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Help!

post #1 of 19
12/28/10 at 1:34am
Thread Starter 
How do I stop a cat from walking across my keyboard?? Walter is intrigued/obsessed with my monitor and when I'm on the computer he walks across my keyboard to get his face as close as possible to the monitor. He does it every. two. seconds. I pick him up and put him on the floor every time, but he just turns right around and keeps doing it. He's screwed up what I'm doing a few times, and as much as I love him it is getting really irritating. Other than just putting him back on the floor every time, is there anything else I can do?
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post #2 of 19
12/28/10 at 1:43am
Putting him on the floor every time is seen as a game to him, that's why he keeps jumping up on your keyboard. Is the computer in a room with a door, or is it in a family room? If you can close the door, he may have to be locked out. That's what I have to do when I need to write a paper or something; my kitten is also obsessed with my monitor, and insists on blocking as much of the screen as possible.
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post #3 of 19
12/28/10 at 2:05am
Thread Starter 
No, our computer is in our formal dining room that we use as a computer room, and both entrances to the room are just open doorways. There is really no way to keep him out of here.
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post #4 of 19
12/28/10 at 2:21am
Without cats walking on the keyboard I'd never have known what F11 does

I put mine on the floor and say uh-uh, they always caught on quickly. I do take play breaks though if I have to be online for a longer time, and shut them out if I need absolute peace.
If you can't shut the doors, then put them in a bedroom while you work
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post #5 of 19
12/28/10 at 2:23am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by missymotus View Post
Without cats walking on the keyboard I'd never have known what F11 does
Ok, I have to ask...what does F11 do??
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post #6 of 19
12/28/10 at 2:38am
F11 makes my internet browser full screen, way too cool. Mind you I pressed it 20 x before I realised what it did

I have the same problem with mine but I find mine catch on a few times after putting them down. Sometimes I set up blocks with objects on the sides so they can't jump up
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post #7 of 19
12/28/10 at 2:45am
Haha took my two a little while to realise the computer wasn't a toy for them, just had to keep telling them no and moving them away, and balls and mice to distract them
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post #8 of 19
12/28/10 at 2:48am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by WellingtonCats View Post
F11 makes my internet browser full screen, way too cool. Mind you I pressed it 20 x before I realised what it did
That's pretty cool!! I never knew it could do that! You learn something new every day. Thanks!

I guess I'll just have to keep putting him down. This is going to be a test of my patience.
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post #9 of 19
12/28/10 at 5:14am
Is it a laptop? If so, I can't help. If it's not, then you can always just move the keyboard over and let him follow the cursor and such on the screen. How cute that Walter wants to be near you! I'd say that's a big step in the right direction!
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post #10 of 19
12/28/10 at 5:29am
I haven't tried this for keeping them away from the computer but I am sure it would work. I mainly use it to get them out of my plate and off the table when I'm eating I lower my head, look them in the eye and growl. If they're persistent I push them away while I'm growling. They rarely come back, but if they do I have to repeat it 2-3 times at most. I don't know how long your kitten stayed with its mother but mine are still with her at 5 months, so they had plenty of time to learn cat language and they know from experience that this means "back off or I'm gonna hurt you". Of course I never hurt them, that's what their mom is for
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post #11 of 19
12/28/10 at 8:35am
Working with ferals, we don't look them in the eye and growl, but what makes stomping on the keyboard not a game when you set him down is either def kitty's suggestion, or what we do - a short, sharp puff of air directly in the face (humans don't hiss very well, but this they TOTALLY get!) - then set him down while saying "no."

It may take a few times for him to "get" it - but if he jumps right back up, you can proactively puff in his face and set him down before he even walks on the keyboard, and he'll learn to leave you alone (well, maybe ) when you're working on the computer.
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post #12 of 19
12/28/10 at 9:19am
I hiss and growl at Buddy. He totally backs away when I do. He's tried a few times to walk on my keyboard but I put him on the floor and say "NO!". The hissing comes if he keeps trying.
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post #13 of 19
12/28/10 at 9:56am
Midnight will do that, but in his case he doesn't care about the computer, he just wants attention. I throw him an aluminum foil ball (mr. ball) and he goes after that. Of course he comes right back and demands to have it thrown again and again, but at least he's not on the keyboard
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post #14 of 19
12/28/10 at 9:57am
Quote:
Originally Posted by missymotus View Post
Without cats walking on the keyboard I'd never have known what F11 does

I put mine on the floor and say uh-uh, they always caught on quickly. I do take play breaks though if I have to be online for a longer time, and shut them out if I need absolute peace.
If you can't shut the doors, then put them in a bedroom while you work
I've learned a few interesting shortcuts on my keyboard that way, too. Of course, it took a couple of tries to figure out which key they stepped on to reconfigure the keyboard so I could change it back.
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post #15 of 19
12/28/10 at 11:10am
This may be kind of awkward to place, but can you put a ssscat on the computer desk so it faces the keyboard? You'll get a puff of air on your hands and wrists, and maybe a cat jumping in your direction a couple times, but those would be short term because I feel Walter would get the hint pretty quickly, especially since he's new.
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post #16 of 19
12/28/10 at 11:12am
Double sided tape around the keyboard for a bit?
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post #17 of 19
12/28/10 at 1:50pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for all the tips! I'll try the hissing and growling, and the blow in the face. We also have double sided tape, so I'll try that also. Thanks!!!
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post #18 of 19
12/29/10 at 4:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by kara_leigh View Post
Thanks for all the tips! I'll try the hissing and growling, and the blow in the face. We also have double sided tape, so I'll try that also. Thanks!!!
Let us know what works!
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post #19 of 19
12/29/10 at 5:36am
Seti does something similar but it's MY face he gets into, not the monitor. I bought him a Bolt. When he's feeling needy and I have to work I turn it on for him. It's sitting right next to me right now!
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