Pet And Computers Do Not Mix

I love my cats - but I also love my new computers. Let's face it, pets and computers, or any other electrical gadgets can simply never get together. My sister and I spent two years to save up for a home computer and when we finally got it, there was trouble.

The first time we plugged it on and started getting to know our new electronic bunny, Morgana, the most mischievous of all my cats, hooked her claws on the AVR's plug and pulled it out of the socket ... just as my sister was in the middle of installing a new program! We managed to clear that problem up, but it seems the other cats thought the monitor, CPU and keyboard made a great bed for their siestas. They toyed with the mouse whenever they could lay their paws on it, and we often found it dangling by its cord in the morning. Fur got into everything, the CDs between the keys of the keyboard and on the speakers. Now I'm saving to have the office space in our living room cat-proofed. So why not get rid of the cats? It's just like saying "Get rid of your kid who messes up the living room carpet!"

Interviewing other pet-lovers with computers, we found out that we're not the only ones who have these problems. A pocketbook writer-friend poured out her woes when her retriever puppy chewed up her computer's electrical wirings. Good thing it wasn't plugged on. It cost her a lot to have it fixed, not to mention the delay it took for her to finish her deadline. Another dog pissed on another's CPU ... the list was endless. The victims were not only home computers, but also TVs, CD/DVD players, a portable radio-cassette player and headphones. With some of these gadgets chewed and mauled or accidentally tipped over by the pets, damages were serious and costly, the only good thing: no pet was harmed while they inflicted the damages.

There are many accidents resulting in a pet's death from playing or chewing on our hi-tech gewgaws. Dogs and cats can swallow the plastic tape of cassette tapes they have cracked open. Pet birds allowed out of their cages can get caught in the rotating hands of a ceiling fan. When a pet chews on an electric cord, it could get electrocuted. A friend of mine told me she once experienced an unusual emergency case at a vet's clinic when she took her dog for a check-up. Another dog had swallowed his master's tiny cellphone and had to be operated on.

Our pets are not the stupid ones here. As humans, and one with higher intelligence and reasoning, we should be the ones responsible in placing our electronic appliances in a place where our dogs, cats, birds or whatever could not get to it. Pet-proofing your home is a pet owner's responsibility.

So would you like to get rid of the troublesome pet or just grin and bear it? The answers were the same: GRIN and BEAR IT! We love our pets!