Potential cat problem

[Sparrow]

Poor earwigs; they're a persecuted species.

Islington Council in London has a 'Keep Earwigs Away' leaflet.

Why you may ask? Especially when the leaflet itself says:
"Are they a health hazard?
Although earwigs are not known to transmit disease, they can cause distress if seen in the home."

They only cause distress because they're misunderstood.
The council should be issuing 'Adopt an Earwig' leaflets so humankind and earwigs can learn from each other, and live in peace and harmony!!

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

Why do you think they are called earwurms in Dutch?

:shudder:

Originally Posted by Sparrow

Poor earwigs; they're a persecuted species.

Islington Council in London has a 'Keep Earwigs Away' leaflet.

Why you may ask? Especially when the leaflet itself says:
"Are they a health hazard?
Although earwigs are not known to transmit disease, they can cause distress if seen in the home."

They only cause distress because they're misunderstood.
The council should be issuing 'Adopt an Earwig' leaflets so humankind and earwigs can learn from each other, and live in peace and harmony!!

i don't kill them, but you won't catch me adopting any !! (after all, they did *start* the hostilities... *meaningful glance in the direction of those vicious pinchers*...)

[Vesper]

Originally Posted by Slite

Wierd, our alarmsystem is "pet-safe". i.e. the detectors doesnt trigger unless weight of the moving object is over some limit.

In our case though, that is useless, since I think it's at something like 30-40 pounds. And with 2x100+ pound goggies... well.

But then, we seldom leave them home alone so itäs not really a problem

Ahhh... I have to ask about that. But how can detect weight? It might detect size, but weight...

DrS

[Vesper]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

As answer to the original question: do all rooms have an alarm in them, or is it only in certain rooms and hallways?

All rooms and only entrance hall. No sensors in loft space (two rooms, bathroom, hall and closet). I thought of putting them in loft... but it's not a solution. They would have to stay in one room since hall is connected to the rest of the house - no door.

DrS

[pshrynk]

Originally Posted by Vesper

All rooms and only entrance hall. No sensors in loft space (two rooms, bathroom, hall and closet). I thought of putting them in loft... but it's not a solution. They would have to stay in one room since hall is connected to the rest of the house - no door.

DrS

Some of those motion detectors can be set to only scan three to four feet above the floor. you might check and see how sophisticated your system is.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Vesper

Ahhh... I have to ask about that. But how can detect weight? It might detect size, but weight...

DrS

Mass, not weight. Those systems will only go off when they detect a certain amount of mass.

One solution: tape those sensors with ducttape!

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by pshrynk

Some of those motion detectors can be set to only scan three to four feet above the floor. you might check and see how sophisticated your system is.

ha yes, but cats like to climb...

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

Mass, not weight. Those systems will only go off when they detect a certain amount of mass.

One solution: tape those sensors with ducttape!

ducttape really is the answer to everything, isn't it ?

[Patricia]

I would contact either the manufacturer, or the contracter who services the system. This can't be an unusual problem and they should have some answers.

(Incidentally, a relative has a system that doesn't cover two rooms, and these are where the cats go when she's out.)

[Mindy]

'Course, it's the Adipose you've got to really watch around alarm systems....

[krisk]

how do you go potty in the middle of the night?

[GeoffC]

Originally Posted by krisk

how do you go potty in the middle of the night?

carefully ?

[krisk]

does one have to run to the alarm panel to turn it off, then potty then turn it back on and run to bed?

[Vesper]

Originally Posted by Patricia

(Incidentally, a relative has a system that doesn't cover two rooms, and these are where the cats go when she's out.)

I think I'll go with this solution too... if nothing else is viable.

DrS

[Darqref]

I have no idea if the technical details are different for your alarm system, but we have two different houses, both with alarm systems. In our case, these systems are monitored by ADT Security Systems.

There are two types of sensors: Perimeter sensors, on doors or windows; and Motion sensors that cover particular areas.

The perimeter alarms are only on the places you put them, and the monitoring service (and installation) is more expensive if you have lots of sensors. Most home systems around here have a couple of Door sensors that detect if the door is opened, and ignore windows. There are window sensors available, but we like to have open windows at night....

The motion sensors are likewise constrained by cost, and you place them to cover likely areas - for example it's really difficult to get any significant theft or damage without moving through a particular hall or room, so that's where you put the sensor.

In any case, the control panel can always enable either type of sensor, or both. When we leave our cats at home, we turn on the perimeter alarms. When we take the cats with us (to travel to other house), we turn on both perimeter and motion. If we turn on alarms at night, we also turn on only the perimeter, thus no alarms in the bathroom.

And yeah, we've had un-explainable alarms that we attribute to spiders in the sensors (although one time we're reasonably sure a deer banged into a window which may have triggered the motion sensor that happened to cover that area.) Also, be wary of loose things that could blow around if you have forced air heating.

[Vesper]

Originally Posted by Darqref

I have no idea if the technical details are different for your alarm system, but we have two different houses, both with alarm systems. In our case, these systems are monitored by ADT Security Systems.

There are two types of sensors: Perimeter sensors, on doors or windows; and Motion sensors that cover particular areas.

The perimeter alarms are only on the places you put them, and the monitoring service (and installation) is more expensive if you have lots of sensors. Most home systems around here have a couple of Door sensors that detect if the door is opened, and ignore windows. There are window sensors available, but we like to have open windows at night....

The motion sensors are likewise constrained by cost, and you place them to cover likely areas - for example it's really difficult to get any significant theft or damage without moving through a particular hall or room, so that's where you put the sensor.

In any case, the control panel can always enable either type of sensor, or both. When we leave our cats at home, we turn on the perimeter alarms. When we take the cats with us (to travel to other house), we turn on both perimeter and motion. If we turn on alarms at night, we also turn on only the perimeter, thus no alarms in the bathroom.

And yeah, we've had un-explainable alarms that we attribute to spiders in the sensors (although one time we're reasonably sure a deer banged into a window which may have triggered the motion sensor that happened to cover that area.) Also, be wary of loose things that could blow around if you have forced air heating.

Thanks for the info. I'll have to check with our security - have to be prepared even though I'll probably not need it for at least 6 months.
I know about loose things - been warned already but since we have underfloor heating and no drapes nothing will trigger those sensors - in theory

DrS