Working from home with a cat: how to share your office hours
Working from home with a cat has plenty of upsides: company, fewer lonely hours for your cat and the chance to spot any change sooner. It has its challenges too, such as the cat sprawled across the keyboard, the meowing in the middle of a meeting or the one demanding attention every half hour. With a few routines, you both come out ahead.
Why your cat sits on the keyboard
There are several reasons, and they usually add up. The laptop is warm, and cats love warmth. It’s where your attention is, and your cat wants to be wherever you’re looking. Sitting on it gets a reaction from you, even if it’s only being moved away, so the behaviour is reinforced. And it’s a surface at the height of your face, where it can rub against you. Don’t take it as deliberate mischief: it’s a way of seeking your company. The solution is to offer an equally appealing spot next to you, not to keep moving it away, which only turns the keyboard into a game.
A spot of its own by your desk
Put a comfy bed next to your desk or, better still, on the desk beside the computer: a box with a blanket, a cave-style bed or a self-heating mat. If it’s close to you and warm, many cats end up preferring it to the keyboard. You can reinforce this by giving a treat when your cat settles there. A shelf or tall cat tree by a nearby window can also draw its attention. What matters is that it has a comfortable place from which it can see you and be with you, because that’s what it’s after. And learn the shortcut to lock your keyboard: it will save you from emails sent by a paw.
Play during breaks
Use your work breaks to play with your cat. A few five- or ten-minute sessions with a wand toy, several times a day, will help it burn off energy and stay calmer while you work. Ideally, mimic a complete hunt: stalking, chasing, catching, and finishing with a small treat or part of its meal. It can be a good way to structure your own breaks too, getting up from your chair and moving around a bit. A cat that has played mid-morning and mid-afternoon is a cat that then settles down for a long nap in its bed. And a cat that hasn’t played at all will come looking for you at the worst possible moment.
Video calls
Cats seem to have a sixth sense for turning up in the middle of meetings. To cut down on interruptions, play with your cat just before an important meeting, then give it a puzzle feeder or a treat-filled toy to keep it busy. If it meows or keeps insisting, try not to respond during the call: if you give it something every time it meows, it will learn to do it more. If you need to shut the door for a meeting, make sure it has water, its litter tray and a comfortable spot on the other side. And don’t worry too much: most of your colleagues will enjoy a brief feline cameo.
Neither constant attention nor none at all
One of the risks of working from home is that your cat gets used to having attention whenever it wants. If you respond every time it asks for strokes, food or play, it will learn to ask more and more. It’s best to set up a predictable routine: play sessions at roughly fixed times, meals at their usual hours, and periods of quiet company. Outside those times, you can kindly ignore its persistent demands. But don’t go to the other extreme either: having you home all day and getting no attention at all can also frustrate a cat. Ideally, you each have your own space and your time together.
Food and mealtimes
Having someone at home all day can turn mealtimes into an endless negotiation. Many cats learn that if they pester enough, they’ll eventually get something. Stick to your cat’s feeding times, split its daily ration into several small meals, as a cat would eat in the wild, and use puzzle feeders or an automatic feeder, so that food doesn’t depend on you. If you give treats during the day, subtract them from the total daily ration so it doesn’t gain weight. Indoor cats whose owners work from home have more chances to beg for food, and a greater risk of becoming overweight if you give in.
Cables, chairs and other hazards
A home workspace can hold some hazards for a cat: charger and computer cables, which some cats chew; rubber bands, paper clips and staples, which they can swallow; mugs of coffee or tea, which can be knocked over and scald them; and wheeled chairs, which can trap a tail or a paw. Protect cables with trunking or covers, put small objects away and take care when moving your chair. If you use a heater under the desk, make sure the cat can’t get too close. And don’t leave medicines, creams or other products you may use during your working day within reach.
One advantage: you get to know your cat better
Spending more time at home lets you observe your cat more closely and learn its routines, which is a big advantage for spotting any change early. You’ll notice sooner if it eats less, drinks more, visits the litter tray more often, sleeps more than usual, hides or changes its behaviour. Many feline illnesses show up as subtle changes in routine, and whoever spends the most time with the cat has the best chance of noticing them. Make the most of it: if something catches your eye, write it down and mention it to your vet. Sometimes, noticing a change in time makes all the difference.
When you go back to the office
If you return to the office after a period of working from home, your cat may notice the change. Some cats that have grown used to your constant company may show signs of stress: meowing more, peeing outside the litter tray, eating less or more, or being extra clingy when you get home. To avoid this, make the transition gradually if you can: start leaving the house for a few hours before going back full time, keep up play and feeding routines, and leave it something to do while you’re out. If the change seems to be affecting your cat a lot, talk to your vet, who can help you assess whether there’s a separation anxiety problem.
If several of you work from home
When several people work from home, the cat may get more attention than it needs or, on the contrary, none at all, because everyone assumes someone else is taking care of it. Share out the jobs: who plays with it mid-morning, who feeds it and who cleans the litter tray. And agree on the rules: if one person lets it onto the desk and another lifts it off, the cat won’t understand a thing. It also helps for your cat to have a quiet room to retreat to when there’s a lot going on or loud calls, with its bed, water and litter tray. A cat that always has somewhere to be in peace copes much better with having the whole family at home.
Your cat climbs onto the keyboard because it’s warm and it’s where your attention is: put a warm bed beside the computer. Play during breaks, keep to mealtimes with puzzle feeders and don’t reward persistent demands. Protect the cables. And if you go back to the office, make the transition gradually.
Educational content from Michipedia, translated from the Spanish original. It does not replace the advice of a vet or a feline behaviour specialist. Every cat is an individual.