Kitty Litter Crunch & Other Hazards of Pets in the Home Office

Resilience (noun): the capacity to absorb energy from disruption
–Google.ca

Not too long ago, after too many distractions from my daughter, she asked me why I allowed the cats in my office when I wouldn’t allow other family members in. My answer was quick, “Because they don’t fuss, whine or distract!” Needless to say, my daughter wasn’t pleased with my answer, but it did force me to examine the half-truths to my statement.

Yes, the cats are quiet—as long as…they’re asleep. They sleep 20+ hours per day, but close the office door, hold an important client call or participate in a live webinar and they’re on full-alert.

Closing the office door: it doesn’t matter which side of the door the cat is on, he or she will want to be on the other side. NOW. That’s when the whining begins. Especially if there is perceived activity in the kitchen. Or if the kitty litter box is in another room. You’ll end up as the personal doorman to your cats and won’t be paid for the service. After several door openings (which occur 10+ times/day) you’ll get smart and add a kitty door to the office door.

Kitty door: will the constant thwack thwack thwack of the kitty door distract you? For the first several weeks, your kitties will enjoy experimenting with their freedom. They’ll test the door for speed. They’ll bat at each other through the opening. They’ll start a stampede and leap through the door as many times as they can before you snap at them. Then you’ll lock their door and the yowling and pawing begins until you give in. That first month is the toughest, but they eventually adjust and come and go with minimal fuss and thwack thwack thwack.

Side note: you may consider removing the door to free up access, but this resulted in my granddaughter sticking her head in often to ask what I’m doing. She’ll then proceed to toss toys through the door ‘for grandma to play with’ then will fuss when she can’t get them back. Beware!

Kitty litter: you’ll love having your cats snuggling in as you work, but pretty soon you’ll discover one missing necessity: the kitty litter box. To accommodate your beloved pets, you’ll move one into your office. It then becomes the box of choice and the thwack thwack thwack begins again. Not only will you be dealing with the door, you’ll have certain aromas wafting while you are in high concentration. Add the sound of kitty litter being kicked to all corners of your office. Word of advice: keep a broom in your office, air freshener and always wear shoes—kitty litter on bare feet is none too comfortable! Also, remove carpeting—it’s easier to clean up!

Silence: for the most part, cats are quiet. They only wait to hiss & snarl once you’re on a phone call. They’ll save the hairball-hacking for live webinars and skype calls.

Desk top: cats love high spots and my keyboard is their prime location. It is, after all, where my hands are most active. Each of my kitties take their turn jumping up and nudging my typing fingers to focus their attention on scratching and rubbing. Head butts and pawing occur regularly. If this doesn’t elicit the desired response, one of them attempts to lay upon my keyboard.

Confession: I haven’t revealed these truths to my daughter, but I find I’m better equipped to handle my four-legged family members better than the two-legged ones.

What about you? What pet stories do you have? Comment below and share with your friends!

Kristen Edens
A grandparent in business

(photos from my office collection)