Do you have a cat whose favorite activity is walking on your keyboard at the worst possible times? I’ve been there. I work from home with my two cats, Luna and Hazel, so I know all about keyboard woes. Keep reading to find out exactly why cats walk on keyboards and how to curb the behavior. This way you can avoid an awkward question from your coworker about why you sent them ‘238vhgn059-1*^i445’ on Teams earlier.
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Why Are Cats Attracted to Keyboards?
There are plenty of reasons why cats seem to love walking across keyboards. They will oftentimes sit, stand, or lay on keyboards as well. Such cute little weirdos, am I right? Well, let me explain a few reasons behind this strange behavior.
1. They want your attention
They say you never really know what you have until it’s gone, right? This kind of relates to how cats feel about wanting your attention. They don’t want it when you want to give it to them, but as soon as you’re busy, they’re all over you!
I find the same to be true when I join a Teams call. My cat Luna seems to just know when I’ve hopped on a call and will immediately jump up on my desk and try to snuggle. I’ll admit, I’m a sucker for kitty love. It’s just such a good feeling when you know your cat feels secure and puts their full trust in you.
2. They like to be up high
It’s no secret that cats like height. This is because they feel confident when they can keep an eye on the world below them. Needless to say, keyboards are usually on high surfaces, such as a desk. Combine that with the opportunity to be close to their humans, and it makes perfect sense why they’d want to be on a keyboard!
3. They like the noises keyboards make
I’ll admit, I love the sound that a keyboard makes when I’m typing. I’ve always thought this was a weird thing for me to like. But maybe I’m just meant to be a cat, because they also are very attracted to keyboard sounds. Cats will walk on keyboards sometimes just to hear the noises the keys make. It’s kind of like when they hear paper crinkle, birds chirp, leaves rustle, etc. These sounds capture their attention and make them feel playful.
4. Keyboards are warm!
Cats love to be in warm spots. It’s one of the reasons they love to lounge in the sun whenever possible. Laptop keyboards especially tend to get very warm, so it makes sense that they would find keyboards to be a cozy place to rest.
5. They’re bored
This is probably the least likely reason why cats walk on keyboards. However, if you notice other signs of boredom in your kitty, hanging out on your keyboard might be another sign. This goes hand-in-hand with your cat wanting your attention – they’re putting themselves right in front of you to get you to play with them!
Ways You Can Keep Your Cat From Walking on Your Keyboard
There are plenty of ways you can divert your cat from walking on your keyboard. Or, at the very least, keep them from sending random emails to the department. Here are a few ways I’ve been able to keep my kitty cats off my keyboard.
Redirect Their Attention
If your cat is walking on your keyboard out of boredom or as an attention-seeking behavior, you can provide some toys for your cat to play with. Cats are especially drawn to small, light toys that they can bat around. They are also very fond of laser pointers, and there are automatic laser pointers you can purchase (like this one from Amazon: https://amzn.to/42jyT8b) that will keep your cat busy while you finish up work for the day!
Give Them a Place to Sleep Near You
One of the main reasons I put a cat tower right next to my desk chair was to keep my kitten Hazel from walking or sleeping on my keyboard. This gives her a place to sleep that is still very close to me. If you have the room in your office, it could be advantageous to add either a bed or cat tower for your kitty.
Train Your Cat
There are many ways you can train your cat to stop walking on your keyboard altogether. However, it takes consistency to make it work. You will have to correct your cat every time they jump up on your desk or keyboard so they learn it is not an okay behavior. You can try clicker training, which I covered in my article about how to keep cats from turning on faucets.
Get an Anti-Cat Keyboard Cover
Say what? Yeah, they make these now. They’re actually pretty cool and very useful if you have a stubborn keyboard kitty. You can find a cover for your cat to lay on instead of your keyboard on Amazon (https://amzn.to/4cvi8vK). The things they think of!
Turn Off Your Keyboard
When all else fails, if you’re not actively using your keyboard at the moment, just turn it off! This will save you the embarrassment of sending something by accident or deleting an important document.
In Conclusion
It can be frustrating to have your kitty constantly jumping up on your keyboard and making it tricky to get your work done. However, there are things you can do to remedy the situation that will make both you and your cat happier! And remember…your kitty most likely just wants to be close to you. Or you just forgot to feed them. There’s always that possibility.
Did you find this article helpful? Let me know in the comments!
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