# Petting my cat causes static on my guitar amp **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 2, 2021, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/petting-my-cat-causes-static-on-my-guitar-amp/953676 "2021-11-02T11:01:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mike\_Mabes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mike_mabes/32/1782_2.png) [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2021, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/petting-my-cat-causes-static-on-my-guitar-amp/953676/1 "2021-11-02T11:01:45Z")
In my TV I also have 3 guitars connected to an amp. On Friday my cat came in here, he was on the floor in front of the couch, and when I reached down to pet him I heard some very faint static on the amp. This happened twice but I didn’t think anything about it, just assumed that the cable to one of my guitars was loose and that when I leaned forward it caused a vibration on the floor that went to the amp, on one of the guitars the nut where the cable goes in was a little loose and I tightened it. But just a few minutes ago the same thing started happening, this time with Mickey on the coffee table in front of me. I made absolutely sure that my foot wasn’t on a cable and that a cable wasn’t touching the couch and that the guitar that is leaning against a side table isn’t touching the couch. I leaned forward and “air petted” Mickey, moving my hand just above his body. Nothing, but when I actually petted him I again heard the static, as I did just a few minutes ago petting him as he sits beside me on the couch. And the faster I petted the louder the sound got. Still not really loud The only thing I could think of, and this sounded crazy to me, was that petting him was causing some static electricity in the air. Well, I just looked it up and some cats have a fair amount ot static in their fur. I’ve never gotten that little shock you sometimes get from static, but now I remember a few times when he has smelled my hand and pulled away briefly, he must have gotten a tiny shock. And once again I patted him on the head a few times to verify, I am not going crazy. I’ve got an electric cat! ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2021, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/petting-my-cat-causes-static-on-my-guitar-amp/953676/2 "2021-11-02T11:35:23Z")
If your cat is like mine, (s)he immediately wants to get involved in whatever you’re doing. Just play and then pet. LOL ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2021, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/petting-my-cat-causes-static-on-my-guitar-amp/953676/3 "2021-11-02T11:40:41Z")
Does the static have a tonal quality? Like, does the frequency of the static change with petting speed, or any other factor? What I’m getting at is, maybe you could play some avant-garde music with your cat, kind of like the way Jimi Hendrix used guitar feedback to play The Star Spangled Banner at Woodstock. ---
**Author:** ![Mike\_Mabes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mike_mabes/32/1782_2.png) [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2021, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/petting-my-cat-causes-static-on-my-guitar-amp/953676/4 "2021-11-02T11:44:27Z")
I just tried different speeds. If I go pretty fast, and if I turned up the sound (it is very early) it could have a sort of beat box sound. Someone should develop a novelty act ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2021, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/petting-my-cat-causes-static-on-my-guitar-amp/953676/5 "2021-11-02T11:53:27Z")
“Ladies and gentlemen, you’re familiar with the theremin…I now present, the catemin!” ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2021, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/petting-my-cat-causes-static-on-my-guitar-amp/953676/6 "2021-11-02T11:59:39Z")
> [@Mike\_Mabes](#): > > Someone should develop a novelty act > [@Maserschmidt](#): > > I now present, the catemin!” **Agent:** “So, what do you call this act?” **Mike\_Mabes:** “The Aristocats!” ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2021, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/petting-my-cat-causes-static-on-my-guitar-amp/953676/7 "2021-11-02T12:03:35Z")
> [@solost](#): > > **Mike\_Mabes:** “The Aristocats!” Oy! That’s almost an example of Gaudere’s Law. 😉 (Oops — I mean the other “law,” about inevitably referencing Hitler or the Holocaust. Never mind…) ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2021, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/petting-my-cat-causes-static-on-my-guitar-amp/953676/8 "2021-11-02T12:10:22Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > (Oops — I mean the other “law,” about inevitably referencing Hitler or the Holocaust. Never mind…) OK…had me scratching my head there for a minute with the Gaudere’s Law ref. Although, I’m not really getting the comparison to Godwin’s Law either, jokingly or otherwise… ❔ ❓ ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2021, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/petting-my-cat-causes-static-on-my-guitar-amp/953676/9 "2021-11-02T12:13:12Z")
Thanks! Only that “The Aristocrats” is like the Holocaust of jokes: so astoundingly gross, out-of-bounds, tasteless… (yes, I love it). ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2021, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/petting-my-cat-causes-static-on-my-guitar-amp/953676/10 "2021-11-02T12:15:56Z")
Ah ok, I see. And I guess there was a bit of Gaudere in there too, since I did misspell “Aristocrats”, however intentionally for the purpose of the joke. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2021, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/petting-my-cat-causes-static-on-my-guitar-amp/953676/11 "2021-11-02T12:16:57Z")
Ha! Anyway, back to the feline feedback machine… ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2021, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/petting-my-cat-causes-static-on-my-guitar-amp/953676/12 "2021-11-02T13:36:12Z")
> [@solost](#): > > **Agent:** “So, what do you call this act?” > > **Mike\_Mabes:** “The Aristocats!” This is an excellent, A+ joke. Well done. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2021, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/petting-my-cat-causes-static-on-my-guitar-amp/953676/13 "2021-11-02T13:53:54Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > This is an excellent, A+ joke. Well done 😊 ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2021, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/petting-my-cat-causes-static-on-my-guitar-amp/953676/14 "2021-11-02T13:54:21Z")
Get rid of the cat. Your tone is everything! ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2021, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/petting-my-cat-causes-static-on-my-guitar-amp/953676/15 "2021-11-02T13:59:24Z")
> [@Mike\_Mabes](#): > > I’ve got an electric cat! What you actually have is a Radio Cat. > **[Spark-gap transmitter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spark-gap_transmitter)** > > A spark-gap transmitter is an obsolete type of radio transmitter which generates radio waves by means of an electric spark. Spark-gap transmitters were the first type of radio transmitter, and were the main type used during the wireless telegraphy or "spark" era, the first three decades of radio, from 1887 to the end of World War I. German physicist Heinrich Hertz built the first experimental spark-gap transmitters in 1887, with which he proved the existence of radio waves and studied A fundament... I noticed my cat emitting radio waves because I’d get clicks on my computer speakers. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2021, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/petting-my-cat-causes-static-on-my-guitar-amp/953676/16 "2021-11-02T14:06:31Z")
They don’t call it a cat’s whisker detector for nothing. > **[Crystal detector](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_detector)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > A crystal detector is an obsolete electronic component used in some early 20th century radio receivers that consists of a piece of crystalline mineral which rectifies the alternating current radio signal. It was employed as a detector (demodulator) to extract the audio modulation signal from the modulated carrier, to produce the sound in the earphones. It was the first type of semiconductor diode, and one of the first semiconductor electronic de... ---
**Author:** ![GeneralTang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/97f17d/32.png) [@GeneralTang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GeneralTang)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2021, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/petting-my-cat-causes-static-on-my-guitar-amp/953676/17 "2021-11-02T14:13:21Z")
This is hilarious to me. My research group and I use a radio telescope to study lightning. So, we’ll do a demonstration for reporters and students where we set up a wimshurst machine (makes sparks) and an old radio, and you can hear the wimshurst machine making static noise in the radio. Doing this experiment we can show that it is actually the very small sparks that get picked up, and the antenna of the radio is actually not important. It’s probably a similar thing with your cat. I guess what I’m trying to say is that you could probably do some good lightning science if you put your cat on top of your amp and pointed it at a lightning storm… ---
**Author:** ![Mike\_Mabes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mike_mabes/32/1782_2.png) [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2021, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/petting-my-cat-causes-static-on-my-guitar-amp/953676/18 "2021-11-02T20:51:45Z")
The couch is about 5 feet away from the amp, but last night I noticed while he was on my lap in a chair 10 feet away it didn’t happen. I was just thinking that if I could train him to sit directly on the amp I would really have something. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2021, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/petting-my-cat-causes-static-on-my-guitar-amp/953676/19 "2021-11-02T22:45:55Z")
> [@Mike\_Mabes](#): > > I’ve got an electric cat! A cat is pretty much a walking Van de Graaff generator. Especially long haired ones like mine. ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2021, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/petting-my-cat-causes-static-on-my-guitar-amp/953676/20 "2021-11-02T23:43:13Z")
Fold up a white towel fresh from the dryer and put it on the amp while telling kitty to stay off. Now your cat will live on your amp. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/petting-my-cat-causes-static-on-my-guitar-amp/953676.md?page=2)