why cats and rockets DON"T mix!

[outasight13]

so i get home from school today, and i decide to look at some of my rockets. I pick up my fairly new Tres (never launched) only to find the tip of the nose cone has been BITTEN off by my stupid nibbling cats! not only have they bitten off the tip, but they left tooth marks down lower on the nose cone. it is completely unrepairable and looks terrible, especially because i spent so much time finishing this rocket.
its hard to see in the pic, but you can just see the tooth marks a little under where it was bitten off, and you can see the piece that charlie (my cat) bit off.

 

[Donaldsrockets]

Oh man, that looks terrible. Hopefully you can get a replacement nose cone.

I have cats too but I've never had either one of them chew on my fins but they love to play with the shock cords or shroud lines if they get a chance. One of them loves to use the fins as a rubbing post, not sure what kind of pleasure she gets from doing it!!!

My other cat is a chewer but he sorta prefers plastic bags over balsa.

 

[Ray Dunakin]

When you get into high power, you'll find that cats and rocketry go together very well. They make great payloads.


j/k

 

[RoyGreen]

Originally posted by outasight13

its hard to see in the pic, but you can just see the tooth marks a little under where it was bitten off, and you can see the piece that charlie (my cat) bit off.

At New Years 1970, I had finished my masterpiece, a Mars Lander that I had gotten for Christmas. I set it on the fireplace mantle. We went to my grandma's for the weekend, and when we got back, there were nice little tooth marks all up and down the legs of the ML. Yep, it was my cat, who was a kitten at the time, but had managed to jump up on the mantle to get to it.

More recently, my current cat, Pooter, went through a phase where she chomped on fins and telephone antennas.
I cured her of that habit by smearing some jalapeno juice on some strategically placed rockets and telephones. I've heard of people putting cayenne powder on things, but that's a bit dangerous to the cat. The jalapeno juice will get their attention well enough.

 

[MetMan]

Originally posted by Ray Dunakin
When you get into high power, you'll find that cats and rocketry go together very well. They make great payloads.


j/k

I think NAR will even waive the "no biological payload" restriction if it's a cat!

 

[DAllen]

Originally posted by MetMan
I think NAR will even waive the "no biological payload" restriction if it's a cat!

True but I think it would be hell to be the person that has to open the payload bay.

-DAllen

 

[11bravo]

That's why I'm not a cat person.

Greg

 

[Goddard]

Come on guys...

All of God's creatures are to behold and love...

I can think of a lot more than cats to use as payloads...LOL!!!

 

[shreadvector]

That was removed from the Model Rocket Safety Code because it was redundant. That is already covered in state (and maybe federal) laws, so it does not need to be in the safety code.

It is still in the High Power Safety Code - perhaps because of the way some small percentage of the HPR flyers think?

Originally posted by MetMan
I think NAR will even waive the "no biological payload" restriction if it's a cat!

 

[jflis]

bummer! I have had many similar situations with our cat and our dogs...

Speaking of cats and the risks of pulling one *out* of the payload bay after a flight, I heard this story from way back when...

if you are ever angry at your postal carrier, you take your siamese cat, put him in the mail box and begin beating the box with a stick. As you see the mailman coming, you raise the flag and run like the dickens...

man, what a visual! LOL

 

[shreadvector]

Assualt with a deadly weapon on a Federal Employee.

That should be good for a trip to camp in Cuba.

Originally posted by jflis
bummer! I have had many similar situations with our cat and our dogs...

Speaking of cats and the risks of pulling one *out* of the payload bay after a flight, I heard this story from way back when...

if you are ever angry at your postal carrier, you take your siamese cat, put him in the mail box and begin beating the box with a stick. As you see the mailman coming, you raise the flag and run like the dickens...

man, what a visual! LOL

 

[metalwizard]

Originally posted by Ray Dunakin
When you get into high power, you'll find that cats and rocketry go together very well. They make great payloads.


j/k

just remove their spine first that way yuon not breaking any nae rules

 

[RoyGreen]

"hey, *I* don't know how the cat got in there! She just likes dark spaces above the ground..."

(That quote will actually fit two different ideas in this thread....)

 

[Roman]

hmm.... Bite back !!

 

[wickball]

Never have a parachute out in the same room as a cat! They can't resist. Mine chewed up 4 of 8 chords on my nice 36 inch ripstop nylon chute. Did it in less than a minute. It was border line if I should get it repaired or not, a new replacement would have been about $20. I found a seamstress (sp?) to replace them for about $10.
wick

 

[Ray Dunakin]

Originally posted by Goddard
Come on guys...

All of God's creatures are to behold and love...

I can think of a lot more than cats to use as payloads...LOL!!!

For the record, I love cats and am actually more of a cat person than a dog person.

Cute pic, BTW.

 

[sunward]

Worst is the cat wanting to be fed. Will not leave you alone until you fill the bowl - even if there is still food there.

As for playing, cat likes string and climbing into boxes. Laser light will drive her crazy also.

Never lost a rocket yet to the cat.

 

[adrian]

I had fun with a laser and a cat once. There's one cat who lives in a house which I pass by on my way home, with whom I've made friends - I don't feed her but I do sometimes stroke her and she often "escorts" me through her area. One night I shone a laser on a nearby wall, let her chase the spot round a bit, and made sure it didn't hit her in the face. After a short time I switched it off. Now, the wall in question has a covering of small stones and it just happened that the laser had been pointing at one of the few dark stones when it went out. The cat just sat there staring at the dark stone. I switched on the laser again, now pointing at another area of the wall, and the cat chased the spot round. Then I switched it off again. The cat went back to the dark stone and stared at it some more.

At first I laughed myself silly, but I haven't played with the laser and cat since. I'm not sadistic and don't want to completely mess up her mind.

As for cats in rockets, that would simultaneously violate the rule against live payloads and the rule against dangerous payloads. There is no truth to any rumour that the Royal Navy has been using cats as warheads; the Sea Cat missile is a surface-air missile with no feline components at all, honest.

 

[Ray Dunakin]

Originally posted by adrian
I had fun with a laser and a cat once.

Lasers are great for entertaining cats -- and small children!

 

[Justin]

We made a rocket book for my girlfriend's 8 year old daughter, to show all her rockets and launch days to here friends. This is a page from it.

 

[Nuke Rocketeer]

Originally posted by DAllen
True but I think it would be hell to be the person that has to open the payload bay.

-DAllen

That's where the rhino hide armor you use to give your cat a bath comes in handy!:kill:

Joe W

 

[powderburner]

Originally posted by Ray Dunakin
They make great payloads.

That sort of implies that you would bring the cat back, along with the rest of the recovered rocket.

My idea: pack the cat between the chute and the NC and use the cat as a sort of audible/visual confirmation of recovery system deployment.

 

[TheRadiator]

Cats get along just fine with rockets!

 

[outasight13]

hmmmm, maybe its just the Krylon their after

 

[Reed Goodwin]

My cat may be crazy, but at least she knows where she belongs... https://www.rocketryforum.com/attachment.php?s=&postid=181422
Reed

 

[Nate]

Originally posted by Ray Dunakin
When you get into high power, you'll find that cats and rocketry go together very well. They make great payloads.


j/k

I'l second that! my stupid cat has eaten WAY more than his share of parachutes. I seriously think my cat would be worth $400 if I could tally up all the rocket parts he's ingested/destroyed.

 

[Nuke Rocketeer]

Originally posted by powderburner
That sort of implies that you would bring the cat back, along with the rest of the recovered rocket.

My idea: pack the cat between the chute and the NC and use the cat as a sort of audible/visual confirmation of recovery system deployment.

ROTFLMAO!! I can just hear the screech as the ejection charge pops!

 

[Karl]

Originally posted by Nuke Rocketeer
ROTFLMAO!! I can just hear the screech as the ejection charge pops!

Hahaha!

'Pop, Rahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, THUMP'

What bout 'Dual Recovery, Kitty Style '

 

[Rocketeer]

Originally posted by powderburner
My idea: pack the cat between the chute and the NC and use the cat as a sort of audible/visual confirmation of recovery system deployment.

That would be a great way to test the theory that cats always land on their feet…