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Honestly, I highly doubt that your cats would jump into the piano while you are playing, but one thought I had is that you could just hand a thin bed sheet of some sort off the edge of the piano so that it drapes over the open side. If a cat can't see where he will land, or at least where he can jump into, he won't try to jump. IE, if he doesn't know that there's anything beyond the sheet, then it won't ever come up. Also, the sheet would be easy to remove if you want.

Though if it were me, I probably just wouldn't worry about it, just keep an eye out for the cat when you have the lid up. Also who knows, you may even decide that you prefer to not have the lid up most of the time.

TEHunter1

And here before completing my reading of your post, I though it was about to head towards: "....who knows, you may even decide that you prefer the cat inside the piano."

In most likelihood, I might not have it up most of the time. It depends on what state the pieces are in. For learning notes and metronome practice, not necessary. For more advanced refining work, probably necessary at times.

Prodigal -

I've heard of shake cans, never thought they'd be very effective but your post suggests otherwise, especially for noise-averse kitties, which, alas, Mojo has already demonstrated he is rather noise-philic by his apparent love of the piano noise (oops I mean music).

It's sounding like nobody has heard of such a device as I have envisioned and that most think it will be unnecessary. Having never before had a grand piano - just a spinet that gets walked all over no matter how loud I'm playing - I simply assumed this was going to be a problem. I'll hope for the best, I guess, and it doesn't sound like my idea would have much of a market after all.

Great idea. Works with dogs too.

You have dogs in your piano?

No.. but our Sheltie, Mojo (imagine that), loves to lay by me while I play.

The noise can breaks a dog's focus really well, and they come to see it as a cease and desist signal.

Would draping a net over the lid work? You could stow the net when the piano is closed.

Werner - I thought about a net, but I wonder if he would just consider it to be a fun, new jungle gym.....I'd need a strong one because he's an extremely sizeable cat. Not wide - in fact I call him my "string bean" but big (long and tall) and heavy.

Michael - Mojo! Imagine that. Maybe the name inspires in quadrupeds something to do with music.

Nahh. He just has great taste in humans.

Seriously, though. If i am playing he will come from anywhere in the house to be there and stretch out on the loveseat nearby. If I play 2 hours, he's still there.

That would be pretty effective way of keeping cats out of the piano.

But then you'd have to put in a lion to keep out the dog, an elephant to keep out the lion, a mouse to keep out the elephant, a cat to keep out the mouse and you're back where you started...

Thanks for the ideas! I too have four cats and have thought about this issue myself, while I wait for my Estonia to complete its leisurely sail across the Atlantic. At least one of the cats liked to sit on top of my old upright while I played and this is the one I suspect may have a keen interest in investigating the interior of a grand! Maybe a few "bad" (but not harmful) experiences may change his mind, if he tries anything!

Get one of those Chinese screens that are several feet high...I've seen some that are done somewhat open in design - so as to not interefere with the music - but would interfere with a cat trying to get to the piano.

The Shakey Can of Doom (SCoD) does not work on my dog. To the contrary - it just spurs her on to new heights of exhuberant naughtiness. And she loves to freak out the cats with it.

A cat's first introduction to the SCoD generally comes along with a liberal dosage of "No! NO! NO!!! MAMA SAID NO!!!", so the cats get the point.

Even a Bengal should figure out that it's a cease and desist order. ;o)

I have only told one person about the SCoD who could not get it to work, she told me. She was the "now, honeyyyyy, don't do that....no, no, no sweetie" type (so am I, generally, but not when I want to correct bad behavior). When I was visiting her house and the aforementioned "impervious" cat jumped up to get inside the box with the freshly delivered pizza, I very quietly picked up the SCoD and snuck up on him and launched a surprise attack...he vaulted several feet in the air and went several directions at once.

One strong correction is worth several hundred feeble attempts. =)

Kugelis - you'll have to let me know what issues arise with your inquisitive one

Hmmm, a Chinese screen. Kluurs, that gives me a different train of ideas....or maybe one of those Middle Eastern ones with the wood filligree. There's a thought, if I could get it close enough to the piano body to make the logistics difficult for the cat.

The shakey can might be worth a try as well. It (or some variant thereof) has been discussed for years as a standard piece of training equipment, although I can see where a dog might be more pleased than perturbed (new toy! New toy!! Woof!).
Will let you know, Prodigal, if my Bengal 'gets it.' I don't think Bengals as a breed are particularly dense, I just think this one isn't the sharpest knife in the block. Big, sweet, handsome and dumb.

Think I'll do without the whole elephant in the piano thing, Mikewu99. Besides, where would I find a mouse? They seem to avoid my house for some reason. I've never paid attention to whether the elephants stay away.

I might have missed a response, but did you consider Mikhailoh's string cover suggestion? It doesn't stop the cat getting in, but limits the damage if it does.

I'd keep the cat out when playing, but that's not the answer you wanted, is it .

Depending on the size of your room, you may find you are not always playing with the lid up. Another thought.

Well, this has actually happened to me on more than one occasion. Really gets me going, too. The cat, sadly, doesn't seem to care how mad I get.

What an educational thread! We are already deciding how many SCoD we need at our house. I think they will work rather well.

We have cats who are scared to go outside because I have done the extreme "NO, NO, NO, MOMMA SAYS NOOO!" at an earsplitting level just a few times. They must have good recall.

I was going to suggest a large piano shawl to cover the opening, but then I pictured the ones I have seen, and they usually have fringe. That's nothing but a cat magnet. So scrap that idea.

The SCoD seems the best option, and we will be making several. Ours may be afraid to go outside, but indoors they think they own the place.

Well, I am desperate enough to try the can thing recommended by Mikhailoh. I have a stubborn, obstinate cat that really allows me, as a special favor, to feed and care for her. She doesn't get inside my grand, but does leap on top of it. In order to protect the finish, I have it covered with a --shudder, shudder, shawl. Hate the thing, but it does protect the lid from minute scratches. I rush to get it off the piano when anyone is coming, but really have not come up with anything better to keep her off the lid.
She is very obstinate, and independent and decided to let me know that she is in charge of where she chooses to sit. So, as soon as she found out I considered the piano "off limits," she immediately challenged me.
So,off to the store to get a soda can, and hopefully to establish that it is I who make the rules. Gaby tu

In my house the lid cover will likely be a saddle blanket or serape - a shawl just WOULDN'T go with my pueblo/southwest/rustic decor. Of course neither does a shiny, black grand piano but that's beside the point. Of course I have an actual quilted piano cover that I bought - which arrived what looks like twelve weeks ahead of the piano - but I may only need that on the days the cleaning lady comes, to convince her to leave the piano alone (por favor, no limpia aqui'!). Unfortunately serapes also have fringe - the saddle blanket has a tassel at each corner but it isn't a complete row of cat-attracting fringe.

Currawong, no doubt I will often play with the lid down, as I said in earlier posts, but on occasion will need it up. The cat that is the most obstinate (similar to the one gabytu describes) is not the one who is all over the piano when I'm playing, but the one who IS right in the thick of it is a slow learner and seems to just tune me out most of the time unless I'm ripping up raw meat for him (or trying to play the piano).

All four of mine are indoors-only, but not for lack of trying to get out. Except the fat, arthritic, toofless calico, who does get backyard priviledges because she couldn't get over the wall if she wanted to (nor onto/into the piano). As a five-year veteran of volunteering at my local animal shelter, I'm too aware of how many cats become coyote food around here and I'm not willing to take that chance....although the mountain lions and coyotes need to eat, too. They can eat someone else's cat.