Just realized my cat was messing with my meter readings

I was looking at a stereo receiver that would not turn on. My voltage meter began showing crazy numbers that did not match the circuit. I thought I had a short somewhere and started pulling parts. After a while, I noticed my cat was lying on the test leads near the table edge. Every time she shifted, the readings went wild. I moved her to the floor and suddenly everything checked out. The receiver just had a loose power switch connection. Now I keep the cat out of the room when I test things. It was a silly waste of time but pretty funny.

3 comments

3 Comments

nancy2751mo ago

Seriously, that's a classic cat move. I can't believe it took you that long to spot her on the leads. What was she actually doing to them? Was she chewing or just shifting her weight? It's always the way pets pick the worst time to get cozy. I'm curious if the meter was giving false data or if it was just the leads being jostled. That kind of thing makes you double check every simple fix from now on.

grant_palmer29d ago

Disagree, pets messing with gear proves we should always check the basics first like @masoncooper finally did.

masoncooper1mo ago

Remember that time pets just decide to HELP with tech? My buddy was freaking out because his TV kept switching inputs on its own. He replaced the remote, checked all the cables, the whole deal. Turns out his big dog would plop down on the couch and his paw would land right on the buttons of the old remote buried in the cushion. He spent a whole weekend on it before he caught the dog in the act.