What fun to stumble upon a breaking BCN when it’s new! I’d guess this must be based on Lupin IRL? Love his ecstatic little dance and those innocent eyes turned upon The Man.
It is for this very reason that I mounted my power strip to the underside of my desk. Unfortunately, the power button for the computer is on top of the computer, so climbing kitties still make me scream sometimes.
I got one of those small plastic pill containers (the kind with the plastic hinge on them, really cheap,) cut the hinge off and turning one over the button taped it in place. You can’t depress the button without lifting the tape. Parker can sit on it all she wants, but can’t turn it on or off. Same concept (just find something deep enough to tape over the power strip) works for other buttons.
I always use sports tape for things like this. Other tapes, particularly electrical tape and duct tape, leave behind a gooey residue if you leave them on for a long period of time. Painter’s tape would probably work well too, it’s just that I always keep sports tape in the first aid kit, and I don’t always have painter’s tape handy.
I put painter’s tape over all the outlets on all my power strips, and then when I plug something in, I either cut that segment of tape away, or simply poke the plug through it. If I remove a plug, I re-tape over that outlet. That way, all the unused outlets stay covered, keeping out dust and small insects that could cause problems. It would also have the effect of keeping out tiny toenails – like Lupin’s – that could prove hazardous to furry little news anchors.
Same here, using a plastic yogurt container. I especially love Lupin laying both paws reassuringly on the Man’s hand to show how well he “understands”!
I just placed a small wooden box over the unit. I drilled holes in to let the power cables through, then I labeled everything on both the strip & the box & placed it over the power strip. My cat likes to sleep curled up next to the box, but can’t move it enough to cause any problems.
When our oldest, Heidi, was a kitten, she learned that she could put her little foot down on a spot on her daddy’s laptop and garner about the same reaction.
And my first kitty discovered quite by accident, in the days of dialup Internet, that if she went barreling through the apartment and knocked the handset off the phone (This was also in the days before wireless handsets), that her mom would suddenly pay her lots of attention. After I figured out she was no longer doing it by accident I put the phone out of her reach.
Lupin’s satisfaction and glee are real in our actual lives (at least, he seems to enjoy jumping back up into the Man’s lap for pets afterwards, with many head bumps and chin nuzzles, which feels like a celebratory lap)… But it’s a little puzzling given his deafness. 😀
The Man’s voice is pretty deep. I’m going to say for the comic’s sake, it must be the reverberations of his voice… Along with perhaps a stomped foot or fist pounded on the desk. Maybe a general shaking and quaking all over with tech angst.
That’s actually quite a clever idea! I always kept the power strip for my computer (didn’t have a UPS) on top of the desk tucked away behind the monitor, out of harm’s way.
Where I used to work, one day the whole system went down. We quickly discovered a toddler (the human kind – no more than a year old) had wandered into the server room, and switched off the main computer. The mother was quickly located (just imagine the lone person in the entire building who was frantically trying to find something other than merchandise). We figured she had been through enough, what with her child having gone missing, so we didn’t make a big deal over the whole computer thing. But within twenty minutes, I was installing a lock on the door to the server room.
My cats don’t bother that, but 2 of them like to surprise me by performing Swan Lake in its entirety on the keyboard! I wonder if that’s why my friends don’t answer all my emails? ?? Hmmmmm
The Man and I were trying to figure that out ourselves. Can anyone out there think of another strip missing Elvis? I believe Pucky has gone missing from a strip before, but I can’t recall if Elvis ever has! (Perhaps this was just enough Lupin for him during that particular broadcast).
Yes, another purrfect examples of life with adventurous kitties. Always innocent, (well, no convictions anyway). Of course, even if the jury votes guilty, the head nuzzle takes precedence over any “time-out”.
I feel the Man’s pain. I’ve had the same problem with one of my cats. To keep my computer on, I taped a small box lid over the tempting red button. That worked for awhile … until someone learned how to remove the protective lid.
Before WiFi, I used to have a problem with our Westley lying on top of the router and occasionally kicking out the ethernet cables so one or more computers would suddenly be off the network.
I solved it by putting an empty box next to the router. Westley never lay on the router again.
oh *lupin* <3 (and this is why our power strip is situated where kitties can't stomp on it — and partially why the power button on my keyboard is deactivated. the latter is only partially because *i* hit it too often when i didn't mean to).
i suspect elvis is protecting the baby from the shouting.
I suspect Elvis was hiding from the screams. =)
Our wholehearted sympathies. We have a couple of those buttons here, too, and they’ve been stepped on a time or three. We usually keep them tucked under the computer desk, these days, just to keep them from being (ahem) underpaw.
As a public service announcement, cutting up a cereal box and a bit of scotch tape can easily make a cat-grade molly-guard. (make 5 sides of a box, just a bit bigger than the switch)
And all this time we thought it was Elvis who had to work hard at being a good boy. Lupin has a wicked sense of humour, and likes to tease everyone – with the possible exception of Tabitha, the Lady Red Dot.
Late strip but then <3 you can't rush purrfection <3 Lupin is just too adorable and i can just see Elvis protecting his baby girl while writing the ultimate report (with lots of charts) that proves that the stupid stuff that Lupin does isn't news… and maybe he's still smarting and twitching his tail over the NOPE memo off Puck 😀
Apparantly my kids don’t enjoy this particular kind of entertainment! But not for lack of trying on my little one’s part. She LOVES to wind herself in behind the computer equipment, wires and all. I’m constantly yelling, “get out of there before you electrocute yourself!” Not sure if she would be it sounds good!
We’ve never had this problem, but for a while, our Puck, when she was a kitten, would get up close to the computer screen and try to catch the little arrow! That was fun.
My monitor is on a small platform on the desk, and no matter how closely I pull the monitor to the front edge, my boycat Milo always manages to get in front of it right when I’m in the middle of a battle in one of my games. My characters have died many times as a result. 🙂
Lupin’s favorite phrase “ever so gently”, the last panel, panel 7, 8, 9 hysterical!! Maybe Elvis doesn’t show up anymore for Lupin’s non news reports. Also love Puck personalizing the desk with his buzzy wind up mouse. He seems to be taking better care of it now, ’cause who knows, it may be years before the people undertake another excavation.
I don’t have one that turns off switches, but I DO have one who bites through cords. O.o
Which is why they’re not allowed in the office unless one of us is also there, and all the other cords are on outlet switches.
Yep. That looks about right. Like Martin, my power strip is mounted where they can’t get to it, on the wall behind my desk. So naturally mr squeak tried going after the cords instead. XD
Love Lupin’s expressions here – especially in panels 6 and 7. :3
When I created this one, I never expected to learn so many solutions to our problem! Thank you everyone who is taking the time to post how they avoid this! We’ll be implementing one of the ideas, I’m sure! The poor Man and Lupin go through nights like this about once a week.
Well, if you do, you should get a dummy powerstrip, linked to a lightbulb on the desk. That way Lupin can press the button, the Man will notice the signal and mock-scream without losing any work! Win-win!!
One of our cats, Jellie, used to turn on the radio at about 3 AM on a tto frequent basis. Had to place a plastic box over the buttons to qllow us to sleep. Works well, but we hve to ive the box to listen to the radio. TCAW.
🙀
We got one of those pull and release mouse toys for our fur babies a few years ago – of the four (or maybe it was still five?) we had at the time only one ever paid any attention to it. Our Peekaboo figured out that if she sat on the toy and pulled the ring attached to the string she could get it to move so she could chase after it. When we tried to video her doing it – she stopped and hasn’t done it since! Not one for publicity, lol 🙂
Been following for a while now and just want to say thank you. Your art is amazing and love the humor. I always thought “the man” and I were long lost brothers, haha. I had long hair up until about May when I chopped the pony tail off for donation, my cats attack my razor when I try to trim my beard and this third comic confirms it. My cats always step all over my power strip when I try to work. I had to pin it up on the wall.
Long story short, love you, the reporters, and the man. Thank you so much for the updates.
My Grandma’s puppy likes to lay on the keyboard of my laptop. It was very cute until he locked my keyboard when I was in the middle of work and I couldn’t figure out how to unlock it.
My kid, when she was still crawling, would sneakily crawl up to her father’s powerstrip and do just this. OVER AND OVER.
Usually when he was right in the middle of a support call.
We solved it by putting a clothes basket over the strip, with heavy books on top of the basket. (She could tip that over, but not without us noticing.)
Love all Lupin’s expressions in this one! He’s reminding me of poor ol’ Clueless Morgan too…
1- Bit through the cable on a brand new keyboard before I ever got to use it.
2- Several times played & erased my phone answering machine.
3- Several times the Grand Turismo game froze on my PS2. Morgan had figured out how to turn off the machine AND open the cover AND REMOVE THE DISK!
My cat has this problem with unintentionally pushing the surge protector off the back of my desk, which then leads to stuff coming unplugged. Sometimes the thing lands on my foot, which leads me to play “Chase the Cat Around the Living Room.”
Alas, they’re so much smarter than we think Probably sensed the Man needed a break. Those hard of hearing rely on vibrations and more in tune. Such a funny strip <3
RE: how Lupin can tell The Man is screaming – I’m guessing The Man also looks under the desk, so Lupin obviously thinks he getting The Man’s attention “somehow”.
Also, loving Lupin’s innocent eyelashes in panel 8. 😀
welcome everyone 🙂
todays words are ‘Glee’ and ‘ Gleefully ‘
demonstrated by news reporter Lupin
great job Lupin. I see an Emmy in this cats future.
back here at another computer station there would be moments of experienceing shrieks of fear as a dark shape suddenly appears in front of the computer screen. Faith our all black tiny sinuous cat is up to her highjicks again. she blends in so well in the places of shadows that most often she is not seen till she sticks her face with her green eyes right in ours. then she sits there grinning and nudging for chin rubs
Oh, and I meant to mention the little toy mouse on the desk beside Puck. Isn’t that one that had been lost and brought tears to eyes when it was found?
Oh, it’s my husband and Castiel. I have heard this scream.
Oh no, NOOOOOOOOO………… XD
I need to see a pic of Lupin doing the innocent love face! And I am so so sorry if this really happens!
What fun to stumble upon a breaking BCN when it’s new! I’d guess this must be based on Lupin IRL? Love his ecstatic little dance and those innocent eyes turned upon The Man.
Love the flirty eyelashes in panel 7. But, of course, I love everything about this strip. Putin here is so cutely bad.
Ahahahaha! Lupin’s face in panel 5.
(His hat seems to have gone up a size or two?)
It is for this very reason that I mounted my power strip to the underside of my desk. Unfortunately, the power button for the computer is on top of the computer, so climbing kitties still make me scream sometimes.
I got one of those small plastic pill containers (the kind with the plastic hinge on them, really cheap,) cut the hinge off and turning one over the button taped it in place. You can’t depress the button without lifting the tape. Parker can sit on it all she wants, but can’t turn it on or off. Same concept (just find something deep enough to tape over the power strip) works for other buttons.
A bottle cap works too, and it’s free
Electrical tape too.
I always use sports tape for things like this. Other tapes, particularly electrical tape and duct tape, leave behind a gooey residue if you leave them on for a long period of time. Painter’s tape would probably work well too, it’s just that I always keep sports tape in the first aid kit, and I don’t always have painter’s tape handy.
I put painter’s tape over all the outlets on all my power strips, and then when I plug something in, I either cut that segment of tape away, or simply poke the plug through it. If I remove a plug, I re-tape over that outlet. That way, all the unused outlets stay covered, keeping out dust and small insects that could cause problems. It would also have the effect of keeping out tiny toenails – like Lupin’s – that could prove hazardous to furry little news anchors.
Same here, using a plastic yogurt container. I especially love Lupin laying both paws reassuringly on the Man’s hand to show how well he “understands”!
I just placed a small wooden box over the unit. I drilled holes in to let the power cables through, then I labeled everything on both the strip & the box & placed it over the power strip. My cat likes to sleep curled up next to the box, but can’t move it enough to cause any problems.
Now that proof of concept has worked I’m in the process of building a new box out of Lucite© so I can see if the light is still on or not. This one will have a sliding “lid” on the bottom.
You might consider patenting those and selling them.
The cats keep knocking the power cord out for the seven speaker surround system and TV set… The swear words are powerful
Change the name to Horatio or Martie, and you would have a perfect picture of my day…
When our oldest, Heidi, was a kitten, she learned that she could put her little foot down on a spot on her daddy’s laptop and garner about the same reaction.
And my first kitty discovered quite by accident, in the days of dialup Internet, that if she went barreling through the apartment and knocked the handset off the phone (This was also in the days before wireless handsets), that her mom would suddenly pay her lots of attention. After I figured out she was no longer doing it by accident I put the phone out of her reach.
Lupin’s satisfaction and glee are real in our actual lives (at least, he seems to enjoy jumping back up into the Man’s lap for pets afterwards, with many head bumps and chin nuzzles, which feels like a celebratory lap)… But it’s a little puzzling given his deafness. 😀
I was going to say, those screams must be really loud if Lupin can hear them!
The Man’s voice is pretty deep. I’m going to say for the comic’s sake, it must be the reverberations of his voice… Along with perhaps a stomped foot or fist pounded on the desk. Maybe a general shaking and quaking all over with tech angst.
Thus the reason my UPS had a bottle cap taped over the on/off switch for many, many years.
Perfect, as always.
That’s actually quite a clever idea! I always kept the power strip for my computer (didn’t have a UPS) on top of the desk tucked away behind the monitor, out of harm’s way.
Where I used to work, one day the whole system went down. We quickly discovered a toddler (the human kind – no more than a year old) had wandered into the server room, and switched off the main computer. The mother was quickly located (just imagine the lone person in the entire building who was frantically trying to find something other than merchandise). We figured she had been through enough, what with her child having gone missing, so we didn’t make a big deal over the whole computer thing. But within twenty minutes, I was installing a lock on the door to the server room.
http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/M/molly-guard.html
“Note to self: I may be a toddler.” — Lupin, “The Baby is Becoming a Toddler”
I need that for the UPS in my bedroom. It powers my alarm clock and my C-PAP.
Use a Gatorade cap (big enough to cover the whole switch) and sports tape (won’t leave icky residue all over everything).
Looks like Lupin’s claws could use a little trimming…
My cats don’t bother that, but 2 of them like to surprise me by performing Swan Lake in its entirety on the keyboard! I wonder if that’s why my friends don’t answer all my emails? ?? Hmmmmm
Is this the first strip from which Elvis is missing?
Somewhat surprisingly, none of my reporters know about the button that would make me scream.
The Man and I were trying to figure that out ourselves. Can anyone out there think of another strip missing Elvis? I believe Pucky has gone missing from a strip before, but I can’t recall if Elvis ever has! (Perhaps this was just enough Lupin for him during that particular broadcast).
Elvis is probably busy protecting the baby. He’s VERY SERIOUS about his job.
Elvis is missing from a news item! We go now to our intrepid reporter…
Maybe Elvis has gone to hide out at Tommy’s,
now he knows his way around outside
“Ladies and Gentlemen! Elvis has left the strip!”
( hadd’a b-said, folks, haddabesed )
Yes, another purrfect examples of life with adventurous kitties. Always innocent, (well, no convictions anyway). Of course, even if the jury votes guilty, the head nuzzle takes precedence over any “time-out”.
I feel the Man’s pain. I’ve had the same problem with one of my cats. To keep my computer on, I taped a small box lid over the tempting red button. That worked for awhile … until someone learned how to remove the protective lid.
Before WiFi, I used to have a problem with our Westley lying on top of the router and occasionally kicking out the ethernet cables so one or more computers would suddenly be off the network.
I solved it by putting an empty box next to the router. Westley never lay on the router again.
I feel The Man’s pain. My fur-babies unplug the power strip for my computer by rubbing against the plug in the wall until it comes out.
I just discovered this weekend that one of my fur-babies has been switching off the strip that powers my C-PAP and alarm clock.
I have found it off before But I thought I was stepping on it. This weekend she stepped on it while I was sleeping and the C-PAP alarm woke me up.
Last panel. There are no words. Tears rolling down face. (“The stupid stuff that Lupin does is not news.” — His Excellency, Elvis, “Fluffapurrus Rex”)
oh *lupin* <3 (and this is why our power strip is situated where kitties can't stomp on it — and partially why the power button on my keyboard is deactivated. the latter is only partially because *i* hit it too often when i didn't mean to).
i suspect elvis is protecting the baby from the shouting.
I suspect Elvis was hiding from the screams. =)
Our wholehearted sympathies. We have a couple of those buttons here, too, and they’ve been stepped on a time or three. We usually keep them tucked under the computer desk, these days, just to keep them from being (ahem) underpaw.
As a public service announcement, cutting up a cereal box and a bit of scotch tape can easily make a cat-grade molly-guard. (make 5 sides of a box, just a bit bigger than the switch)
Or… um… so I’ve heard… ^_^
Elvis was probably enjoying having the cardboard cat couch to himself while Puck and Lupin were busy with this adventure.
And all this time we thought it was Elvis who had to work hard at being a good boy. Lupin has a wicked sense of humour, and likes to tease everyone – with the possible exception of Tabitha, the Lady Red Dot.
Late strip but then <3 you can't rush purrfection <3 Lupin is just too adorable and i can just see Elvis protecting his baby girl while writing the ultimate report (with lots of charts) that proves that the stupid stuff that Lupin does isn't news… and maybe he's still smarting and twitching his tail over the NOPE memo off Puck 😀
Apparantly my kids don’t enjoy this particular kind of entertainment! But not for lack of trying on my little one’s part. She LOVES to wind herself in behind the computer equipment, wires and all. I’m constantly yelling, “get out of there before you electrocute yourself!” Not sure if she would be it sounds good!
Ha! You have captured their primordial manaical innocence so perfectly.
We’ve never had this problem, but for a while, our Puck, when she was a kitten, would get up close to the computer screen and try to catch the little arrow! That was fun.
Lupin loves to do that too! That may be a strip for another day. 😉
I hope this reply shows up in the right place….
My last cat, when a kitten, would sit up on top of the monitor (pre-flat-screen) and lean over the edge to try to catch the little arrow.
My monitor is on a small platform on the desk, and no matter how closely I pull the monitor to the front edge, my boycat Milo always manages to get in front of it right when I’m in the middle of a battle in one of my games. My characters have died many times as a result. 🙂
Lupin’s favorite phrase “ever so gently”, the last panel, panel 7, 8, 9 hysterical!! Maybe Elvis doesn’t show up anymore for Lupin’s non news reports. Also love Puck personalizing the desk with his buzzy wind up mouse. He seems to be taking better care of it now, ’cause who knows, it may be years before the people undertake another excavation.
I don’t have one that turns off switches, but I DO have one who bites through cords. O.o
Which is why they’re not allowed in the office unless one of us is also there, and all the other cords are on outlet switches.
Yep. That looks about right. Like Martin, my power strip is mounted where they can’t get to it, on the wall behind my desk. So naturally mr squeak tried going after the cords instead. XD
Love Lupin’s expressions here – especially in panels 6 and 7. :3
I know someone else with a Mr. Squeak, unless you are her.
Lupin’s glee is just so freakin adorable!
When I created this one, I never expected to learn so many solutions to our problem! Thank you everyone who is taking the time to post how they avoid this! We’ll be implementing one of the ideas, I’m sure! The poor Man and Lupin go through nights like this about once a week.
Well, if you do, you should get a dummy powerstrip, linked to a lightbulb on the desk. That way Lupin can press the button, the Man will notice the signal and mock-scream without losing any work! Win-win!!
One of our cats, Jellie, used to turn on the radio at about 3 AM on a tto frequent basis. Had to place a plastic box over the buttons to qllow us to sleep. Works well, but we hve to ive the box to listen to the radio. TCAW.
🙀
We have that button too! It gets pressed a lot during the winter because it is back near the heat vent, aka every kitty’s favorite nap spot in winter.
Lupin is a scamp. Dare I say he’s a bit of a devil?
What’s that thing on the anchor desk with Puck? Gerbil? Guinea Pig? Pull toy?
It is a little toy mouse that vibrates when it’s string is pulled, causing it to race in a circle! We actually have this little guy, it’s adorable!
Is it the same toy that was found in one episode under the couch?
Good eye!! Yes, it is!
We got one of those pull and release mouse toys for our fur babies a few years ago – of the four (or maybe it was still five?) we had at the time only one ever paid any attention to it. Our Peekaboo figured out that if she sat on the toy and pulled the ring attached to the string she could get it to move so she could chase after it. When we tried to video her doing it – she stopped and hasn’t done it since! Not one for publicity, lol 🙂
BCN salvages the worst of days. ROFLMAO! The funniest thing EVER!
This one had me in stitches! Great job! I do feel bad for the poor man, though…
Been following for a while now and just want to say thank you. Your art is amazing and love the humor. I always thought “the man” and I were long lost brothers, haha. I had long hair up until about May when I chopped the pony tail off for donation, my cats attack my razor when I try to trim my beard and this third comic confirms it. My cats always step all over my power strip when I try to work. I had to pin it up on the wall.
Long story short, love you, the reporters, and the man. Thank you so much for the updates.
Thank you so much, Mike!
My Grandma’s puppy likes to lay on the keyboard of my laptop. It was very cute until he locked my keyboard when I was in the middle of work and I couldn’t figure out how to unlock it.
My kid, when she was still crawling, would sneakily crawl up to her father’s powerstrip and do just this. OVER AND OVER.
Usually when he was right in the middle of a support call.
We solved it by putting a clothes basket over the strip, with heavy books on top of the basket. (She could tip that over, but not without us noticing.)
My button is on a recessed side of my bar. The cats can’t accidentally step on it. Also, I bought a UPS. Safety!
Love all Lupin’s expressions in this one! He’s reminding me of poor ol’ Clueless Morgan too…
1- Bit through the cable on a brand new keyboard before I ever got to use it.
2- Several times played & erased my phone answering machine.
3- Several times the Grand Turismo game froze on my PS2. Morgan had figured out how to turn off the machine AND open the cover AND REMOVE THE DISK!
My cat has this problem with unintentionally pushing the surge protector off the back of my desk, which then leads to stuff coming unplugged. Sometimes the thing lands on my foot, which leads me to play “Chase the Cat Around the Living Room.”
Alas, they’re so much smarter than we think Probably sensed the Man needed a break. Those hard of hearing rely on vibrations and more in tune. Such a funny strip <3
i have exactly **EXACTLY** 8-minutes of computer time before His Highness jumps on the keyboard and blocks the monitor….
RE: how Lupin can tell The Man is screaming – I’m guessing The Man also looks under the desk, so Lupin obviously thinks he getting The Man’s attention “somehow”.
Also, loving Lupin’s innocent eyelashes in panel 8. 😀
This is actually probably closest to the truth! He does!
welcome everyone 🙂
todays words are ‘Glee’ and ‘ Gleefully ‘
demonstrated by news reporter Lupin
great job Lupin. I see an Emmy in this cats future.
back here at another computer station there would be moments of experienceing shrieks of fear as a dark shape suddenly appears in front of the computer screen. Faith our all black tiny sinuous cat is up to her highjicks again. she blends in so well in the places of shadows that most often she is not seen till she sticks her face with her green eyes right in ours. then she sits there grinning and nudging for chin rubs
Panels 6, 7 and 8!!! Lupin is having the time of his life! Hard to feel sorry for the man when Lupin is being so cute and mischievous.
Oh, and I meant to mention the little toy mouse on the desk beside Puck. Isn’t that one that had been lost and brought tears to eyes when it was found?
This is what molly switches were designed for. Because once, a programmer’s daughter was named molly… and, this strip explains the rest. 🙂