Does your cat like to lounge on your keyboard or printer? Use your cables as chew toys? A gazillion Flickr photos suggest this is normal. Still, if you'd like to save your expensive electronics from your pet, Wired offers these strategies.

Understanding cats' crazy minds as best we can—especially that they don't like sudden, loud noises and sticky stuff on their paws—can help develop a plan of action. Of the several suggested approaches, including setting up motion-detection alarms and setting traps that startle cats when they get near your gear (like the DIY blender defender or simpler tin cans with coins), the two-sided tape strategy method looks easiest: Photo by Brad Moon, Wired.com

The classic method is to apply two sided tape directly to any surface you want to keep cats off of. They jump up, find their paws are sticking, immediately decide that it's not cool, and jump off. [...]

I used a variation on the two-sided tape method, designed to avoid the issue of adhesives on gear. Cut pieces of paper to fit the areas you want to protect. Apply strips of two sided tape to the top of the paper. Use masking tape (easy to remove and no residue) on the other side to gently attach the paper to the surface. Voila, you have effective cat protection. Thanks to the masking tape, there's no damage to surfaces and it takes only seconds to remove everything if you're having company over and don't want to explain why there's sticky paper all over your stereo. I apply paper strips on the desk surface to discourage jumping up there and directly to the top of several key, heat-generating pieces of equipment that seem to be cat magnets.

Read through to the whole article for more tips on applying this strategy and how to prevent cats from electrocuting themselves when they chew on electrical cords.

Have you managed to tame your cat's tech curiosity? If so, how'd you do it?

Curb Your Cat's Technological Curiosities | Wired

Photo by dougwoods

If your pet needs a bed you can make one yourself even if you don't know how to sew. All you need to do this are a couple of yards of fabric, a bag of batting, scissors, and the ability to tie a square-knot.

Instructables user schoochmaroo figured out an easy way to make a pet bed without sewing by cutting fringes on the border of the top and bottom fabric pieces and tying the fringes together into square knots.

Full step-by-step instructions and photos are at the source link below, but what you're basically doing is cutting two pieces of fabric to the same rectangular shape, cutting identical fringes into each piece of fabric, and tying the upper and lower fringes together. When you're around ¾ finished with the knot tying you can start to fill the cavity of the bed with batting and finish tying. For those of you unfamiliar with crafting, batting is the filling for quilts and pillows made from cotton, polyester, or other materials. You can buy a bag for a few bucks at any craft store or online.

The project should take around a half hour to complete and cost less than ten bucks depending on the fabric and batton.

No Sew Pet Bed | Instructables

Dear Lifehacker,
I just bought a new puppy and I'm trying to decide if I should buy little Mr. Snuggles some insurance in case he gets sick. Is it worth it? Are there better alternatives?

Sincerely,
Papa Snuggles

Photo by Pat Cullen.

Dear Papa Snuggles,

Pet insurance, like its human equivalent, is going to vary from animal to animal. Different breeds, animals, and ages all have different rates. For many, the reason to have pet insurance is for the assurance they won't have to make the choice between a $5,000 operation and a $50 shot to put the animal down because they don't have the cash. Let's start by taking a look at what types of situations pet insurance covers.

What It Does and Does Not Cover

Pet insurance can be as confusing as your own health insurance in what it covers. The difference is that a lot of the coverage depends on the breed of animal, so it's good to research the policy and your animal's history at the same time. PetMD is a good resource of articles to find your pet's history.

What Most Cover

• Diagnostic tests.
• Surgeries.
• Medications.
• Treatment.

• What Most Don't Cover

• Some policies don't cover dental.
• Most don't cover preexisting or hereditary conditions.

• These vary from policy to policy, so pay close attention the terms when you're researching. The hereditary conditions one in general is difficult to define, so talk to your vet about potential problems before choosing an insurance plan. If you have an "exotic" animal like a horse, lizard, or parrot, you may need to search for special insurance companies.

  Photo by holga_new_orleans.

  How to Pick out the Right Insurance
  
  

  The cheapest monthly rate I was able to find for a 12-year-old cat was $11.45/month but it had a $1,000 deductible and only covered accidents. Another plan, with a $500 deductible was over $300 a year, which collectively is more than I've spent on the cat's healthcare in its entire lifetime.

  The biggest issues to watch out for if you're going to pick a pet insurance are service related. Not all companies are the same and many have exclude specific treatments or pay different percentages on different procedures, so read the policy as carefully as you would your own. Many also vary deductibles based on the incident type and treatment, which makes planning difficult.

  I talked with several veterinarians, who seemed to unanimously recommend Petplan and VPI Pet Insurance (although WiseBread has another take on VPI). For what it's worth, Petplan is more expensive, but lets me select my reimbursement percentage and deductible, and then covers loss, kennel fees, and more. They also have a handy calculator so I can see if it's really worth it.

  Assuming the treatments were all covered, for their bottom tiered, Bronze plan, I would pay $1,300 on a $6,000 bill that cost about $27 a month, which isn't too bad. The problem is there's probably nothing that could possibly happen to this cat that would cost $6,000, so let's drop it down to a $700 bill. Now, my share of the costs is $340. So, that's $340 right there, plus the $324 in monthly payments I've made, which is $664, a savings of $36, assuming all costs were covered. Below that $700 mark, the savings disappear and considering the average vet bill last year was around $500, it hardly seems worth it. Consumer Reports had similar findings earlier this year. Typically, dog and cat visits are similar in cost, with dogs being slightly more expensive because of their size, but the math doesn't work out either way.

  Despite what the numbers say, the veterinarians I talked with were energetic about insurance and recommended it for animals of every size. There reasoning was that it offers peace of mind and works as a savings plan for larger bills that may come down the line. From a veterinarian's perspective, it also means they'd likely have to put down less animals due to cost issues. However, two of the offices mentioned they usually send the entire bill to the insurance company because, "you never know what might get covered," which seems to accent the biggest problem with pet insurance, the unknowable outcomes of claims.

  If you'd still like to go for it, we didn't find any solid price comparison sites, but aside from the two mentioned above, popular and well-rated insurance companies also include Trupanion and 24PetWatch. Some home and car insurance may offer discounts on select companies as well, so be sure to check with them first.

  Photo by Masahiro Ihara.

  Alternatives to Pet Insurance

  If you don't like the idea of pet insurance, there are alternatives, but they'll require a more proactive approach on your part. The first thing you'll need to do is research your pet and see what types of common, hereditary ailments they might run into and call your vet and ask for rough estimate on cost. With these in hand, you can create a makeshift hypothetical payment plan for yourself. You'll also want to include problems like potential broken bones and dental care. You can use whichever budgeting technique you prefer, but most of our favorite money management sites allow for this type of planning.

  As for the care itself, you want to shop around for the best deals. They're going to vary depending on your location, but many larger cities have cheaper, non-profit clinics or universities that are willing to work with you on prices and payments if necessary. These often run a first-come first-served system, so be prepared to potentially spend a lot of time in the office. Most of these types of places also have low-cost annual visits and medications as well, but they typically don't handle major chronic maladies.

  Photo by Adria Richards.

  ---

  The benefit of animal insurance is going to come down to your location, the type of pet, and the lifestyle. If your animal roams the streets freely, it's going to be more prone to accidents and might be worth it. If your animal remains healthy for its life and doesn't have any major medical conditions, the insurance absolutely will not be worth it. Even if your pet does have a major surgery, say $4,000 once in its lifetime, you will still be breaking even in a best case scenario. Pet insurance is geared more toward people who don't want to set up a separate fund to cover health costs, or who want the peace of mind that comes from insurance. If that's you, all we can say is research your potential plans extensively before choosing one.

  Love,
  Lifehacker

  P.S. Have you used pet insurance? Do you feel like you get what you pay for?

We spend a lot of time talking about how to improve our own lives, but how about the lives of our pets? Today we're looking at ten great ways to improve the life of your cat—which has its benefits for you, too.

Note to cat lovers: This weekend is for the dogs, because last month we upgrade your cat's life. Be sure to check out that post for ten comparable tips for your kitty.

10. Clean Your Dog's Ears Properly

Ears like to accumulate their disgusting ear wax in most types of animals, and dogs are far from exempt. While you definitely don't want to leave wax buildup to crust over inside your pet's ear canals, you also don't want to clean improperly. Just like with humans, you want to be gentle and only clean the parts you can see. Stay out of the ear canal and you're doing it right.

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9. Make a Custom Doggy Bed on the Cheap

Like human beds, doggy beds can get pretty expensive. If you don't want to shell out a ton of money for a fancy one, you can just make one yourself. For the most part, these beds are just enormous, glorified pillows so you don't need more than a relatively thick and soft fabric and some firm stuffing. Your dog just needs a comfortable, soft place to sleep and you can easily provide that after an hour at the sewing machine.

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8. Train Your Dog Better with Shorter Sessions

Nowadays, perhaps to all the quick-form content online, we don't have the greatest attention spans and your dog suffers from the same problem. That's good, because you'll both get bored with training exercises relatively fast and you don't want to keep going if the interest is gone. To teach your dog better, break up your training sessions into smaller, more digestible blocks just once or twice a week. Hammering it home isn't fun for either of you, so take it nice and easy. It can help your dog learn better and faster.

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7. Save Money on Doggy Medication

Vets like to mark up prescription medications for your pets, but you can avoid this problem pretty easily by picking up the same pills at your local human-serving pharmacy. Some pharmacies will consider your pet a family member, too, and will offer those associated discounts as well. As always, be sure to call first before assuming it'll be cheaper. It seems like it usually is, but checking first will always help you find the best deal.

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6. Make Pet Travel Easier

Traveling with your dog can be as stressful for you as it is for them, especially when on an airplane. The best thing you can do is be prepared and know your options ahead of time so there are no unexpected problems along the way. This means knowing whether or not you can take your dog on the plane with you, if your airline allows pet travel at all, if you can check your pets (and how much that costs), getting your dog used to the travel crate before leaving, and providing it with adequate playtime prior to the flight. You also won't be able to feed him/her six hours prior to the flight. It's not exactly a pleasant process, but it'll be a lot worse if you're not prepared. Alternatively, find a good pet sitter.

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5. Make Your Own Dog Treats

Your dog probably isn't going to care who made the treat so long as s/he gets to eat it, but when you bake them yourself you have the distinct advantage of choosing what's inside. If the nutritional content of a Snausage isn't your ideal, make your own healthier option. It's not hard to do and your dog will love your for it.

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4. Eliminate Dog Hair with Your Hand and Water

Chances are pet hair isn't part of your apartment's desire aesthetic, and it's definitely a problem when you've got company who might be allergic. Cleaning up pet hair is a major pain, but wikiHow has a few handy suggestions—literally. The first is wetting your palm with some water and scooping up the dander bare-handed. The water will make it stick and easy to move from couch, floor, or wherever to the trash. You can also get the same effect with a lightly dampened kitchen sponge or regular latex gloves. A more fun approach is using an inflated balloon. Create some static electricity by rubbing it on your hair, then touch the balloon to hairy areas. It'll attract the hair until you can dispose of it. Or just use use rubber flip-flop sandals. Finally, try a fabric softener sheet. If it doesn't work on its own, mist it with a little water for some extra cling.

3. Make an Automatic Water Dish that Refills Itself

Here's a cool DIY project your dog will appreciate: an automatically refilling water dish. So long as you're comfortable with an arduino, it's something you shouldn't have trouble throwing together pretty quickly. This way, if you're not around your dog will always have fresh water to drink and never be too thirsty. The only downside, perhaps, is that s/he'll have to go out and to the bathroom a bit more frequently.

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2. Find Your Lost Dog

The last thing you want is for your pet to be lost, but no matter how hard you try it can always happen. If you do end up losing your dog, there are plenty of ways to get him/her back. Aside from the obvious steps of posting signs around your area, the internet can be of assistance as well. Lost Pet Atlas is one site that can help you post about your lost pet or see other pets in your area that people have found. You can browse missing dogs and cats just by looking around on the map near your home.

When you're searching, you want to keep a few things in mind. The size of your dog will depend on the distance it's capable of running. Big dogs will often run up to five miles where smaller dogs will likely only make it one. Most dogs are recovered within a two mile radius, however, so that's a good place to start. Shy dogs often end up in bushes or under cars. Friendly dogs will look for help from people, often in public parks or on someone's yard. (Source: Petfinder)

If your pet hasn't run away yet, now's a good time to look at tracking chip options like HomeAgain so recovery is easy. It's important to remember that your pet likely didn't run away because s/he hates you, but potentially out of loneliness or distraction. Don't feel too bad and don't worry too much. Most people are kind enough to help out a lost animal and will be happy to return your dog when you report him/her lost.

1. Get Rid of Nasty Dog Breath

You may love your dog, but you'll probably never love its breath. Fortunately you can make your dog's mouth smell a bit nicer by feeding them Greenies. Greenies are treats that promote better dental hygiene and that your dog will enjoy chewing. You'll also need to regularly brush your dogs teeth, preferably using dog toothpaste and a finger toothbrush. Regular teeth cleaning by a vet and a healthy diet also help, so it isn't much different than how you'd handle your own teeth. You're just cleaning the dogs, and it's easier to get your finger in their mouth than it is a toothbrush. So, really, the secret behind good dog breath isn't much different than it is with humans.

Photo by Dan Bennett

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