During this trying time I, like many of my fellow technology workers have been working remotely a lot. It’s been challenging for everyone but although I have managed to keep busy with my projects over the last few months I feel that one thing that has made the experience memorable is my new desk cat.

My desk cat is named Elmer and he and his brother came from the Erie County SPCA. I felt that the two would make great companions while my family and I spent months at our house. This turned out to be a good decision. The furry purries have added a lot of joy and fun to our lives not to mention the mice they caught for us! I had no idea that they would help me with technology.

Elmer has a crucial role as my desk cat. He keeps me from getting too stressed out by long hours in front of my computer. He insists that I stop working periodically and feed him, let him out, or give him head-scratchies, which aids in keeping my concentration level high, as mentioned in this article in Psychology Today.

Also, he helps with my overall sense of well-being by imbuing humor into almost every day. Desk cats do this automatically and do not need any training or coaxing to perform this valuable task.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Repetative Strain Injury, and other health issues caused by long hours typing are also mitigated by a desk cat. Desk cats are always needing to be petted, stroked or scratched, which is a bit like cross-training for your fingers and hands.

Desk cats are also helpful when teleconfrencing during those boring developer team meetings or project reviews. One desk cat walking in front of a webcam in a group meet can render even the most introverted and stoic developers into complete children.

I feel that probably the best thing about desk cats is the love, which may or not be directly connected to the frequency at which the desk cat receives canned cat food. Regardless of the cause, the result is still very rewarding.

In conclusion, if you are spending long hours at home at your desk doing your job, you owe it to yourself to pick up a desk cat or two (depending on the size of your desk). It will be an investment that is returned 100 times over.