Cats on keyboards. Advice needed

My daughter is away at college and during the past year, one of her cats has (finally, after 8 years!) begun to warm up to me. Now he snuggles when I sit down to read a book, he purrs when I pet him, he "talks" to me when he wants to be fed. He's a real pleasure.

However, now he has discovered the keyboard. He wants to lie on it perpetually while I am working. He lays on it in front of me. I suspect I compounded the problem initially because I would pick him up off the keyboard and cuddle with him for a moment before putting him on the floor so now he's anticipating some TLC.

Our computer is in a room without a door so I can't lock him out. Any suggestions on re-training a cat? I haven't the foggiest clue how to get him to quit the keyboard. I've long since stopped giving him TLC when he gets onboard, and now I swipe him off instantly but he's perceiving THIS as our new, next, fun, game.

Up, down, up, down, up, down.....

Help!

Plastic cover for the keyboard to keep cat hairs out of it.

Second. You're on your own.

My mom's been dealing with this for fourteen years. :shrug:

My cat has known from a young age that a spray bottle means "no." Kind of a handy, non injurious method of training - a quick mist will discourage about any cat. So now, if he does something I don't want him to and doesn't respond to a verbal "no", I just show him the spray bottle and he departs - I don't even have to spray it.

If your cat doesn't know that about spray bottles though, it probably wouldn't work because you don't really want to spray your keyboard. :shrug:

cat is like mine . . . cold natured . . . and likes the keyboard, the warmth possibly, or just to sit on your lap. I let mine every night get on my lap for about 30 minutes (that's about all the hair I can take. Snowball weighs 22 lbs and has long, white hair. When he purrs, the screen is blurry to me, "but" I give him that much time in the evenings.

When he comes toward you in the evenings, tell him no and squirt a mist at him until he realizes it means leave. Then just keep the squirt bottle on your desk near the keyboard.

It doesn't take them but one or two times . . . they soon catch on. Mine will start at me and I pick up the bottle and he will start "squinting" his eyes and I haven't even squirted anything at him. I just pick it up and point it at him and say no and he leaves.

Also, two-sided tape; however, I don't know how you could use that with a keyboard. Maybe around the edges where he jumps up. If he feels something sticky, they freak.

Good luck.

Please put up a sample of your daughter's cat's kitty editing, if you have any.
Maybe your cat wants to learn how to type :D

wearing one of those baby slings while you type.

However, she'll never be able to wear any low-necked shirts again. Yes, she'll have to dress modestly to cover up all the scratches on her boobs.

Guess this wouldnt work for a keyboard tray, but if keyboard is on table put a pad down or something next to where you rest your fore arm and tell him that either he stay there or he leaves the room altogether. My cat was bugging me the same way, climbing all over my lap & keyboard-- now she lies stretched out next to me using my fore arm to recline against. I can type and she gets the touch/physical contact that she craves (shes addicted to love!) That was the compromise we came up with, maybe you could just experiment with different places for him to be where he can still be close but not literally in your face.

lap one starts on desk in front of keyboard, gets scooped onto my lap. Second evil little cat is a shoulder rider, too big to fit entirely onto my shoulder so her butt sits onthe desk in front of my keyboard. Don't forget to shake/blow out the cat hairs from your keyboard every 5.83 minutes.

Spray bottle might work though. When I am working at home, I'm usually on the bed, in my jammies, with the laptop on my lap, papers spread all over. I'm thinking I could position myself in the center of the bed and take aim as he creeps closer.

As it is right now, he comes down on me from the headboard over my head.

Fun and games... NOT!

in an instant message window with someone at work. I had to type... "Oh sorry, my cat just walked on my keyboard." :rofl:

monitor for him to lay down in. He just wants to be the focus of your attention, this way you're both happy ( he thinks )

to your lap. learn to typw w/ 1 hand (avoid capitol letters, obv).

y learn to live w/it till he gets bored w/ the whole thing.

...if he will let you. I know my wife's cat liked to do that, before she took her away...:cry:

Surrender to the kitty...Surrrreeeeennnnnnder.

to be in the place where you are focusing your attention. This is why they like to lay on the newpaper while you're reading or arrange themselves between you and anything else you are paying attention to.

in truth this comes quite naturally) that the cat cannot ignore you or possibly think it is a game. That being said. When it is hungry.. it will still make a b-line for the keyboard.

Do you have the sound on? I have no sound on my computer to watch videos. But when my big sucker sits on my keyboard darn if it doesn make a cacophony! He doesn't like that.

put the keyboard on top of him, then send a photo to www.stuffonmycat.com

http://www.bitboost.com/pawsense/

Haven't tried it myself, but here's what it claims to do:

"When cats walk or climb on your keyboard, they can enter random commands and data, damage your files, and even crash your computer. This can happen whether you are near the computer or have suddenly been called away from it.

PawSense is a software utility that helps protect your computer from cats. It quickly detects and blocks cat typing, and also helps train your cat to stay off the computer keyboard.

Every time your computer boots up, PawSense will automatically start up in the background to watch over your computer system. Even while you use your other software, PawSense constantly monitors keyboard activity. PawSense analyzes keypress timings and combinations to distinguish cat typing from human typing. PawSense normally recognizes a cat on the keyboard within one or two pawsteps.

If a cat gets on the keyboard, PawSense makes a sound that annoys cats. This teaches your cat that getting on the keyboard is bad even if humans aren't watching..."

If you have a laptop, don't get ANY liquid near it, such as the suggestions for a water spray. Believe me, I know.
I spilled a few drops of scotch and water on my keyboard and it cost me almost $400 to get my laptop fixed.

(Aside: if you DO get any liquid dripped into your laptop, turn it off IMMEDIATELY.)

Next, if your cat is hanging out on an independent keyboard for a desk top computer, there's not a whole lot to worry about. They only cost about $10 or so. However, walking on the keys can do some damage to your work products.
My cat does this on my newspaper, i.e., sits on what I'm reading. I just take him off and cuddle him in my arms for a couple minutes, then put him somewhere else. Works every time.

I taught my 18-yr-old cat to appreciate cuddling early on.

cheers
b_b

It's uncomfortable as hell and hard to type, but it's better than having what I type read like this: jhefbhjewyui3hui398uicj3y893fi3jkhi338vllksajkqlJCLKHVKJ


(all of the non-cat people are thinking: "Why the hell don't they just put the cat on the floor?" Silly non-cat people)

I've been online for about 15 minutes and here he comes, right on cue.

Ok, he's sitting next to the bed sending lazer beams my way, making sure I feel him radiating energy down there. (I'm ignoring him).

Yup, now he's on the bed and stalking the laptop.....

Sitting next to me, I'm petting him and yes! he is trying to climb onto the keyboard and


fuck!

Spray bottle works!!!!

He is gone at warp speed. Let's see how long it takes him to return.

He's back. Staring at me with daggers of reproach.

I wonder if he'll get back on the bed.

Of course, my daughter gets back from college next week and he'll probably abandon me immediately since he is mad-in-love with her. Ah well, there's always next fall when she leaves again. I've got all winter again to build up his trust again.

But he's lying on the end, sulking. I have the spray bottle propped up next to me and he's giving it evil looks.

What a prince. He's got me in stitches here.

That's why we love em eh? If they can provide that small bit of joy every day? Gotta love 'em.

COmputer keyboard, pens, pencils, paintbrushes...anything you concentrate on and are using your hands makes them curious and slightly jealous.

They want your attention.....

Try closing the door.

putting a little double-sided tape on a few of they keys...she won't like it and it won't hurt her.