Does anyone else have a problem with their pets disrupting practice sessions?
My piano practice was a disaster today because one of my cats decided to go completely haywire. She has been gradually getting worse over the last two weeks and today just took the biscuit.
She would not stop shouting and whinging. She kept running around and flinging herself off furniture. She kicked the rugs on the floor and generally made an enormous scene.
My partner took her into the bedroom with him to give me some peace and had to let her out after 5 minutes because she was howling and scratching the door.
She is also bad with violin practice: stands on her head in the case; attacks my feet; shrieks; runs around etc.

I think she is developing an ever wider range of disruption techniques. I have upped the amount of practice recently and she is definitely upping her antics in response.

Just wondered if anyone else had problems with pets?

The Budgie sometimes tries to sing louder than whatever instrument is on the go a the time.

The dog as a puppy used to stick her nose up the bell of the oboe looking for the sound I expect.

We don't have a cat but the one belonging to the Recorder teacher used to sit on either his knee or mine (not helpful when you aren't too fond/sure of cats).

We have a cat and she doesn't come into my teaching room much, but just on the odd occasion she will come in and complain. Most of the kids like her - she's not really a problem.

I think if they make that sort of fuss they are just wanting attention. Very occasionally they seem to have a mad ten minutes - maybe that was what happened with your cat, organistin? Would it help if you make sure she is fed before you start practice?

When My clarinet teacher first got her cat it used to miaow loudly outside the door during lessons. Now it's learned that when clarinets are playing it isn't going to get attention.
My piano teacher's cat was not impressed with my ff chord while it was trying to sleep on top of the piano..... I told it to blame it's mummy as she'd told me to do it.

Take charge of your animal, Organistin! Does she go outside? In which case, out she goes while you practice. Otherwise confine her to a bathroom or somewhere else where she can't do any damage to herself or the house.

My cats regularly go bonkers in the evening, and also whenever it is windy (even when they are indoors, bizarrely).

She is a house cat so no chance of putting her out. She won't go out!
She could go in the bathroom but the decibel level gets higher and higher when she is shut in somewhere.
However, I think I will have to do something like that and ignore her because she is increasing her naughtiness in direct proportion with my piano practice time.

She thinks she owns the house.

Her brother started whining and saying he was ill during the piano practice today as well.... he wasn't.



Definitely attention seeking.. .but a bit annoying as she had just had 2 hours of uninterrupted play and cuddle time. She has her dried food available all the time so the food is not an issue.

She is sweet as anything tonight because she is curled up on my knee while I do some theory and mess on with the computer!

My cat has no discernment. She doesn't mind my pupils playing, it's me that gets her goat. What is very annoying is, that she will deliberately come into the room to claw the carpet in protest. Her least favourite thing is any singing - at one point she hated a song I was doing so much that as soon as I played the opening bars she would get up on the stool next to me and put her paw on my arm

On a more serious note - they have EXTREMELY sensitive hearing, and react differently to different sounds. Maybe if your cat is reacting very badly to things, Organistin, it would be better to put her outside (is that possible? ). My cat is variable, she will sometimes sleep through my practise without batting an eye.

My Puppy "Daphne" took one look and one listen to the Oboe and bolted, she doens't kick up a fuss she goes to her bed and waitd for THAT NOISE to stop..If however she did start to howl I would pop her into her crate (all my dogs are crate trained), I would drop the cover and like a budgie at bed time she would go to sleep..Its always useful to be able to pop her into bed in her crate and have some puppy free time..I would reccomend that maybe you confine your cat and give her something to keep herself amused and simply ignore the fraccas..she will soon get accustomed to her time confined..she is really attention seeking so she needs to learn that the world does no revolve around her..

Good luck

Andrew