This season we've replaced our old CAB50 with a Harman P68. I'm looking forward to the major upgrade this heating season.
However, I wasn't prepared for how hot the cabinet gets compared to our old stove. My main concern is that we have a cat who "lives" in a cat tree reasonably close to the stove (beyond safe clearances), and used the top of our old stove as her primary route to the kitchen and the rest of the house. That obviously isn't going to happen with the P68! I had to stand guard at the stove when I ran it to cure the paint and shoo this one cat away who was determined to get on there. We have a multi-cat (6) household with some territorial issues and they're all elderly ranging in age between 12-18 meaning they don't retrain easily and gravitate even more toward warmth than younger cats. But it does also mean that barriers will generally work to keep them away since they're not as agile as they once were.
Right now I have a couple of stainless pots and a teapot on the step top to train them to not get on the stove, which is working so far. I also got a great price on heat shields which will help with side temperatures, but I want to put something better on top to make sure they don't even think about getting up there. I suppose what I have now will do but the step top has already gotten marked up a little from my hurriedly putting things on top of there when I was curing the paint. A wood stove steamer or trivet might work but they're awfully expensive.
I have a child gate that I had around my old stove (eventually took it down because it wasn't necessary) so while I can reinstall it, that won't keep them from the top of the stove.
Yes, moving the residential cat tree is an option, but even if I do that I still want to make sure none of them get on the stove because there are other ways they can and will jump up there.
However, I wasn't prepared for how hot the cabinet gets compared to our old stove. My main concern is that we have a cat who "lives" in a cat tree reasonably close to the stove (beyond safe clearances), and used the top of our old stove as her primary route to the kitchen and the rest of the house. That obviously isn't going to happen with the P68! I had to stand guard at the stove when I ran it to cure the paint and shoo this one cat away who was determined to get on there. We have a multi-cat (6) household with some territorial issues and they're all elderly ranging in age between 12-18 meaning they don't retrain easily and gravitate even more toward warmth than younger cats. But it does also mean that barriers will generally work to keep them away since they're not as agile as they once were.
Right now I have a couple of stainless pots and a teapot on the step top to train them to not get on the stove, which is working so far. I also got a great price on heat shields which will help with side temperatures, but I want to put something better on top to make sure they don't even think about getting up there. I suppose what I have now will do but the step top has already gotten marked up a little from my hurriedly putting things on top of there when I was curing the paint. A wood stove steamer or trivet might work but they're awfully expensive.
I have a child gate that I had around my old stove (eventually took it down because it wasn't necessary) so while I can reinstall it, that won't keep them from the top of the stove.
Yes, moving the residential cat tree is an option, but even if I do that I still want to make sure none of them get on the stove because there are other ways they can and will jump up there.
