Hello, this is Dr. Karin. Read my bio, learn more about me, and meet my five cheerful cats: Clutch, Cyril, Alex, Zelda, and Zazzles.
After 13 years of working 10 hours a day in a clinical setting, I’m happy to be able to indulge my creative side through writing while helping pets and their people navigate the fun and sometimes difficult world of pet ownership. It was truly a luxury. What’s even better is that you can work from the convenience of your home. I’m really happy to be able to share my office with my cats.
But do you know what a real pain in the butt is? Share your office with cats!
My husband and I decided to avoid the trials and tribulations of having a baby and instead (over)fill our home with dependents of the four-legged variety. True, they are always happy to see you, do not throw tantrums (as an exception) my chihuahua, fred), or they stay up all night worrying about what pranks they’re playing on their friends, don’t help clean up, don’t clean up after themselves, and constantly demand attention.
office/cat room
Since we have a dog and a cat, we decided to turn our spare bedroom into a cat paradise. A place where your cat can eat, sleep, and poop without fear of being harassed by a curious dog. When I started working from home more and more, this room also became my office.
Fortunately, neither cats nor their worldly possessions take up much space, so I was able to move my desk and computer without too many complaints from my feline residents, but it still doesn’t add up to my preferred office environment. I had to make some adjustments. . It also meant getting used to a lot of intrusions, interruptions, and intrusions into my workspace. The intruder is cat litter. on my keyboard.
Take Cyril for example. For a large cat, they lack any sense of spatial awareness or personal space. His need to be near, next to, or on top of me at all times led to my first desktop modification: purchasing a computer stand. It wasn’t for my computer, but to cover the keyboard as I type so he could roll over my typing hands without interrupting my work.
Adjusting expectations
The next adjustment that needed to be made was with the plants. I’ve always loved the idea of an indoor jungle because I know how beneficial it is to work surrounded by oxygen-producing greenery. Of course, if you have pets in the house, you should carefully choose plants that are safe for cats. Unfortunately, some of my cats tend to chew, shred, and sometimes eat all kinds of plants that get into their bodies, so I might not have to worry about toxicity, though. , yet I have to deal with the wanton destruction of my body’s indoor plants.
Nothing says romance like a bed sprinkled with regurgitated rose petals.
So I have to satisfy my desire to create an indoor jungle with artificial greenery, succulents, cacti and other plants. They have just enough thorns to be curious, but not sharp enough to be dangerous. At least it’s low maintenance.
Sharing an office with a cat can also be a great incentive to maintain an organized workspace. If you don’t clear things off your desk, you’re going to end up banging things on the floor, vomiting on your desk, or both. And toilet hygiene is never an issue in our house. No problem if the toilet is 4 feet behind me as I type. And even though I no longer have to worry about making daily detours to the coffee drive-thru, I can still enjoy my morning caffeination in my travel mug…as long as I don’t mind sharing.
I love sharing the office
Don’t get me wrong, the joys and benefits of sharing an office with cats far outweigh the downsides. I consider myself extremely lucky to have a very friendly, cuddly, mostly quiet co-worker who never steals my yogurt from the fridge. She was always happy to see me (even in between feedings!). But it would be great if you learned how to wipe the dirt off your feet before it crosses my desk.
This article is part of Dr. Karin’s 5 Hilarious Cats series.
