Whatr can I do to make the boiler & furnace inaccessible to my cats?

June 1, 2007 6:07 AM

I'm looking for suggestions as to what I can do to keep the boiler & furnace in my house inaccessible to our cats, without closing up the actual room they are in. The boiler has some fluffy insulation around it that I can completely imagine my cats having a ball with. They are not bright.

We've just bought a house and are in the process of sprucing & fixing some things up before we move in. There is a fairly large laundry/utility room where the boiler & furnace are located. We've decided that this room would be the best place for the litterbox, because the bathrooms are too small and there really aren't any other nooks that are out of the way.

However, I am really concerned about my cats vs. the boiler. It is partially wrapped in some fluffy insulation, and my cats love to claw and play with things with interesting textures. I'd like to find some way that is fairly inexpensive (<$200 would be ideal) and fairly easy to implement, to keep them from being able to access it.

One thought was baby gates, but I don't know if they can be stacked that high. I also thought of constructing something out of chicken wire, but I don't really know if that's the best way either.

What would you do?

posted by tastybrains to home & garden (10 answers total)

Wire mesh (or chicken wire) doesn't sound like a bad idea if you're willing to take the time to do a quality job on it.

I could see baby gates getting expensive, looking tacky and not working too well.

Hope you find a solution!
posted by DMan at 6:43 AM on June 1, 2007

I was thinking also of these kinds of pet pens...I'm not really that handy, but I'm willing to use trial & error to find a good solution.

I was thinking if I got 2 4' ones, I could maybe stack them on top of each other by using poles or dowels on some of the edges for support, and fastening the cages to the supports as well as each other? Is that a really stupid idea or might that work?
posted by tastybrains at 6:45 AM on June 1, 2007

I'm not really sure that the pen pens would be any easier than just going and buying some rolls of chicken wire, a few 1x1" wood strips, and stapling the chicken wire to the wood once you have it basically where you want it.

Trying to make the pens stand on top of each other seems complicated and just as difficult as wire mesh, and much more expensive.

Also, in my experience, cats hate tinfoil; if you don't want a cat to scratch something, the easiest way to discourage them is to cover it in slightly-crumpled Heavy-Duty Reynolds Wrap. Not sure if you can use that, but just something to keep in mind. At various times, my front room has looked like some sort of tinfoil-fetishists' dungeon.
posted by Kadin2048 at 7:07 AM on June 1, 2007

My one year old, 15 lb cat climbs all over the dogs' metal cage, so he would probably climb right over that pet pen thing.

I'd use wire mesh, but before putting it up I'd need to let him sniff the taboo object, or he'll drive himself crazy trying to get to it. When he starts getting slightly bored with it, I'd distract him with a toy. If he started clawing at it, I'd squirt him with water, and he'd soon get the hint that it's not worth it. Once the wire mesh is up, he could see what's behind it and remember that it's not all that interesting.

Also, I'd go for closely knit wire mesh that they can't even get their mouths around (my little idiot likes to chew on metal sometimes, mostly mini-blinds).
posted by desjardins at 7:14 AM on June 1, 2007

I see your point Kadin...I guess the reason the pens were appealing is that they are already designed to stand up. I'm not sure how to get a homemade pen to stand up properly...I guess I could put boards along the bottom?

My cats like tinfoil. They are insane. I really need to just make the general area around the boiler & furnace inaccessible. I'm afraid if they get fibers from the insulation in their mouths or eyes.
posted by tastybrains at 7:15 AM on June 1, 2007

desjardins, I don't think they would make it over an 8' tall "pen"...but I'm going to try & make whatever I do reach the ceiling or close to it to prevent any shennanigans.

I imagine the insulation is not really safe for the cats to play with or else I wouldn't worry so and I'd let them get near it. But they eat the heads off of cotton swabs and everything else they can find, and I don't trust them with it.
posted by tastybrains at 7:17 AM on June 1, 2007

Cats don't like scratching chickenwire, but they have not trouble climbing it. An 8' climb is quite doable for a determined/curious cat. One of mine has climbed that height up an exposed stud to get into a drop ceiling. It's disconcerting hearing cat howling apparently coming from the heating vents, let me tell you.

Flexible plastic snow fence, the red material, is a bit harder for them to get over, because it's flexible, but I would hardly call it cat-proof.

If it's just a single boiler, wrap it in plastic (or foil) so that it's smooth (and less attractive) then in something they won't like to scratch, like chicken wire. In my experience cats don't like fiberglass insulation anyway. It irritates their skin as much as it does ours.
posted by bonehead at 7:37 AM on June 1, 2007

How about those cheap plastic folding doors? I can't seem to find a link, but I've seen them installed at the top of staircases and things to close off a doorway, and they're flexible enough that they should be able to circle the boiler and the enticing insulation.
posted by bassjump at 8:29 AM on June 1, 2007

Why don't you remove the insulation and replace it with one of the insulation blankets with a plastic cover?
posted by electroboy at 9:38 AM on June 1, 2007

How are they with saran wrap? Or even a fabric wrap?
posted by Idcoytco at 10:15 AM on June 1, 2007