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Can a cat and a PC coexist in an apartment?

F

futurefields

Diamond Member
Hey guys, I share my studio apartment with beautiful cat Ladybird. She's a medium hair cat and has really soft, floaty hair, it's magical and gets everywhere.

As long as I make sure no cat hair builds up in my pc it should be fine right?

It's in an Antec 300, has good airflow and my temps are great. I don't mind popping it open every couple months to make sure nothing is building up. I just opened it up for the first time in about 4 months and there was just a tiny amount of build up on some of the fan blades. I cleaned that stuff off, blew out the case (which had very few stray hairs in it) and closed it back up.

Is this situation ok or is it real bad to even have a cat around a computer at all? (she stays off the desk, fwiw)

Thanks,
 
I have the same case, with several cats in the house (with that same hair that gets into everything!), and no issues even with the case sitting on the floor. I blow out the dust and clean the front filter every few months. Temps haven't changed since the day it was new. I wouldn't give it a second thought.
 
futurefields said:
Hey guys, I share my studio apartment with beautiful cat Ladybird. She's a medium hair cat and has really soft, floaty hair, it's magical and gets everywhere.

As long as I make sure no cat hair builds up in my pc it should be fine right?

It's in an Antec 300, has good airflow and my temps are great. I don't mind popping it open every couple months to make sure nothing is building up. I just opened it up for the first time in about 4 months and there was just a tiny amount of build up on some of the fan blades. I cleaned that stuff off, blew out the case (which had very few stray hairs in it) and closed it back up.

Is this situation ok or is it real bad to even have a cat around a computer at all? (she stays off the desk, fwiw)

Thanks,
Click to expand...

We have a Norwegian Elkhoud in our house. She sheds way more than is possible for any cat, just because she is a rather large dog and has very long hair that sheds continuously. I havent noticed that it gets into my PC at all.
 
I have two cats, it's not a big deal to keep my computers clean. Once a year is enough for the internals. Maybe wipe down the exterior every few weeks. The best thing you can do to keep dust and pet hair out of your computer is to is keep your floors clean.
 
You can try putting on dust filters on the intakes and making sure the case is under positive pressure by moving a few fans around (Antec traditionally does negative pressure). Your temperatures will suffer a bit, but it'll stay far cleaner.
 
Air filters work pretty well.

If you don't mind that it looks a little sillier, I've found cheesecloth to be quite effective and quite a bit cheaper. In my area it's about $5 for more than enough cheesecloth to cover all of the fan ports that don't come with air filters on the Carbide 500R.
 
Fur is pretty heavy and isn't likely to be picked up by computer fans. Unless your cat likes to sit on top of your case (which could be a possibility given how warm they get).

Keep the cat out of the PC room and you'll be fine.
 
3 cats, 4 dogs. Nothing dramatic at all, outside finding a cat curled up on a laptop's keyboard....with the computer going crazy from all the keys being depressed.
 
Swiffer tissues taped over all air intakes do a good job. They should be changed periodically - I d9o mine once a month. They hold dust, hair, etc. like magnets. They are also good for wiping out PC interiors. And a keyboard cover is also useful. You can even turn the keyboard upside down when not in use.
 
I had an old Calico cat that use to sit on my CRT Monitor. She loved the hot air coming out. I guess it depends how high you have the fans turned up. My antec 300 has only exhaust fans set to low speed. I just clean the dust filters once in a while.
 
Ladybird ha! I'm guessing named after Hank Hill's dog?

You should be fine! I have 2 100lb+ mutts that shed wayyy more than any longhaired cat and I do ok, just check regularly for any build up
 
A couple things that seem to keep the cat hair under control -

Buy a cat brush called a "Furminator". I didn't know it was possible for a brush to remove as much hair and my cat loves it.

Buy a 20x20 3M elite allergin furnace filter and tape it to a 20x20 box fan. It will remove an absurd amount of particles from the air and you won't have to worry about finding expensive replacement filters every few months.
 
lagokc said:
A couple things that seem to keep the cat hair under control -

Buy a cat brush called a "Furminator". I didn't know it was possible for a brush to remove as much hair and my cat loves it.

Buy a 20x20 3M elite allergin furnace filter and tape it to a 20x20 box fan. It will remove an absurd amount of particles from the air and you won't have to worry about finding expensive replacement filters every few months.
Click to expand...

"Furminator" is a name brand and is often one of the more expensive options (because of the name recognition, I suppose. Anywhere from $15 to $45, depending on the size.)

The tool is generically referred to as a deshedding comb/tool, if you're searching online or something.

(Just trying to be helpful to anybody reading this.)

For a cat, the smallest size is typically adequate. You don't want to grab too much fur at once.
 
Mine was $20 off Amazon which I thought was a pretty good deal (the MSRP is insane I'll admit). The large size doesn't really seem to bother her, she seems to love how much hair its removing but she is a short hair.
 
lagokc said:
Mine was $20 off Amazon which I thought was a pretty good deal (the MSRP is insane I'll admit). The large size doesn't really seem to bother her, she seems to love how much hair its removing but she is a short hair.
Click to expand...

Our short-hair loves it too. Our two longer-haired cats dislike it a great deal.

One hates the comb so bad she'll start attacking the comb, gnawing on it, then on my hand... it's unpleasant. One time, it snagged and she just said "screw it" and went right for my face, teeth bared.

So I don't really use the furminator with her anymore. I also wear a mask, play organ late at night in the sewers, and carry on illicit, dysfunctional relationships with low ranking members of opera companies while abhorring physical intimacy.

But if I sit her in my lap and just gently tug her fur between the calluses on my fingers, it'll leave the stuff that's still attached, the matted/loose fur grabs on the calluses a little and comes out in huge clumps, and she's perfectly happy.

I can't imagine it's any less uncomfortable than the comb - I think she just prefers human contact.
 
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I had my cat for 2 years before deciding one day that I probably should blow out my case. There was some normal dust buildup on the heatsink and fans, but I was surprised to find that it was completely clear of cat hair. I don't think I would have to deviate from a non-cat owner's cleaning schedule to keep things in order.
 
No cats but a shaggy little runt dog. I recently replaced some screens on my house and used the left over mesh to cover intakes. Works pretty well.
 
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