Click bait title I know but it’s true. As much as we love them cats can be rather destructive. As one of the people who volunteer for CPOM (I do a bit of IT) I’ve done a number of drive rescues and other things to help recover from that innocent little fuzzy buddy doing untold damage to computers!
I have a few words for what it’s worth – BACKUP! Yep a backup can save lots of pain even if your computer is dead. You can get another computer and transfer the backup to the new machine. But there is also things like power cords / supplies (I paid !120 for my last one) they can be munched thru (and possibly cause visits to the vet) the fact that cats like to knock things off desks, think about these things and plan your decor appropriately.
Also I want to mention fur and fuzz. Believe it or not, fur and fuzz gets into electronic devices. Have a look at this amplifier it wasn’t working, but after taking it outside and carefully cleaning, it started working and is still working to this day. But it did need a clean (you can see the Maine Coon fur if you look closely!).
Up shot is – if possible have a space that is animal / cat free. Keep your electronics clean (if possible get a friend with an air compressor to help clean things out) oh and did I mention BACK UP! Like now!
Apparently animal accidents cost about 3 billion a year.
https://www.cnet.com/news/pet-threat-animals-cause-3-billion-in-annual-electronics-damage/
I have a few words for what it’s worth – BACKUP! Stay safe and watch out for you laptop. 🙂