I've been working on the SL, installing a reinforced subframe in place of the broken one (Thanks a lot for the help MB, not!).

I moved my 94 E320 cabriolet from the shop to the attached garage for a little extra room, and to keep the car protected. Swapped with my wife's 68 MGB, since it has a MUCH smaller footprint.

So..... wifey goes out n the garage to get an item out of the freezer, and my daughter's big tuxedo male cat slips into the garage. Wife makes attempt to get cat back in (Think Willy Wonka... No. Don't. Stop.), then closes door with cat in garage.

Now, the cat has gotten into garage before, and has made a habit of sleeping on the MGB's top. MG top is everflex vinyl, not fabic. So no big deal, right?

Wrong.....

Tuxedo cat gets on top of the Cabriolet and decides to sharpen it's claws on the Sonnenland fabric.

Thirty rips later, the cat tires of it's game.
Ruined the top.

As Cap'n Binghamptam used to say in McHale's Navy, "I could just scream.".

Much as I'd like to extract vengeance on the cat, ultimately it's misdirected. And I know better than to point the finger in any other direction.....

Just got the car back from the upholstery shop. New top and I treated myself to a new headliner while I was at it, but now I'm $1900 lighter.

Anybody else have cat problems, and what can keep the cat off the top?
I was thinking about a roll of bubble wrap. Maybe the cats feel uncomfortable walking on it.

Jim

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14 E250 BlueTEC black. 45k miles
95 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 66k miles
94 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 152k miles
85 300TD 4 spd man, euro bumpers and lights, 15" Pentas dark blue 274k miles

Get a dog...and a pellet gun

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1987 560SL
85,000 miles

Got the guns, but replaced dogs with daughters. A much more expensive proposition, by the way.
Getting the cat declawed is sounding like a very good idea.

BTW, lost a top in the 70's due to a dog climbing up on the car, and then falling through the top....

Jim

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14 E250 BlueTEC black. 45k miles
95 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 66k miles
94 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 152k miles
85 300TD 4 spd man, euro bumpers and lights, 15" Pentas dark blue 274k miles

Make the daughter pay you $900 because she is at least half to blame for what it did.

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

Cats scratch. It's hardly the animal's fault. I have noticed my barn cats don't like the crinkly crunch of cheap tarps. Maybe a 12 dollar tarp tossed over the car.

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You're a daisy if you do.
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84 Euro 240D 4spd. 220.5k sold
04 Honda Element AWD
1985 F150 XLT 4x4, 351W with 270k miles, hay hauler
1997 Suzuki Sidekick 4x4
1993 Toyota 4wd Pickup 226K and counting

Alot of leather furniture goes up for sale ,usually added phrases like,"with a few blemishes" added in the add , cat crime 101 . Taking the nails out is one option .I would act on putting something on top of the car ,a piece of foam insulation board ,its lite , wont scratch anything and easy to remove when need be.Cats are likely to recommit a crime if nothing is done ,this is why some people love cats and others are usually from the crowd that have cats reinacting these types of problems .

Jim B.: See paragraph #9 of OP by Mr. Freeh.

HE KNOWS BETTER!!!

Besides, didn't you realize that estrogen is highly flammable when monetary extraction methods, of any kind, is applied...even lovingly?

I'd rather live with the ripped top...

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M. G. Burg
'10 - Dakota SXT - Daily Ride / ≈ 172.5K
.'76 - 450SLC - 107.024.12 / < .89.20 K
..'77 - 280E - 123.033.12 / > 128.20 K
...'67 - El Camino - 283ci / > 207.00 K
....'75 - Yamaha - 650XS / < 21.00 K
.....'87 - G20 Sportvan / > 206.00 K
......'85 - 4WINNS 160 I.O. / 140hp
.......'74 - Honda CT70 / Real 125
.
“I didn’t really say everything I said.”
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ~ Yogi Berra ~

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

Try to limit the negative comments about cats. I have five (in addition to my horses, chickens, etc.) never once have I had to clean up feces in the house (dog) or urine (dog), I don't have to ever "let them out" or take them for a walk, they smell nice, they're soft, and highly intelligent.

I tink the main reason people don't like cats is because their respect is very hard to win, unlike a dog where you can light their tail on fire and they come running back to you.

Declawing a cat is cruel and violent. It is the same as cutting off all ten of a persons fingers or toes. It destroys all of their dexterity. I'm sorry the cat ruined your convertible top, but declawing is not the answer. You wouldn't cut off a dogs feet just because they got paw prints in your house would you?

Try this. Keep a can of the kitty's favorite food right there in the garage. If he enters the garage, open the food and bring it inside. A cat will not urn down food.

No comprehensive insurance?

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Good post. We currently have 7 who are indoor outdoor and a number of barn cats besides. There are two personality traits that no cat possesses. Guilt and shame. I've long thought that people who don't like cats may have a problem with the fact that you can't shame a cat into doing what you want it to do like you can a dog. A dog that will roll over and play dead for a treat is considered "smart". Not in my book.

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You're a daisy if you do.
__________________________________
84 Euro 240D 4spd. 220.5k sold
04 Honda Element AWD
1985 F150 XLT 4x4, 351W with 270k miles, hay hauler
1997 Suzuki Sidekick 4x4
1993 Toyota 4wd Pickup 226K and counting

Buy a coupe.

I don't have any convertibles, I only have hardtops. This Kitty (Jack) is 23lbs and has 24 toes. He's docile as a lamb.



He's done multiple 2000 mile car voyages. The best thing is he will use a letterbox placed in the footwell of a cars backseat at 70mph without spilling a drop.

bubble wrap works great!! you just have to make sure their little legs and paws are tucked in tight before you wrap them...

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On some nights I still believe that a car with the fuel gauge on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. - HST

1983 300SD - 305000
1984 Toyota Landcruiser - 190000
1994 GMC Jimmy - 203000

https://media.giphy.com/media/X3nnss8PAj5aU/giphy.gif

Not sure what to do about the kitty and the convertible top.

Let's hear about that MGB!

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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 22,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.