Sharing vintage computing with a (four-legged) pet

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Sharing vintage computing with a (four-legged) pet

Postby tezza on 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?
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Re: Sharing vintage computing with a (four-legged) pet

Postby Carcenomy on Mon Nov 07, 2011 4:53 pm

Image
Yes. Alleycat thinks vintage computers are tops. She even helps when I play games, often by lying on top of my monitor hanging over the front edge batting at the screen. This only works when I'm playing games on something with a CRT display of course, so it's not every day :)
Just the local Commodore hobo and middle-aged PC hoarder.
eisa on Trademe. A lasting reminder of a Compaq fetish when I was younger.
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Re: Sharing vintage computing with a (four-legged) pet

Postby WelshWizard on Mon Nov 07, 2011 6:25 pm

well at least she can keep the mice at bay, which will probably do more damage in the long run than her.
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Re: Sharing vintage computing with a (four-legged) pet

Postby Carcenomy on Mon Nov 07, 2011 9:09 pm

Tell me about it, that's a four legged friend we don't need in our collections. One of my Amiga CD32s was destroyed by a mouse. Both of them are now boxed up to go for a trip to see my old acquaintence Antony Hoffman. Dude is honestly a freak of nature, I don't know anyone in their right mind who would replace the PGA CPU socket on a Blizzard using hand tools! :)
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Re: Sharing vintage computing with a (four-legged) pet

Postby WelshWizard on Tue Nov 08, 2011 6:10 am

thanks for the link to the Antony Hoffman site, excellent reference site.
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Re: Sharing vintage computing with a (four-legged) pet

Postby Carcenomy on Tue Nov 08, 2011 5:06 pm

No worries! His page is good for a read even if you're not looking for tips on fixing Amigas, some of the stuff he does down at the pole is pretty wicked too.

And as for the original topic, pictures are the best! And as you can see, Alleycat loves my old Compaq P1100 21" CRT. I still use this monitor frequently for my K6-2 system, which has oldschool ASUS 3D glasses and needs the additional refresh to use them.

Image
Just the local Commodore hobo and middle-aged PC hoarder.
eisa on Trademe. A lasting reminder of a Compaq fetish when I was younger.
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Re: Sharing vintage computing with a (four-legged) pet

Postby tezza on Mon Dec 05, 2011 7:23 pm

Ok, I snapped a couple of photos. Here is the Maggie in her favourite spot. She rests here when the bench is clear.

Image

...and here is our second pet, Tiger. She figures a sorcerer box makes a nice bed.

Image

Ok, so I'm a big softy. Whatever. :)
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Re: Sharing vintage computing with a (four-legged) pet

Postby Carcenomy on Mon Dec 05, 2011 7:43 pm

Nawwww! Tiger's like a big version of my cat! :)

Alleycat is definitely not a vintage snob, she's down for a LAN too. This is a few years ago when we had few enough participants that we'd fit in my garage. We moved to the new venue about five years ago... who'd have thought there was still enough popularity for LAN parties to still be held? Look at all those CRTs... glad those days are gone :)

Image
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Re: Sharing vintage computing with a (four-legged) pet

Postby tezza on Mon Dec 05, 2011 8:40 pm

Carcenomy wrote:Nawwww! Tiger's like a big version of my cat! :)


LOL. Yea, they defintely look related. Both are classic mackerel tabby cats!

Your quintessential moggy! :)
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Re: Sharing vintage computing with a (four-legged) pet

Postby Gibsaw on Mon Dec 05, 2011 9:25 pm

Image

Delphi has always been allowed to sit on the previous CRT monitor and decided this wasn't about to change. The paw came up and went ... push.

Image

...and when Annabel decides she's been ignored long enough, more direct action is taken. :D
"dsakey" on trademe. Apple II's are my thing.
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Re: Sharing vintage computing with a (four-legged) pet

Postby tezza on Tue Dec 06, 2011 7:47 am

Those cats look as if they have a high sense of entitlement Gibsaw! :)
Tez (Terry Stewart) (Administrator)
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Re: Sharing vintage computing with a (four-legged) pet

Postby Gibsaw on Tue Dec 06, 2011 9:59 pm

tezza wrote:Those cats look as if they have a high sense of entitlement Gibsaw! :)

Indeed, entitled they are. I am but a humble servant. :D
"dsakey" on trademe. Apple II's are my thing.
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