouldn't be afraid of the noise, but after a couple weeks i figured she'd leave if the sound bothered her, and oddly enough we'd be downstairs jamming out and the cat would be alseep on the couch next to us.... it was kinda funny actully, but animals have instincts which they bass everything off of, and for some reason your cat is associating your guitar with something bad, but it should cure in time...
My cats run away when I play guitar, too.
They don't like my melodica playing any better.
Play your guitar and don't worry about the cat. It'll still love you, not your guitar.
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
Maybe the cat is afraid of becoming strings. :?
check out my website for good recording/playing info
`Wow! GN is just what the doctor ordered.
Yes, I need to 'ride it out' with this kitty. Surely she'll come around and get to like my music. She's sitting atop the computer monitor right this minute as I type - watching my every move. I'll just let nature run it's course and not try to force her to like the guitar before she's ready.
I wish she'd help compose some songs though - a Mozart cat!
Portamento - The ability to move from a wrong note to the right one without anyone noticing the original mistake.
Harmonics - The buzzing sound that string instruments make.
Impromptu - A carefully worked out composition.
I think theres only one obvious thing we can do:
We'll need 1 small cat sized box.
500mg of dyphenhydramine hydrochloride.
A 530.00 One-way ticket to Russia.
And... hold on a sec, animal rights are at my door.....
....
....
....
Okay, well anyway. Where was I?
Kido.
That much Nytol will probably put the cat to sleep permanently.
I'd say the cat likes a different style.
Something closer to "Fur ball attitude"
Joe
Or even try some Nugent, Cat scratch fever. :lol:
Or some Cat Stevens. Nah, go for thed Nugent.
check out my website for good recording/playing info
Try the "Stray Cat Strut"
I started with nothing - and I've still got most of it left.
Did you know that the word "gullible" is not in any dictionary?
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