Why do cats love computers?

My friend Ted used his home computer daily for work, but he wasn’t the only one in his household with a computer habit. His cat Snooki had a regular routine of curling up at the bottom of his desk and falling asleep with one paw on the PC tower. Ted wondered if the hum of the cooling fans lulled Snookie to sleep or if something else was at play.

Many cat parents report that their kitties love to run across their keyboards or sit in front of monitors while the cat parents are using the computers. I can’t think of a single cat owner I know who hasn’t had this issue. My friend Sue still wonders to this day how her kitten Junebuggy was able to send an email when she left her Yahoo account open and unattended. I witnessed my sister’s cat walking across the keyboard and mouse of her laptop while she was working, and somehow that kitty pressed exactly the right combination of keys and clicks to delete a file (fortunately, the file was backed up and easily retrieved).

Of course, cats don’t gather around computers in order to cause digital mischief. Cats are often attracted to computers for three reasons: the heat the devices produce is an enticing nap place, they want to get the attention of humans using the computers, and they are curious about adopting human behaviors.

According to Better Vet, Ted was right about his hunch that Snooki felt comforted by the hum of the computer tower: “Laptops provide a cozy and warm spot for cats to relax and unwind. The soft keyboard, gentle hum, and emitted heat create a purrfect nap spot that cats can't resist.” Cats have a low tolerance for cold temperatures and naturally gravitate towards heat sources, whether those sources are food, blankets, electronics, or other items.

Cats also want to get their owners’ attention. After all, why should a human be staring at a flat rectangular block for hours when they could be doting on their kitty? According to Better Vet, cats parade across keyboards and park themselves in front of monitors as “their way of expressing their desire for companionship and interaction, ensuring they become the center of our world.” Another cat connoisseur, Mara, who writes for Slate, commented, “my cat, Zadie, is an advanced practitioner of laptop disruption—she will even sometimes slam the whole thing shut with her paw. I’ve always interpreted this as resenting the competition for my attention.”

Finally, a kitty’s interest in mimicking human behavior may also motivate their computer obsession. Reader's Digest writes that some cat parents have found success in distracting their cats by providing their kitties with fake ‘decoy’ laptops that their cats can sit in front of. Your cat might actually be pretending to be you!

If your cat’s computer mania is disruptive, consider getting them a warm bed and cat furniture that allows them to have their own space without intruding upon yours. Armarkat offers a wide variety of pet beds and cat trees with several accessories to delight your adventurous cat!

Quote of the day: “It’s a laptop until it becomes a cat-warmer” - Unknown

Sources:

“Here’s Why Cats Love Laptops”, Reader's Digest

https://www.rd.com/article/why-cats-love-laptops/

“Why Do Cats Sit on Laptops? 4 Common Reasons”, Better Vet

https://bettervet.com/resources/pet-lifestyle/why-do-cats-sit-on-laptops

“Why Won’t My Cat Stay Away From My Laptop?”, Slate

https://slate.com/technology/2020/10/why-do-cats-love-laptops.html