Wiis, iPods and Playstations dangerous to pets

A survey of 3000 pet owners has revealed that tech gadgets are proving hazardous to their pets' health.

No, this seems to be nothing to do with dangerous rays being projected from their electronics. Rather, it seems that our dogs, cats, and, goodness, guinea pigs, haven't quite got used to the rapid proliferation of domestic electronic playthings. Neither, apparently, have reptiles and birds.

For a reason that remains slightly unclear, iPods are, apparently, most likely to injure cats. I am not sure if this is because the cats are slipping the headphones into their ears and turning up the volume too loud. Or because their paws still haven't got the hang of the random shuffle.

However, Apple's wonderful invention comes top of the survey's "gadget most likely to injure pets" league table. 15% of respondents appear to have cited their iPod in pet accidents. While around 10% cited the laptops, remote controls, Plasma TVs and Wiis.

Did this dog have an incident with a karaoke machine?

(Credit: CC Otakuchick)

Perhaps the most moving example of pet pain is the story of Pugsley, the Jack Russell cross who cannot resist jumping at dogs that are displayed in the supremely realistic HD of his owner's Plasma.

His owner, Jemma Scott, appears to be so inconsiderate of Pugsley's instincts and feelings that she leaves her Playstation wired up to her TV. Naturally, Pugsley, having failed to make sniffing contact with the projected pooch, then bounces off the screen and gets entangled in the Playstation wires.

With a grim and repeated inevitability, the Playstation then falls on Pugsley's head.

This is clearly a huge and growing problem in our already troubled society. Which is why I am delighted to have discovered that pets can now have their own technological playthings.

Take the PetsCell, for example. Yes, a waterproof cellphone that attaches just under your dog's slobbery parts. The dog has its own number and you can call him whenever you like. To call him back to your side, or just to ask him how he is.

While only 5.8% of the survey's respondents actually said that their own cellphones caused injury to their pets (they swallowed them? they cut their paws on the keyboards?), you may be disturbed that the same number admitted that their pets had been hurt by their karaoke machine.

However, in the midst of all this anguish, you may also want to pause to consider who sponsored this fascinating pet gadget injury survey.

It was a company called Petplan.

You will be stunned to discover that Petplan sells insurance policies for pets.

Let's create our own survey here. How many of your gadgets have caused injury to your pets? Please be honest, now. Even those of you who are secret salamander owners and have a karaoke machine.

[Lerianis]

Absolutely none of my things have caused injury to my pets, except when they are stupid and have chewed the power cords on them, thereby getting a bit of a shock.
Never had a Playstation, computer, anything fall on my pets head. I have had my cat decide to do a 'traipse across the keyboard' (something that gets me pissed everytime he does it, because I am afraid he is going to break the darn thing, not break himself)...... but never have anything fall on him.

[ChrisMatyszczyk]

You seem to have your cat well-trained, Lerianis. Well done.

So much of this stuff is down to the parents, isn't it?

Chris

[Kev_Orng]

I was in working on a paper back in university when my pet rat jumped onto the keyboard and managed to dance across Command-P-Enter, thus sending my half-finished draft to the printer. My wife's pet rabbits have chewed through a number of active power cords without injury, and have destroyed three laptop chargers, which didn't directly injure them, but the third one nearly landed them in the stew pot. That was some years ago, though, all our power cords are well above chewing height now.
As for Petplan, we have pet insurance for our cat, and we're glad we do, because if we had had to pay for his $2000 worth of surgery this year, we'd be forced to make difficult decisions. We got back more than we've paid in.

[ChrisMatyszczyk]

I'm sorry, Kev,

Your pet rat? Your pet rat?

Do rats make good pets? A little smelly, no?

Chris

[Kev_Orng]

Rats make excellent pets. They have the temperament of a friendly dog; they are the only one of the rodent pets that actually like people, and they adjust their sleeping schedule around the times you're available to play; They are cuddly and loyal and greet you with Retriever-like excitement. They are exactly as smelly as you allow them to be, based on diet and cage cleaning; garbage in, garbage out! This means that they are no smellier than any other pet you've ever been responsible for; look to your own past to determine how your next pet will smell. Responsible pet owners won't find them smelly. I should know, I had four of 'em. Mischievous and playful, yes, but not smelly.

[ChrisMatyszczyk]

Wow, Kev,

I feel like I've learned something today. Thank you. I am still trying to get my head around a rat greeting me with "Retriever-like excitement". Or anyone greeting me that way, frankly.

And you've had four of them? I think you should write a book about it.

Chris