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Desk for people who work at home with a cat
- jollymonATX 7mo agoMore like cat tree you might get no work done on but good for te kitties
- MisterTea 7mo agoSeriously. This desk does the opposite of what I need. My cat has no issue getting on top of the desk. I need the desk to keep the cat off the keyboard and a shield over my mousing area before the cat settles it and denies mouse access.
- notpachet 7mo agoMaybe something like David Duchovny's hyperbaric hand chamber from Zoolander[0], but with a mouse inside. [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJH3pXLa8o0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJH3pXLa8o0
- whynotmaybe 7mo agoSomething like this? https://www.reddit.com/r/aww/comments/b1tay1/the_decoy_keyboard_is_working/ https://www.reddit.com/r/aww/comments/b1tay1/the_decoy_keybo...
- 2OEH8eoCRo0 7mo agoThey should add radiative heating. Cats often just want to steal your warmth.
- kevin_thibedeau 7mo agoThat's what the tower PC is for.
- huggerl88 7mo agoThey just took a computer desk from the 90s and cut three holes in it.
- Freak_NL 7mo ago> There’s another cat space on the underside of the desk surface, in the normally unutilized space in front of your knees when you’re sitting. Yeah… If you're of a typical Japanese length. My knees appreciate all the space they can get, and that very much includes the bit of 'unused space' where a cat can go in the article. (Living in Japan as a student really made me feel like a two metre tall giant at times. Classroom desks at Japanese universities were universally too small.)
- ivraatiems 7mo agoThe problem is that cats can flawlessly detect when something was made for them to use, and then will not deign to use it. Meanwhile, the cardboard box you have forgotten to take to the recycling for three weeks will become their palace.
- pdpi 7mo agoI deliberately leave the most recent delivery box out for my cat to lounge in. Sometimes it’s a small studio flat, other times (like when my 3d printer arrived) it’s a whole palace. She likes them either way.
- PhilipRoman 7mo agoMine likes them as well, but usually within 24 hours they're transformed into thousands of tiny cardboard pieces.
- ChrisMarshallNY 7mo agoChewy.com deliberately indicates that its boxes are for cats. Also, their brown paper filler is loved by my cat. He doesn’t like Amazon packaging paper, but is all over Chewy paper. I wonder if they add a scent.
- mcswell 7mo agoWe got a nice cozy fuzzy cat bed. So naturally the cat decided to sit in...the cardboard box the bed came in.
- bartvk 7mo agoWe once got a cat bed with a soft canopy. It held up due to the stiffness of the fabric. The cat found out that it’s possible to make the canopy sag by putting her full weight on it. She never actually slept inside it, only on top of it. When she died of old age, the bed looked old and disheveled, but the inside was pristine…
- fullstop 7mo ago
- markstos 7mo agoAlso need a split keyboard so a cat can sleep in between the halves.
- nickpsecurity 7mo agoNah, they like to lay on the laptop to eliminate their competition. They want all our attention.
- _fat_santa 7mo agoI have a cat bed[1] that's attached to my desk. It's got a "monitor arm" and a bed on top. My cat loves to see what I'm doing all day so she will just lay there for hours and watch me work. [1]: https://a.co/d/0hymOUdn https://a.co/d/0hymOUdn
- archagon 7mo agoHah! Is your cat bed ergonomically adjusted?
- MichaelDickens 7mo agoI can foresee a design flaw, which is that the cat will ignore all the specially designated areas and sit on your keyboard instead.
- rickstanley 7mo agoPut a useless keyboard down there and pretend you are typing with your toes.
- dhoe 7mo agoThey're predators. They are very good at understanding where your real attention is.
- drgo 7mo agothis is a good way to lose a toe or two
- egypturnash 7mo agothis is an invitation to toe crimes
- conartist6 7mo agoIt could have a special heated area of the desk that isn't used for any technological purpose
- andix 7mo agoIt doesn't work. I have the laptop next to my screen and an external keyboard. The cat always chooses the cold external keyboard instead of the warm laptop, because that's the center of my attention.
- x______________ 7mo agoPast experience with cat-wrangling over the years have taught me one thing (amongst many): It doesn't matter what the object is, if human cares about it, cat will use said object as a cat would, in order to communicate with human. Communications from cat tend to be along the lines of: I'm hungry, or in most cases, I want attention (play/stimulation). Past objects observed: Keyboards, houseplants, pens & pencils, kitchen area counter and anything on it, pet ants, rock and fossil collection.. the list goes on. And related to cat areas, the secret that I've found was to never rely on buying fancy cat furniture but rather making a unique spot for cat every few days. Blanket for comfort, areas always in sight range of the work desk but not in it (to be distracting for work). Bonus points if you visit and pet cat when they're sleeping in those spots to reinforce that this is their spot and all is well with safety and comfort. And same for toys, makeshift toys are cheaper and more effective than overpriced pet store shenanigans (Eg: elastics, pieces of string tied together, sandwich bag clips, small bouncy toys). The secret there is also reinforcing playtime with those toys by simply playing with cat! Edit: written with cat at arm's length distance in makeshift bed in a chair~
- jmugan 7mo agoMy cat and I want a chair with a little shelf on the back by my head where he can sit.
- shevy-java 7mo agoI actually hoped for a good solution here, but this is basically a table with holes. I would not dare call such a table a solution for annoying cats. On youtube there are many examples that are better. My favourite one here is where the walls of the room are climbable areas for the cats.
- CamouflagedKiwi 7mo agoValuable lesson about understanding your potential customers. There is in fact zero chance of my cats (and probably most others) sitting where they are supposed to, they much prefer being on top to look around - and sometimes to look intently at the screen as though they are reviewing my code.
- vidarh 7mo agoThere are desk attachments that will allow your cat to lord it over you from on high.
- CamouflagedKiwi 7mo agoI have a bookshelf and a cat tree near my desk, they do indeed do that.
- green-salt 7mo agoI love the weight limits being described in case someone has a particularly chonky cat
- sdoering 7mo agoI am working from home, my office is actually the former (and current) "cat room". For nearly 10 years my SO and myself were a foster home for rescue cats. And quite a few stayed here for various reasons. None of them would use the desk. But they really enjoy their cameos in my Teams and zoom calls. And when I am not at my desk, when I am closing my laptop for the day, they instantly enjoy flopping down on the still warm machine.
- goodpoint 7mo agoPretty poor design all around.
- mrweasel 7mo agoAlso illegal here in Denmark, if you use it while working from home. Desks must be height adjustable. Your employer is responsible for providing ergonomically correct office equipment. Basically any influencer and YouTuber who's showing "clever" desk hacks or builds fails because their creations aren't height adjustable. And my cat sleeps behind the laptop anyway.
- slopinthebag 7mo agoWait, what? Can you chose not to use a height-adjustable desk, and your employer is only responsible for offering you one, or are you 100% forced into using a height adjustable desk?
- mrweasel 7mo agoFor work you must use a height adjustable desk. It doesn't have to be electric, you just need to be able to adjust it to your correct work height. If you don't use it, and I don't know work at your kitchen desk, that's technically a violation of workspace rules. Your boss tell you to use a proper desk, because if they don't they can be fined. You also can't use the keyboard and trackpad on your laptop. You must be provided with a separate keyboard, mouse/trackpad/trackball and a monitor. Working on your laptop is for emergencies or very brief tasks.
- slopinthebag 7mo agoSo in other words my preferred way of working (laptop on couch) is literally illegal? What an insane nanny state lol.
- bitwize 7mo agoEuropean workplace ergonomics rules have been like this a long time. Computers were beige for decades because German ergonomics laws mandated office equipment in light, neutral colors.
- nijuashi 7mo agoI was hoping to see a glass surface for cats with keyboard and mouse space underneath so a cat can’t sit on backspace and escape key. No luck.
- vidarh 7mo agoPutting "cat desk" into Amazon didn't show any custom desks, but did come up with a wide range of desk attachments for cats, as well as "cat laptop" (a scratching board shaped like a laptop) so this doesn't feel very surprising. I agree with other commenters that this has about 99% chance of being ignored in favour of your keyboard, though.
- ge96 7mo agoEvery time I get up my cat steals my chair even though he has his own next to mine
- skyberrys 7mo agoI put a chair next to my chair and now my cat sits there so she can easily bat my USB wires and threaten my hair. She also sometimes hops onto my desk and gently taps at loose things or tries to chew up papers. I think this desk would offend her, but maybe the hole would make for fun surprise attacks at me?
- mgarfias 7mo agoWas easier when I had a big CRT on my desk, and the cat would just chill on top and bat at the mouse pointer moving around the screen.
- geephroh 7mo agoSounds like a good diy project with an old monitor and a raspberry pi...
- lstodd 7mo agoI have an EGA monitor (one of the Thomsons), but a custom built USB CRTC/framebuffer (that uses SRAM from 386-486 motherboards I still have laying around somewhere) instead of RPi. It does not help with the cat though.
- nabbed 7mo agoI came to post the same thing. I assume my cat liked the heat emanating from the CRT's vents on top.
- vjvjvjvjghv 7mo agoSince Japan is a rule following society I assume the cats there will sleep only in the designated areas.
- mytailorisrich 7mo agoJust get a cardboard box, like your latest Amazon delivery. They are a magnet for cats.
- throwaway290 7mo agocat review: 1 star, I want to sleep on my warm desktop tower again
- emeraldd 7mo agoyeah, this is no go. What you want is a way for the cat to be in a box front and center. So an underdesk keyboard tray that doesn't have room for a cat to sit on, but is big/deep enough for your hands, keyboard, and mouse and a "box" on the desk proper that the cat will naturally gravitate too. Of course, this works best with desktop machines or external monitors and keyboards instead of just a laptop.
- PeterStuer 7mo agoSeems designed by people who definetly do not work from home with cats. The cats demand to be on top of the desk, within attention reach at all times. Pro tip: even big cats love to lay in the top cover of a printer paper box. You can adorn the outside, but keep the inside plain smooth cardboard as they are extremely fond of that feel.
- wombat-man 7mo agoThere's just no room on my desk. But I put a chair next to mine and sometimes she sits there to watch.
- drfloyd51 7mo agoI put a small blanket in an inverted printer paper lid. Instant hit. The can was always at arms reach for scritches and cat debugging.
- stronglikedan 7mo agoHeh, cool. It's the complete opposite of my idea - an office chair for people who work at home with a dog. It's just a regular office chair but double wide - an office loveseat maybe? Anyway, the point is that the couch just isn't ergonomic enough for me to be productive, but I like when my dog cuddles me while I work.
- ana_lysis 7mo agoI have a relatively big office chair and do exactly this. I ordered the chair online so I didn’t know that it would be quite so big. Now my dog has learnt to hop on to the chair and curl around behind me. I do end up sitting on the edge of my seat but obviously my dog’s comfort takes priority.
- wiether 7mo agoThe website design, the post content, the pictures... I get a big OO's web feeling reading this; that's weird!
- gib444 7mo agoI will never understand the accomodations people make for a pet which gives you so little in return. If most owners were 100% honest and in private I reckon at least 50% would admit their cat is an asshole. I mean they don't even smile like a dog. They look miserable most of the time! It's like an abusive relationship where nothing you do will please them LOL Yes, I'm a dog person ;) There must be something to the toxoplasmosis theory
- cestith 7mo agoI’m a dog person, but most cats are lower maintenance than most dogs.
- gib444 7mo agoHigh ROI though Does your cat welcome you every day when you come home like you're the most awesome person in the world? Doubtful! Dogs - hell yeah
- cestith 7mo agoWell, as I said I’m more of a dog person. I work from home and have for years, but if I step out to mow the lawn our little guy is frantic to greet me when I come inside. Cats, for me, are rather higher maintenance than for most, too. I’m not wheezing and coughing to death allergic. I am however runny nose; mildly itchy skin; and itchy, crusty, swollen closed eyes allergic to most cat breeds. Cute, though, and some are actually very friendly and even cuddly.
- drgo 7mo agoI recall reading that ~30% of humans have evidence of toxoplasmosis. But, it is unclear whether that is harming their intelligence. Statistically, cat owners have higher IQ than dog owners (pls do not shoot the messenger unless you want to provide further evidence of the validity of this observation).
- tptacek 7mo ago
- omoikane 7mo agoI agree with all the comments that say the cats will likely not use the desk as designed, but note that they did manage to take all these photos with the cat in the designated places, albeit not a single photo with the person actually typing on the keyboard as opposed to playing with the cat. Maybe the desk really is designed for people who work at home, if their job is cat photographer.
- QuantumGood 7mo agoI have a rolling wire rack with plants on it next to the desk. One shelf is dedicated to a cat bed and toys.
- munchler 7mo ago> There’s another cat space on the underside of the desk surface, in the normally unutilized space in front of your knees when you’re sitting. "Normally unutilized"? This is where the drawer goes. Otherwise, it's just a glorified table, not a desk.
- impoppy 7mo agoThat’s silly. Cat will get on your keyboard anyway. The only real solution is to get heated floors. So my cat prefers sitting under my chair or desk and never gets on it.
- windowliker 7mo agoIf only we could plug our cats in and use them to type. Call it a purrallel port.
- tonyedgecombe 7mo agoThey prefer cat-5 cabling.
- himata4113 7mo agoAll fun and games until the cat ends up sitting in front of your monitor, just like my cat is doing right now because it is warm. Had to move my browser up to see what I am typing.
- bombcar 7mo agoYou need a stand such when the cat's weight is detected in front of the monitor, the monitor is lifted up.
- himata4113 7mo agoThen the source of heat will disappear and the cat will simply move to the 2nd monitor.
- cf100clunk 7mo agoI cannot tell if this is real or satire, but it is brilliant for online cat people.
- jldugger 7mo agoI'm sorry Japan, but this is not how cats work. Cat "flight or fight" response is to run and climb a tree. They prefer to be up high, not down low in some cabinet. Feels safer for naps. Something like https://desknest.com https://desknest.com seems much more likely to work.
- ciberado 7mo agoElectric blankets. I put mine in the chair next to me and my cat will furiously ask me to turn it on each morning. Three hours of peace.
- baddash 7mo agomy cat personally wants to be between me and the monitor right in front of my face. so maybe designing a desk with like, a dip or hole or something where the cat can go into would be good
- kabdib 7mo agoLap-insistent cat made it impossible to use a keyboard. I finally bought a desk-height cat "tree" (maybe a shrub...) and put it beside my chair. He'll move to it after some scratching, and he's happier because he can actually nap.
- m3047 7mo agoI swear that once upon a time I sat at a desk, and it had a label printer sitting on it, and the box of labels was in a box fed through a hole pretty much like that... except I think it was kinda square with rounded corners. The "shelf" under the main part looks like you could put a retractable keyboard mount under there. Is this a joke?
- hinkley 7mo agoJust put a box top on the corner of your desk as a cat trap.
- amelius 7mo agoNobody else worrying that a cat may be caught under the wheels of your office chair?
- tusuegra 7mo ago[flagged]
- FpUser 7mo agoI just put round cat bed on my desk to the left of my keyboard. Works like a charm. It is close by so I can play with the cat / pet it and cat does not use my keyboard as a bed.
- xybernetex 7mo ago[dead]
- dgunay 7mo agomy cat would be like "cool desk bro" and then plop themselves right on the keyboard or, even though I'm using a 32:9 monitor, exactly in front of the desktop window I happen to be working on
- yardshop 7mo agoSimone Giertz had a different approach, she built a bench for her and her dog with stairs so it could come and go as it wanted to. I built a chair for dogs that always want to sit next to you (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYqz1F6eAVU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYqz1F6eAVU)
- SilentM68 7mo agoAre the cats included? :)
- dsr_ 7mo agoBehind me: the recliner where I sometimes think or listen to music or read. Has a towel on it just in case. Cat likelihood while working: 55% Next to me: the windowsill cat tray. Cat likelihood while working | sunny day: 65%. Cat likelihood while working | overcast or evening: 40% Cardboard banker's box lid on my desk, with an old t-shirt in it. Cat likelihood while working: 70% It's true that there are four cats in this house, and cat politics is weird, so these results may not hold for any other circumstances.
- alsetmusic 7mo agoI had a shallow box on my desk during the pan and one of the kitties would rest there while I worked. I had to let that desk go when moving because it wouldn't survive another deconstruction and reconstruction. My present desk is very much "no kitties," but there's a largish box that my NAS came in next to me and they like to get on that and interact with me, so it never left. I also bought a super cheap tall narrow Ikea chair for the shallow box and one of them loves to sleep there next to me. The total cost (excluding the nas that was in the box) was like $17. Cat's don't need expensive furniture. They just need things that fit the way they like to hang out. Mostly boxes.
- adityaathalye 7mo agoStrongly disagree. Keyboard Pants is the real solution: https://www.flickr.com/photos/technomancy/4397554484 https://www.flickr.com/photos/technomancy/4397554484
- walrusted 7mo agosome cats want to be high up. and where is the litter box and snack station?
- librasteve 7mo agoHow about a startup that integrates a cat with agentic AI … lemme know if you would like to see this on crowdsource. If only I could think of a name…
- gggscript 7mo agohttps://gwern.net/catitecture https://gwern.net/catitecture > Cat itecture: Better Cat Window Boxes > Cats are not humans, but we design things like they are, for our convenience. What are the design patterns for cat-architecture? One missing design pattern: progressive concealment, for cat ledges, flaps & window boxes.
- shinycode 7mo agoThe article is useless, but the comments about people talking about their cats are priceless. Thank you OP to have ignited this thread, makes me so happy to read about other people love/observations of their cat. Definitely my all time favorite on HN
- whackernews 7mo ago[flagged]
- dbg31415 7mo agoYeah... The cat gets a penthouse AND a front-row seat to watch me destroy both knees every time I sit down -- courtesy of the hidden shelf under the desk. Truly designed by evil cats, for evil cats.
- theaicloser 7mo ago[flagged]