Sharing vintage computing with a (four-legged) pet
Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 12:13 pm
After having dogs for 14 years or so and with the kids gone, my wife and I am adapting to life with two cats. We got these as kittens last year and one of them, a small black and white cat we’ve called Maggie, has taken an affinity to my vintage computer shack. Whenever I go out there, she wants to come and not being content with sleeping on the floor now insists on curling up on the desk in front of my PC monitor while I work. She also likes to nose around the boxes, climb in the boxes (and fall through the top of the boxes onto the computer within). She specializes in knocking over delicately placed circuit boards and other gear.
One day recently I was sliding an IBM XT back into its box. The box was a fairly rigid one, with another boxed computer on top of it. The XT box was only a few centimeters high, and I had removed the machine from the side rather than the top. Anyway, sliding it back in I encountered resistance. Pulling the machine back I observed a very alarmed Maggie nesting in the back of the box!
Now I know vintage computers and pets don’t mix and I’ve probably made a rod for my own back by letting her in there, but she’s good company and after some attention she’ll settle down and just sleep. However, the last thing you want is a cat nosing around the bench when you are trying to solder or have a machine in pieces, where small items can knocked off never to be found again. Much to her consternation I leave her outside on these occasions.
Do any of you deliberately or inadvertently share your vintage computer hobby with your pets?
One day recently I was sliding an IBM XT back into its box. The box was a fairly rigid one, with another boxed computer on top of it. The XT box was only a few centimeters high, and I had removed the machine from the side rather than the top. Anyway, sliding it back in I encountered resistance. Pulling the machine back I observed a very alarmed Maggie nesting in the back of the box!
Now I know vintage computers and pets don’t mix and I’ve probably made a rod for my own back by letting her in there, but she’s good company and after some attention she’ll settle down and just sleep. However, the last thing you want is a cat nosing around the bench when you are trying to solder or have a machine in pieces, where small items can knocked off never to be found again. Much to her consternation I leave her outside on these occasions.
Do any of you deliberately or inadvertently share your vintage computer hobby with your pets?