Messing with heat register covers

[katachtig]

Just when you think you have them figured out, they come up with some imaginative and new.

Kiefer has developed a fascination with the heat ducts.  He isn't allowed in the basement and there is some smell in the basement that attracts him.  When we had the hardwood floors put in, we replaced the covers with these.  He started pulling them out so we have put 5 lbs weights on them.  He can move those weights and pull up the covers.  Now he has started on the other type of register covers we have upstairs like these.

I have put some Olbai oil (peppermint and eucalyptus) in the registers for rooms that we don't spend a lot of time.  It keeps him away from the registers but also out of the room.  So it isn't the best solution because he wouldn't want to be anywhere in the house.

Does anyone have any ideas of how we can deter him from his latest antics?

 

[feralvr]

I don't have any advice as how to deter them from those :dk:. But reminds me of a terrible thing that happened to my Presley as a kitten. Thank God I was home at the time. He was laying on the heat register, his collar tag got caught in the register. He was wearing one of those elastic kitten collars. He freaked out and ran off, pulling and dragging the heat register along with him :jaw:. It turned and twisted as he ran, twisting the collar tighter and tighter around his neck. I was downstairs and heard all of the loud crashing. I raced up the stairs and found him in my bedroom almost about to pass out from being choked :sobbing:. I got scissors immediately and cut the collar loose from the register and untangled it from his neck, freeing his airway. I rushed him to the vet to be examined. It was very, very scary. Just a word of warning about elastic collars with tags and heat register's. If I wasn't home, my baby boy would have died. It still haunts me to this day.......

 

[arlyn]

The register covers in the old house I grew up in were original hardwood like the floors.

My stepdad simply screwed them down (countersunk) and glued wooden caps (plugs) stained to match over the screws.

 

[jcat]

My parents used to have trouble with the dogs pulling up the metal grates/covers, and my father did the same thing Arlyn's stepfather did - drilled holes in them and screwed them down. You can get bolts with fancy "butterfly" nuts, e.g. in brass, for beside/at the ends of the ducts, but there's always a risk of messing up the floors.

 

[meuzettesmom]

You came up with your best remedy. In fact I am going to remember it.

I too had the season of the register rip ups. Some years back.

The boys use to try to send their little sister down the hole. I had to catch her hinny before she succeeded. I nailed mine down. But I live in a trailor, so it doesn't matter what it looks like,

 

[katachtig]

Some years back.
The boys use to try to send their little sister down the hole.

I came into the living room while Kiefer was pulling one up.  His sister, Aoibhe, was sitting looking like she was supposed to be lookout.  She didn't do a good job though.  She just stared at me and Kiefer got caught.