# Cats and Keyboards **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 20, 2025, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-keyboards/1025004 "2025-11-20T06:25:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2025, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-keyboards/1025004/1 "2025-11-20T06:25:19Z")
What F key or combination of F keys above the number keys on a keyboard does a cat have to step on to flip the display on the monitor screen 180° ? And will that same key or combination repeated reverse the flip? ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2025, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-keyboards/1025004/2 "2025-11-20T06:59:51Z")
Maybe ctrl alt up/down arrow? Perfectly paw-sized keyset on some laptops…only works with certain graphics card drivers, though. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2025, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-keyboards/1025004/3 "2025-11-20T08:09:51Z")
I’m just trying to figure out how the Caps Lock key on my laptop is so very good at attracting paws. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2025, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-keyboards/1025004/4 "2025-11-20T10:07:58Z")
Agree. Assuming Win11 the OP can go into Settings → System → Display and adjust it there. There’s also a rotation lock option that will disable any/all hotkeys if the cat seems to like that particular combo. I was hoping the actual topic of the thread is why cats like walking on keyboards. You’d think the weird squishy moving nature of that bumpy surface would be offputting. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2025, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-keyboards/1025004/5 "2025-11-20T10:10:44Z")
My cat is skilled at adding a line a gibberish to a half-finished post or email, and then posting it. ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2025, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-keyboards/1025004/6 "2025-11-20T10:25:12Z")
I had a keyboard years ago that had a power switch on the keyboard - I don’t think I have seen that ever again. I also had a cat. Guess what regularly happened. Though he did teach me Cntrl-S (save) regularly is a _very_ good habit. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2025, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-keyboards/1025004/7 "2025-11-20T17:51:55Z")
Another success for Kitties Against ScreenTime™ ! ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2025, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-keyboards/1025004/8 "2025-11-20T19:41:49Z")
The reason cats walk on keyboards is simple and obvious. You sit in front the keyboard and stare at the screen, giving it your full attention. Obviously, if you give something your full attention, the cat knows that is supposed to be the cat itself that is the center of attention… so it will position itself so you are correctly paying full attention to it. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2025, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-keyboards/1025004/9 "2025-11-20T23:08:05Z")
I don’t know the answer to your question, but every time I see something about cats and keyboards, it makes me think of this really old product: > **[PawSense helps you catproof your computer, by protecting against cat typing...](http://www.bitboost.com/pawsense/)** “Catlike typing detected”! 😺 ---
**Author:** ![Kedikat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kedikat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kedikat)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2025, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-keyboards/1025004/10 "2025-11-21T00:22:28Z")
That’s my excuse too. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2025, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-keyboards/1025004/11 "2025-11-21T00:31:13Z")
Me either, but when I saw the thread title, I thought… _…and the silver spoon Little boy blue and the man in the moon "When you comin’ home, Dad? "I don’t know when But we’ll get together then_ ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2025, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-keyboards/1025004/12 "2025-11-21T02:47:50Z")
It’s been going on for a long time. > [@Shoo, kitty! six centuries too late](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoo-kitty-six-centuries-too-late/924183): > > Anyone owned by a cat will sympathise with this long ago scribe in Dubrovnik: ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2025, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-keyboards/1025004/13 "2025-11-21T02:56:10Z")
The “helpfulness” of cats. I got stymied on bedmaking when my two decided they absolutely HAD to be on the bed right now and refuse to be dislodged (move one, move the other, cat #1 is back, move cat #1 again, cat #2 is back, lather, rinse, repeat). Considering that one of mine is a kitten (ca. 3-4 months old), this is apparently instinctive behavior. ---
**Author:** ![Kedikat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kedikat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kedikat)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2025, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-keyboards/1025004/14 "2025-11-21T04:41:11Z")
Chuckled at a meme the other day. If the World was flat. Cats would have knocked everything off the edge already. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2025, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-keyboards/1025004/15 "2025-11-22T19:30:13Z")
> [@md-2000](#): > > if you give something your full attention, the cat knows that is supposed to be the cat itself that is the center of attention ^^^ this, totally this!