Anyone who has loved a cat knows all about what I’m discussing in this article: the annoyance that comes with cat hair. While we love our feline companions and would do anything for them, we don’t love finding their fur on our furniture, clothes, or any of the other befuddling places it manages to cling to.
The ability of cat hair to find its way into the most inconvenient places is quite remarkable — though this doesn’t make it any less annoying! Unless you have a hairless cat, you’ll know this maddening frustration at one point or another. No matter what you do, it always comes back!
When it comes to your PC, however, cat hair takes on a whole new level of annoying. Not only does it make your work more difficult when you’re always blowing or wiping cat hair away, but the hair can actually damage your PC if it gets into the keyboard or processor, costing you big bucks to fix.
So, what’s a devoted cat owner to do? Are you doomed to deal with this for the rest of your cat’s life? No! There are plenty of ways to keep that annoying cat hair away from your PC, while allowing you to still enjoy your kitty as you work. Read on for some simple suggestions for keeping cat hair out of your PC:
1. Be Meticulous
Cat hair has a way of reaching distances far beyond what us humans can comprehend, this is true. Any cat owner that’s found a cat hair (or three) in what seems to be an unreachable place knows what I’m talking about!
However, it is possible to keep your cat’s hair out of your PC — you just might have to be a little OCD about it.
Keeping your work area free from cat hair can be achieved with a little elbow grease and a good amount of determination. You will have to keep up with it regularly, as cat hair can accumulate with lightning speed (or so it seems), but it can be done.
Regular vacuuming, dusting, and wiping down your desk/PC area might seem too simple to work, but sometimes the simplest methods work best!
Ensuring your work area is clean before and after your workday will be your best bet for beating the collection of kitty fur. Whether you choose to wipe it down, dust it off, or vacuum is up to you — just be sure to cover the surrounding area as well so any cat hair lurking nearby doesn’t migrate over. It might seem like a lot, but if you enjoy your kitty’s company while you work, it’s worth the extra couple minutes!
2. Shut the Door
This one is probably the hardest to achieve, as any cat owner knows. Shutting the door to your office or workspace is a fool-proof way to ensure all cat hair stays on the other side of the threshold, but your kitty will likely protest — in a loud, annoying, cat-like sort of way.
This will be especially harder for the both of you if kitty is used to having free run of the house, as cats abhor change as a general rule and aren’t shy about voicing their disapproval!
As I’m sure is the case with many cat people, my cat was terrible at accepting the dreaded closed door. He would sit and yowl like he was dying, only to do the same thing again if you let him in (or out) and closed the door behind him!
Something about the boundary of a closed door is just not acceptable to the feline species — but they can learn to get used to it if you’re determined to make it work.
You might want to start this new routine when you’re not actually working, as it will likely be a major source of distraction for a little while. However, with a little persistence (and some earplugs) on your part, she’ll get used to it with time.
Once she learns that your space belongs to you and not her, she’ll begrudgingly accept it and move on. It won’t hurt to sweeten the deal with a new toy or some yummy treats, either!
3. Keep Them Busy
While we know our cats love our company, sometimes their habit of following us around is due to boredom. Cats are predatory animals that rarely get to hunt, so they need other outlets to help them release their pent-up energy. Sadly, far too many cats are lacking in the play department — causing them to act in ways that irritate their humans quite a bit!
The saying “a good dog is a tired dog” applies to cats as well, as they’re far less likely to act out when they’ve had a good play. On the hit show “My Cat from Hell,” cat expert Jackson Galaxy’s first question to cat owners is usually “how much do you play with him?”
Funnily enough, most issues resolve within weeks of incorporating a regular play schedule into the cat’s life, leaving both kitty and owner much happier for it.
This can also be helpful in keeping cat hair out of your PC, as a tired cat will be happy to nap the day away while you handle your work responsibilities.
Playing with them for 15-20 minutes before your workday begins will ensure they’re good and tired, and you can keep their preferred sleeping quarters far enough away from your desk that the cat hair becomes a non-issue!
4. Cover Your Workstation
Even if you clean up your PC area like I suggested in the first section, cat hair can still creep into your nice clean space long after you’ve clocked out for the day.
If you enjoy the company of your kitty while you work and she has free run of the house throughout the day, chances are she’ll revisit your work area while she’s making her rounds at some point.
Even if she doesn’t do this, the migratory nature of cat hair will ensure that some of her fur will make it past the cleanliness barrier!
Thankfully, this can largely be mitigated by covering your workstation when you’re done for the day. After you clean up and ensure your workspace is cat hair free, cover your PC and its surrounding area with a blanket, towel, or even a PC cover like this one from Amazon.
You can also try a keyboard skin like the one mentioned in this article if your main concern is cat hair between the keys. The possibilities are pretty much endless in our modern consumer market!
Whichever way you choose to go with this, the basic premise is to create a barrier between your PC and any potential cat hair threats. Cleaning it after you’re done for the day (especially if your cat likes to keep you company) and then covering it afterwards will essentially act as a two-step force against cat hair — leaving your PC nice and clean for tomorrow!
5. Make Them a Better Offer
If your cat hair issues stem from your kitty keeping you company while you work, you might be able to tempt them away from your PC while also keeping them nearby.
They love to sit with or near you as much as they can, so it’s understandable that you might not want to simply shoo them away.
Not only will this hurt your cat’s feelings, but it will be a major distraction during your workday considering how persistent they can be! Thankfully, there are tons of options for this particular issue.
Depending on your setup, your situation will differ to the next person’s, so work with your space as best you can. Some desks are near a window and great candidates for window-perching cat beds, while others have a nice open space that can accommodate a luxurious cat tree for kitty to lounge on.
Have a couch in your office? A kitty bed sprinkled with catnip on one of the couch cushions will be a well-received special treat for your feline companion.
As you can see, there are lots of ways to keep kitty close by without accepting the invasion of cat hair along with him! This can actually be a fun project, as you get to be as creative as you like.
Whatever works for you, your cat, and your space is a great choice and will make you both happy— just without the annoyance of the ever-present cat hair in the mix!
6. Use Compressed Air Cleaners/ Air Dusters
At some stage a little cat hair, dirt and dust particles will always enter parts of your computer keyboard that are hard to reach.
To keep cat hair out of these difficult to clean places you can use compressed air cleaners. A simple google search will bring up a ton of compressed air cleaners to potentially get.
They range from the cheaper compressed air cans with a straw to the more expensive devices that are battery powered and need re-charging. The electric and batter powered air cleaners do come with a higher blast power.
Compressed air cleaners work by blowing air underneath the keys and anywhere there is space where cat hair can get trapped. Simply hold them out in front of your keyboard and start blowing away.
A useful tip, is to make sure you do it in a area you don’t mind covering with some post blow cat hair or waste particles. In addition, make sure you have a damp cloth or vacuum to clean up the remnants after each blow.
7. Laptop Cleaner Brushes
Hair and dust particles, food, you name it, can get lodged somewhere in you computer. So the best way to keep this hair out is to use a keyboard cleaning brush. Its simple, just brush all over your keyboard until all the hair is removed.
You can also give it a wipe down with a damp cloth after. Get into routine habits of doing this, and you will find less hair inside and around your computer.
8. Shedding Reduction Techniques
Cats love to shed hair. To prevent more hair from clogging up your PC you may want to apply more shedding reduction treatment on your cat.
This can include specifically choosing cat food for skin and hair health. Their are plenty of products online but all should contain natural ingredients with the addition of healthy omega 3 and 6 fatty acids or vitamins. Omega 3 fatty acids are anti-inflammatory so are a perfect for dry skin and the health of your cat’s coat.
In addition you may want to increase the times you brush your cat. Try brushing your cat once a day. To make brushing even easier, you can shave your cats fur so its extra short. The hairs that shed won’t be as long.
