Cats and Altars

[onewhitelioness]

I'm just generally looking for some thoughts on this. I've had an altar since I was about 12 years old, It's altered (sorry for the pun, couldn't resist) over the years, but I've always enjoyed having that little bit of space. Since moving back home with my Mum and my partner moving in with us, I've invited him to share my altar space and now it serves for both of us, which is odd owing to our spiritual differences, but ultimately rewarding.

 In any case, getting to the point, out altar is now on a much lower piece of furniture and the cats can't resist jumping on it. I can't quite decide if it bothers me or not but it is a nuisance when I have to repeatedly straighten the cloth and put things back in their places. Them being on it doesn't bother me, the havoc they cause does, but goodness knows you can't tell a cat to be careful (and I have three very boisterous cats). Moving the altar someplace else isn't do-able unfortunately and I know that them jumping on it really irritates Chris, my partner. They're just being curious, I suppose. What would you guys do? Would it bother you?

[Labrys]

The chance of breakage of something precious to me would bother me.  Likely I would keep a small spray bottle of white vinegar and use it on the cats until they realized it was NOT the place to be.

[Lark]

I agree with Labrys.  Using avoidance therapy with the cats is the most effective way I know to teach them that they are not to be on specific pieces of furniture, but it isn't a process that happens overnight.  In our house we have the Squirt Bottle of Doom that I keep filled with water.  Whenever I see the cats on something they shouldn't be I tell them "NO!" and squirt them with a bit of water.  They'll figure out in a bit that getting on the alter means getting wet and quit getting up there.

As I said, this sort of behavior modification takes time.  So in the interim I'd suggest not putting things on the altar that might break..or only when you are going to have ritual. That way if the cats do get up there they aren't going to break something you treasure and make you mad at them.