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Protecting Your Gear from Pets?

Posted by Cliff on from the convincing-them-the-hardware-isn't-a-scratching-post dept.

EvilJoven asks: "About a month ago I spent quite a large chunk of change on a new system only to have my cat chew through the VGA source cable of my brand new display. Over the course of the last few years my cat has cost me nearly $300CDN in repair and replacement costs due to chewed cables including a few power cables which are not only a pain to replace but potentially fatal to the animal and a fire hazard. So far the best solution I've found to stop this is wrapping all my cables in Snap-On Wire Protectors (about $6CDN for 3m at Canadian Tire in the Automotive section) but this is a rather unsightly solution. Due to the fact that I live in a one bedroom apartment restricting my cats access to my hardware is not an option. I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions on a better way to protect gear from animals."

3 of 190 comments (clear)

  1. my fathers solution ... by KMAPSRULE · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    SSS

    (Shoot, Shovel, Silence)

    --

    --Im an oven mitt, not an engineer! (SLArbys Radio Commercial)
  2. The best solution by Grab · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Get rid of the damn cat. Seriously. If you've got a one-room apartment you have no business owning a cat. It hasn't got room to exercise in the apartment, and it's seriously antisocial to let it out on the streets to crap in everyone else's gardens.

    (The standard cat owner argument: "Oh, but cats are wild animals and do that." Yeah, and I'll buy a bear and let it run loose so it can maul your kid sister to death. Bears are wild animals and do that. It doesn't mean having a bear as a pet is a good idea, now does it?)

    Grab.

  3. Kill the cat by Andy+Smith · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    No really, it's fun and it works.

    Also someone's idea of giving the cat other cables to play with is terrible. All that would do is teach the cat that cables are something to play with and s/he'd do it more often.

    Believe it or not, and I assume most cat owners won't believe me, I've found that the best way to 'train' my cat against unwanted behaviour is to simply move her away from whatever she's doing. For example, I hate it when she goes outside and then comes back in and jumps up on top of the television -- wet paws! So every time she went near the television I would tease her until she ran away. Every time she got as far as jumping on to it, I picked her up and didn't let her go for a few minutes, which of course she hated. I don't think she's been on the TV in months. Hey my cat's a C-list celeb!