[G6Tanuki]

In my youth, we had a Cat, who liked to lie in front of the open fire and get really hot. If you stroked him you could then hear a static crackle! As an experiment I fitted an aluminium milk-bottle-top to a neon test-screwdriver, gave the cat a good stroking to generate charge, and then drew the foil-top-equipped screwdriver along his back.

To my delight the neon bulb lit!

My brother told me about 'electroscopes' used to measure electrostatic charge and I improvised one using some tinsel.

Then I progresed to rubbing an inflated long sausage-shaped balloon along the charged cat's back, transferring charge to the balloon, which would then cling to the wall or ceiling by static attraction.

Myjuvenile thought-experiment of "If I charge the cat up and hold him against the wall, will the static-cling hold him there?" was thankfully never put into practice.

During one balloon-charging session the Cat obviously became fed-up with the process and took a swipe at the balloon, bursting it. The resulting pop was sufficiently startling that thereafter he made himself scarce when balloons were about!