you need to get a few things straight. cats hate closed doors. there will be no ‘teaching’ going on. the privilege of living with cats is that you live with creatures that do exactly what they want when they want.
Based on my past cats, and others I’ve known then simply buy a really expensive cat bed to put under your BB and a really flash scratch post to stand next to the chain/rear mech and you should be fine as no self respecting cat would lower themselves to go anywhere near that. Equally, like any spouse/partner/cleaner, if you have a room in the house with a permanently closed door that you tell them they aren’t allowed in then it will be the most interesting place in the world. Invite them to spend 2 hours a day in there and they will have zero interest in the noises and smells from there…
I don’t train indoors, other than some bodyweight or core work done in the basement or living room, so our cats don’t bother me about that
However, a short time after I came in from my run yesterday afternoon, one of them was fussing to go out into the back yard; to either chase some little birds flitting around the bushes or to harass a flock of geese who were taking a paddle break in our retention pond behind the fence
“You can’t got out” I told her “It’s cold and windy and there’s snow blowing around” (nothing of consequence, and not sticking at all; just fluffy flakes drifting past)
She gave me a look that said ‘You went out. Why can’t I?!!!’
“Yeah,” I replied to her nonverbal question, "But I’m an idiot, and you’re smarter than that’
She looked out the the window again, with a certain smugness this time, ‘You are right about that; both things’
If you don’t have a chilled out cat like mine was, you could put a box or a laundry basket in the corner of the room and they would just sit in it and watch you.
If you don’t have a chilled out cat like mine was, you could put a box or a laundry basket in the corner of the room and they would just sit in it and watch you.
… or ignore you, either way
Well, thank you for all the responses. And answering to today’s reply although it has been deleted… , no, finally I didn’t get a cat. The risk of getting cat’s hair in the electronics and ventilations of the equipment made me think it twice. So no cat for the family for now.
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Well, thank you for all the responses. And answering to today’s reply although it has been deleted… , no, finally I didn’t get a cat. The risk of getting cat’s hair in the electronics and ventilations of the equipment made me think it twice. So no cat for the family for now.
this makes me sad! if you have a dedicated space, it shouldn’t be a concern. I use my basement and no one (including my husband) is allowed down there when I’m on my bike. My cat who likes the basement sees trainer time as an opportunity for mischief and to knock shit off of shelves. But she’s a solid strength coach, helping me count reps and making sure I take the correct rest intervals.
I really don’t have an issue with cat hair accumulating on things and causing issues. Even in the rest of my house where the 3 house panthers freely roam.
… where the 3 house panthers freely roam.
See … she knows what my cat is talking about
my cat comes down into the basement to do his business, gives me a bored look, and wanders off to find someplace more entertaining. He likes to do laps of either the main floor or the stairwell for crazy hour, so he understands how training works 
Never had a problem with cat or dog hair in any of my training or other equipment…
The risk of getting cat’s hair in the electronics and ventilations of the equipment made me think it twice. So no cat for the family for now.
We’ve two cats at the moment. At our max capacity over the past 20yrs we had five.
And that’s with two trainers/bikes set up year round.
There is a non-0% chance something could go wrong, somewhere, sometime, and it could be cat hair-related.
But, IME: very very unlikely. And the joy & love cats offer > tri/bike things.
We’ve so many friends with similar set-ups (multiple cats, multiple bikes/trainers).
Not getting cats? The FOMO should be overwhelming.