animals in the workplace

[steve bisson]

i know some people get dogs for their office as a stress reliever. I think its a good idea but what about cats ?

My advice to you . Keep away the cats !!!

I have been on the computer for an hour now and the damn thing kept using me as a ladder ( painfull ) to get on the desk and throw everything on the floor to play with it. After its done doing that i have to remove it from the computer's fan every 5 minutes because its warm it seem to think its a nice place to put is butt and have a nap. It cross in front of the computer by stepping on the keyboard ( every time he does that static collects a zillions hair from it and makes the computer screen look like a fancy carpet) , it bites my toes under the desk AAAhhhhh.

heres what he had to say about it

"hg89edrty=g i8 "

Thats what he wrote by trying to place himself confortably on the keyboard for a nice nap. ( no kidding ) He does that all the time.

Fish are supposed to be good for the workplace :) i think ill trade it hehe. ( just joking :D )

[Ricardo Vladimiro]

Well, I have 4 aquariums and I will never keep an animal that can't live in one. Had a cat once, she was a great typewriter like yours. :)

[Daire Quinlan]

yeah, cats are bad around computers. My cat used to sleep on top of my 19 inch monitor, loads of lovely heat there. Then one day (no cat to be found) my computer kept on stuttering and freezing, I'd turn it off and leave it for a while then come back to it and it would be okay for a while then WHammo. Crash. Couldn't work it out. Eventually reached around the back of the computer to see if the power supply cable was loose or anything and what am I greeted with ? a resounding purr from my cat, nestled up against the ventilation grill behind the machine.

D.

[Gasproof]

We've 5 of those critters...

Luckily they are *supposed* to remain downstairs... however, when one breaks loose and makes it into my room... they mostly try to distract me with "over-the-top"-noises that should resemble the well known "miauws".
The sound you hear then, makes you think they are being squeezed and are about to explode... you can't do otherwise than redirect your attention to them.

Typing cats is a common thing I guess. BUT! I'll get one those fingerprint-locked keyboards... see what they'll have to say 'bout that! Hah! ;)

[Robert Cummings]

One day I left the computer for a few hours and returned in horror to find my cat hanging limply from the cd drive tray, strangled by it.

On the screen were the words "goodbye cruel world"



Of course this isn't true, so you can stop gawping now. I think pets in the workplace are the worst possible concept. In fact pets are bad anyway. It's revolting keeping animals around you. You are there to work, so why not try a nice fragrance, or even a candle - something truely relaxing to help you get into the work. Not some stinking mutt pissing on the carpet and sharing his fleas.

[Russell Fincher]

Once my cat jump on the keyboard while I was in an adjacent room, somehow managing to shut down the computer, but not before re-naming a folder the "equals" sign. Completely true.

I think with a little training I may have some free labor on my hands. "Will work for sliced deli meat."

[Hamumu]

My cats always hang around the work desk. There's a section on it that's right in the sun that is very popular, as is my lap. I don't know why, but they have NO desire to step on the keyboard, they make a very careful effort to step around it. The only real problem is the hair in the mouse optics. You know, it's good for your blood pressure to pet a cat.

[turbo]

Hehehe, what a morning smile this one.

My littlest ferret, Psyche, has changed my opacity settings on my photoshop textures more than a few times. :D :p

We have four of these sweet creatures in our computer room and couldn't be without them. Not only are they great entertainment and soft, fuzzy stress release helpers, but their agility helped inspire our character animations. :cool:

[papillon]

I've never had a pet - I've always worried that they would try to bite electrical cables and fry themselves.

I suppose for a cat or dog, a cable does not smell like food - but don't some things like to get their teeth into *everything*?

[Hamumu]

Yes, one of my cats has a chewing obsession, and needs to be chased away from dangerous/sensitive things. He's never done any damage to any kind of cable yet, but he certainly has mangled some cardboard boxes and important papers. I don't think it has anything to do with food, it's just fun. He chews cardboard chunks up and spits them out.

He's chewed the end of my cell phone charging cord, while the other end was plugged into the wall, and didn't seem to get shocked, so I'm glad those are well-designed. He's also chewed christmas lights, but didn't break them, thankfully. He loves to chew thumbtacks, which is insane. I get those away from him as quick as I can. Never seen it cause any bleeding, though.

[GBGames]

When I got my cat, I was making a Pong clone in QBasic, and so far only had a ball bouncing around the screen. He was a kitten still, but I put him on the desk and had him look at the monitor. That ball entertained him for a bit.

Quake 3 wasn't as fun for him, apparently. He stepped on the power button. My machine was never the same after that. I guess Win98SE, running Quake 3 Arena, and shutting down don't mix well, and it is possible that it damaged my hard drive. I've gotten a new drive since then.

I also refuse to have power buttons on my keyboards.

I had two CRTs on my desk, and for a couple of weeks, my cat would like to squeeze between them and hang out. I guess it bored him eventually because he stopped. He also doesn't hang out by my computers, which means I don't have to worry about cables being knocked out or chewed on. When he was still a kitten, I had a computer in my room, and he would explore. I would keep an eye on him, but almost every time, I would notice that he was being quiet...a little too quiet. Whenever I found him, he would have a puddle underneath him. The scariest was when he was right behind the computer on the floor. Luckily the machine was fine, which also meant he was fine.

I think someone asked on Slashdot about what to do about cats in the workplace. One suggestion was using dryer sheets to cover the fans so that cat hair can't get in while still allowing circulation. The chewing on cables part was usually due to the lack of attention you give your cat. So pet your cat!!

I have a feeling I've written this before...

Ah, here's why: My similar-sounding post from May 31st, 2005 (http://forums.indiegamer.com/showpost.php?p=42456&postcount=17)

[bignobody]

We have four of these sweet creatures in our computer room and couldn't be without them. Not only are they great entertainment and soft, fuzzy stress release helpers, but their agility helped inspire our character animations. :cool:

Heh, I used to have 4 ferrets years ago ( all gone now :( ). Lovely critters (provided they've been de-scented ;) ). It's hard to forget the "weasel war-dance" once you've seen it first hand.

Regards,

[Artinum]

If your cat is walking across your keyboard, getting in front of the screen or investigating the flavour and texture of your cables, it is not because they are particularly interested in the computer. It's just that you are spending far more time with this weird glowing box than you are with them, and they are seeking to return your attention where it belongs.

I grew up with a rather large tom called Lucky. He was particularly fond of prawns and shed hair all over the place. Living with two children (my sister and I) he soon got used to being picked up and would sag at either end in resigned acceptance. He loved to hide in the airing cupboard amongst all the towels and would go round the house every morning to make sure everyone was awake. Lucky died some five years ago now at the fairly ripe old age of sixteen and I still miss him sometimes.

Pets of any kind are often hard work and need lots of attention but it is impossible to describe the huge effect they have on your life. Anyone here who has lived with a cat or indeed many other kinds of pet will already know how, no matter what they do, you wouldn't give them up for anything.

For practical considerations, it is possible to "train" a cat - generally not to do something. Teach them that your computer is a no go zone and you'll never catch them sleeping on the monitor again (and they will profess ignorance should you find cat hair on the keyboard).

[Rebrehc's Industries]

I have one of those "professional" computer desks with slots and cubbyholes for all the components and some books,etc. I have so many reference books and little gadgets that all the nooks and crannies are filled. My cat, Shadow, comes in when I am at work on my machine and is always well-behaved, but even when I am not there, the design is such that she can't get at things: the keyboard and mouse is in the drawer and there's not enough room to get around my big monitor and CPU where she could cause any realy damage.

Actually, the only bad effect seems to be that sometimes I have to shoo her out of my chair so I can sit down.

[Grey Alien]

Recently I read about some software that detects if the keypresses made are actually made by a cat walking across the keyboard and ignores them, this is totally true!

[cyodine]

I remember that my cat would frequently plop down on my keyboard and start to bathe herself. Even when the computer starts to make that repetitive beeping noise from the key presses, she'd just ignore it and continue on licking herself. Perhaps she found the noise soothing, or liked the sense of power she felt in knowing that she was somehow making that noise. It was quite annoying especially since my computer was in my bedroom then, and I frequently was asleep (or trying to sleep) when she'd do it. Although it was annoying, I still couldn't help but smile.