by Liz Hamill

Oct. 1, 2010 — Cats love computers. Happy kitties perch on PCs, paw at printers, march across keyboards, bat at mice, and curl contentedly purring on their humans’ laps and laptops as we reach around them read our favorite blogs. But is it safe for a cat to play or sleep on a computer? How does it affect the cat? How does it affect the computer?

Sunshine loves to sit by the computer screen. Photo courtesy of Jeri Dansky.

With computers acting as focal points of people’s daily lives, the interaction between pet and PC is frequent and potentially hazardous for both cat and computer. Happily, many of these hazards can be easily and inexpensively averted.

Secure all cables: Cables are the most dangerous parts of the computer to your pet. Even the smaller cords that attach the keyboard and mouse to the back of a computer carry an electrical current that could seriously injure a cat. Keep all cables bundled together and out of your cat’s path. If your cat is prone to chewing electrical cords, purchase cable covers or make your own by slitting a piece of PVC pipe and stuffing the cables inside. Spray any exposed cords with an anti-chew product from your pet store.

Position your computer wisely: If possible, keep all the parts of your computer off the ground at all times. This serves the dual purpose of raising the cables and components away from the cat’s path and minimizing the computer’s exposure to loose cat hair. Try to place the back of tower-style computers four to eight inches from a wall. There should be enough space behind the tower so the fans inside the box can cool the internal components, but not enough room for a curious feline to get behind it and wreak havoc.

Position your cat wisely: Discourage your cat from sitting or sleeping on top of older monitors or newer laptops or iPads, even though it’s a nice warm platform for a kitty. Cat hair can get into the vents on top of the monitor or inside a laptop and cause electrical problems. A static charge could be dangerous to the cat, burning hair and skin. Provide an alternate perch or bed, even going so far as to add a hot water bottle or heating pad to the cat bed in wintertime, so your kitty will have another warm spot to lie down on.

“Cats are attracted to 1) the entertainment on the monitor and 2) your loving presence,” says Pam Johnson-Bennett, feline behaviorist and author of five books, including Think Like a Cat. Whether you allow your cat to sit on your lap while you use the computer is up to you. Having a purring fuzzball to keep you company may make working more pleasant. If it’s more distracting than comforting, Johnson-Bennett suggests playing with your cat for a while before going to the computer to satisfy your pet’s need for companionship. He will then be more likely to nap elsewhere while you work.

Keyboard storage and maintenance: Cats love keyboards. Perhaps this is because humans devote so much time to typing at the keyboard rather than scritching deserving kitties. Then again, maybe our felines want to write the great American novel. Johnson-Bennett recommends purchasing a keyboard drawer if your desk doesn’t already have one.

Keyboards are notorious for attracting all sorts of crud, including cat hair. It’s important to keep the keyboard clean so that it continues to function properly. Lance Scott, a Silicon Valley computer technician who lives with cats, advises regularly turning your keyboard upside-down and shaking it to dislodge dirt, hair and crumbs. You can purchase a can of compressed air from a computer store and blow out the area between and underneath the keys. Clean both detached keyboards and laptop keyboards often.

Clean in and around the computer: Cat hair is an insidious substance that can invade every crack and crevice of frail electronic products, producing problems small to catastrophic. The monitor or DVD drive might suddenly stop working, or your connection to the Internet might fail. Scott once flipped the switch to turn on a computer only to have the machine emit a loud “bang” as a bunch of cat hair, dust, and fried parts flew out the back. He discovered that what was left of the machine’s power supply was encrusted with cat hair. Some of the hair had melted, creating a conductive substance that violently destroyed the power supply.

Keeping all components of your computer as free of cat hair as possible can significantly prolong the life of your computer. If your computer is on the floor, vacuum around it regularly. Keep laptops, netbooks and iPads in cases or drawers when you’re not using them. Use that can of compressed air you bought for the keyboard to clean the mouse, too.

Finally, if you’ve had trouble with pet hair harming your computers before, take your computer to the local repair shop and have it thoroughly cleaned about once each year.