Pets and Workbenches

[Quatrerwin]

Anyone else have an issue with their pet(s) constantly jumping onto their workbench? Anything you do to try to keep them off and if so, does it work?

I have a cat and he likes to jump up onto my workbench, which is rarely clean, to explore and/or get to the window. Since it's winter, he builds up quite the static charge. I'm wondering if my ESD mat will be able to protect my ICs from the excess static charge he always seems to carry.

[slurry]

I have a EPA so if i had a cat he would come no closer than the sticky mat at the door to my lab.. 

Cat-trap: http://se.farnell.com/integrity/600-4001/kontrollmatta-458mm-x-1-143mm/dp/2478343

[Rbastler]

My cat used to jump on my workbench and slept next to the tube amp I was building at the time. Some times she occupied my chair...

[@rt]

Yes! Everywhere in the house he’s allowed go, except for two small benches. Even the kitchen bench I don’t complain!
But where does he want to go the most? One of the two benches!

[borjam]

A friend bricked some expensive piece of apparatus when, during a firmware update, the dog ran under the table and tripped on the power supply cable   

[Quatrerwin]

A friend bricked some expensive piece of apparatus when, during a firmware update, the dog ran under the table and tripped on the power supply cable   

I can understand that! My cat just knocked my Hakko FX-888D off my bench. Fortunately I had disconnected the iron from the base unit, so only the base unit fell. Hoping there's no damage!

[TheSteve]

Oddly enough my beast has never jumped on my work bench - he does climb and jump all over the place though. It is a good thing he leaves my toys alone as he is a monster.

I thought everyone would attach a pic...

[steve30]

Sounds like we need to design a static-dissipative cat 

[Quatrerwin]

This would be what he does:

[xrunner]

I thought everyone would attach a pic...

So did I ... 

OK one isn't a workbench but I couldn't resist 

[timothyaag]

I just keep my workspace so cluttered that there's no where for my cat to go.   

[Berni]

I just keep my workspace so cluttered that there's no where for my cat to go.   

I do the same but my cat still walks all over it and somehow does not knock things over while doing so

[Cubdriver]

Cats climbing places they shouldn't go?  I've no idea what you're talking about...   









Do some of you have issues with that? 

-Pat

[GreyWoolfe]

Hate to be a wet blanket, but I personally have no use for cats.  My stepdaughter's cats used to keep trying to come into my office.  It took many, many shots from a squirt bottle filled with water before they finally realized there was no profit in crossing the threshold.  My dogs are welcome any time.  They don't try to climb on the various workbenches/desks.

[george graves]

I personally have no use for cats.

What?!?!?  Cats are awesome!

Here's my little monster, chilling out on the laser cutter.  And no, that not a tiny laser cutter, it's just a REALLY BIG cat.

[switchedmodepsu]

Could be a CATastrophe...

 

[xrunner]

Hate to be a wet blanket, but I personally have no use for cats. 

 

[switchedmodepsu]

Hate to be a wet blanket, but I personally have no use for cats.  My stepdaughter's cats used to keep trying to come into my office.  It took many, many shots from a squirt bottle filled with water before they finally realized there was no profit in crossing the threshold.  My dogs are welcome any time.  They don't try to climb on the various workbenches/desks.

Cats find uses for YOU, you have it the wrong way around! If you don't meet the minimum spec, they'll pack their bag and find people who DO.

 

[jonovid]

I just keep my workspace so cluttered that there's no where for my cat to go.   

I do the same but my cat still walks all over it and somehow does not knock things over while doing so

keeping my workspace cluttered failed to stop our lab cat.

[switchedmodepsu]

A friend bricked some expensive piece of apparatus when, during a firmware update, the dog ran under the table and tripped on the power supply cable   

Dogs are FAR more awkward, clumsy and attention-seeking than cats. No wonder a dog did it - cats are slow, sleek, stealthy and flexible.

[james_s]

My cats love to hang out in my "lab", I'm not sure if it's just because I'm in there or because it's generally warmer than other parts of the house but for the most part I gave up trying to keep them out and I'm just careful to put away anything likely to test the old "curiosity killed the cat" saying. Funny thing is they are all absolutely terrified of the vacuum cleaner and several other completely harmless things, but fire up a sizzling Tesla coil or power up some open equipment with exposed connections and they all want to investigate it.

Double sided tape works well to train them to keep off workbenches and tables and such, cats hate walking on sticky surfaces. I also have a couple of these gadgets called a Scat Cat that fit on a can of air duster and have a motion sensor. Just put it where you don't want the cat and if they get up there it gives a short blast of air that scares them off. Works on people too, it's funny to put one in a cabinet pointed outward and then close the door. 


It has occurred to me that most of the engineers I know like cats. I find their natural inquisitiveness mirrors my own, and I like how they will generally just hang out and keep me company without being in my face or demanding that I entertain them constantly.

[rrinker]

 I have yet to find any evidence that either of my cats has jumped on my workbench. The older one is likely too fat to jump that high anyway, but the small white one I've found wedge on my other desk behind my monitors. Will be interesting when I get started on my model railroad, on my old one, I used to find evidence of Godzilla-Cat intrusion, mostly in the form of paw prints and claw marks on the extruded foam insulation I used as the base. Did lose a part from a model once, found it on the other side of the front door - seems she absconded with said part and was batting it around and it went under the door, out of reach.
 I have yet to put hooks on the ends of my shelves to hang test leads - and I'm kind of thinking that's probably a good thing that I keep them in a drawer under the bench.
 The dogs don't have a prayer of jumping up to the bench level. They need stairs to get on the bed. Pugs are much in the jumping department.

[Jeff_Birt]

My cat loves short lengths of wire and wire ties, he treats them as prey and many times he will play with a but of wire and then place it in his food dish. I have to be careful to not let him in my work area is I have little parts on the bench as he has habit of wanting to bat all small things off a table to the ground. A few days ago he was trying to sniff my soldering iron when he got close enough that the air he breathed in was hot he would jump back, and then he would try it again immediately.

My dog on the other hand likes to chew up Ethernet cables and cardboard boxes but mostly she just lays at my feet when I'm at the bench.

[timothyaag]

I just keep my workspace so cluttered that there's no where for my cat to go.   

I do the same but my cat still walks all over it and somehow does not knock things over while doing so

keeping my workspace cluttered failed to stop our lab cat.

Just leave a couple of wires live and you'll be OK.

[GreyWoolfe]

Hate to be a wet blanket, but I personally have no use for cats. 

 

X, I at one time liked cats.  When I was a teenager, my older sister had an awesome Persian that loved to drape herself over your shoulders.  I really liked that cat.  My ex-wife had a cat that was the demon from Hell.  I never did anything to that cat but it constantly pissed on my pillow on the bed.  My son agrees that the cat was a demon possessed.  The cat would randomly attack anyone in the house, family members or guests except my ex.  That cat ruined me to ever care for cats again.

Cats find uses for YOU, you have it the wrong way around! If you don't meet the minimum spec, they'll pack their bag and find people who DO.

 

I'm still waiting for them to pack their bags and leave.  When they meow at me, I always tell them to talk to their mother.