The Latest Addition to the Lifework Team

Meet Tom. He’s our 6-month-old Maine Coon mix and the latest addition to the Lifework team. I’m blaming all typos on him from this moment forward.

Unplggd: Cat Power

If you’ve got a cat and a laptop, you’ve probably found your kitty lounging about near or on your laptop (or just on computers in general). While we understand that cats enjoy sitting on something warm, it’s kind of funny and annoying at the same time. I can’t remember the number of times that I’ve shushed my own cat Yoda off my laptop. What can you do to stop this behavior?

Sure, finding your cat on your laptop is funny. My wife finds it pretty funny when Yoda climbs up on her own MacBook, but I dislike it as she tends to knead. This means that she’ll most probably end up scratching up my laptop at some point in time. It’s not something I want to happen. Here are a few ideas to keep your pet off your laptop.

1. Move your laptop You can easily take your laptop away into another locked room. Currently, I’m using part of this option since I don’t want to take chances. My laptop ends up in the bedroom with the door closed; no pets allowed.

2. Place some cat obstacles on your laptop This involves stacking a few light things from your desk, like notebooks, calendars, a tissue box, to create an obstacle to prevent your cat from lounging on your laptop. In my experience, this only works part of the time as an intelligent cat will most likely just throw these off to make space for itself.

3. Use a notebook stand This is a simple solution that will probably leave everyone happy. The stand, that will put your laptop at an angle or upright, makes it impossible for a cat to lie on it.

4. Create a cat bed nearby Using a small blanket or cushion, you can create an alternative resting spot for your cat. Although I wouldn’t put it on you desk, since cats tend to throw stuff off them, it could be put on one of your nearby shelves. Since I also have a dog, my pets are a lethal combo. The cat throws something off and the dog chews on it.

5. Take your cat on your lap Our feral little cat has turned into a lap cat, and we’re sure that your cats are like this as well. The best spot in the house is on your lap, and cats enjoy staying there for hours at a time, especially if you’re working.

By Range.

(Image: Flickr member Nanda licensed for use under Creative Commons, Flickr memberLaihiu licensed for use under Creative Commons)

Pets in the Office?

Home office that is. Our family is considering a pet. Since I work from home now it seems a perfect time to take the plunge. The kids are certainly old enough and the house is big enough. But the landlord has said no to a dog. They finally agreed to a cat. Do you share a home office with a pet? Send me you pics and help me get inspired (cerentha_harris@hermanmiller.com). We aren’t sure what kind of cat to get and will more than likely end up at a shelter but in the meantime I’d love to see who sleeps on your keyboard! I came across the tabby above on Lyra – a blog devoted to Lyra the cat.