Cats love to be where you are so unless you shut them out of your office, they will follow you in there, walk on your keyboard, sit in front of your monitor and generally be a pest. Depending on your personality, you'll either find this charming or irritating as hell. I personally, don't mind my cats being in my office with me, but I've found it helps to make a place specifically for them on my desk so that they can be in the middle of the action but still out of your way. I have a hand towel that I've folder in half and placed next to my monitor. One of my cats usually perches there and watches me work. Not sure what kind of work you do from home, so I'm just assuming that it involves sitting in front of a computer. Cats LOVE walking across keyboards so make sure you lock your computer when you step away.

when i first got my kitten....he wrecked everything. chewed on cords, scratched at my computer screen, killed all my house plants, walked on the keyboard...basically was just a menace. eventually they learn to follow loose....rules....but
if you are getting your cat as a kitten, be aware that they do need a bit of training if you dont want them messing with stuff you need to be left alone. cats have TONS of energy.

you will figure it out-your landlord is right, dogs need much more childproofing than cats. just dont be surprised if you find the cat waaay up high.. on your desk or even the tops of kitchen cabinets. So as long as you dont have a bunch of glass stuff around (which you probably dont with kids anyway) youll be fine.

oh, and this is probably obvious but it would be a lot more pleasant to keep the litter box in a room besides the office

My cat used to want to get in my lap EVERY single time I sat down at the computer. I finally put a small pillow on my desk (I call it the "compromise pillow" haha) so she can still be with but not be in my way.

My cat loves to sit on the back of my office chairs while I'm at the computer. We have to remind him occasionally not to claw at the fabric, but if you tell him "no" he stops. We also have a few "special spots" for him to lay: a blanket on top of a shelf and another thrown over a box. He is content with the arrangement.

Mine usually lie down on the futon next to the desk.
The smaller cat loves to be on my lap for 10 minutes or so while I type. I have been fostering them for a year and they are older, so the know the rules.

Set up an area specifically for your new kitty in the office. That way she has her own place and won't bother you while you are working. My Lucy, will still occasionally come sit on my laptop while I am working but usually because she is trying to get my attention and wants to eat. Most of the time she sleeps on the floor or bird watches on her perch while I work.

We have two cats, one is very lovable, one is shy. The former likes to sleep on the back of our chairs (at the moment we have leather chairs, and yes, they are scratched) and on my boyfriend's desk. The other typically resides on top of my boyfriend's CPU under his desk.

Animals tend to congregate where the people are (as I type, our dog is sprawled across the middle of the office floor), but they are also pretty trainable. If you designate a spot for your pet, they may stick to it. Cats also love windows so if there is an area where they can sit and look outside, they tend to be happy :-)

One very important thing: DO NOT LEAVE LIQUIDS ON YOUR DESK.

Our cat likes to try to drink out of glasses, and we've come out in the morning to find our keyboards drenched on several occasions. Now we just do a final sweep before we "leave" the office for the night.

I do occasionally end up typing around my cats, but they usually prefer to lay in the sun on the back of the couch and stare out the window, so it's not an issue.

No. I got tired of finding hair tumbleweeds under and on everything (he used my printer as a bed or a platform to look out the window) and keeping a paranoid eye on anything I left on my desk or wires that would be chewed on (my keyboards usb plug and my eye glasses that I needed to have replaced for example). He also liked to try and jump onto my record player..... while it was playing.... Thankfully nothing expensive was ruined, but still.

The door stays closed.

For an animal that's not supposed to be affectionate, in my experience cats sure are clingy. My cats have always stuck to me like Velcro.

My cat loves to be with me while I'm working on the computer. She sits on the back of the leather chair behind my head and purrs (yes, the chair has been clawed to bits, but it only cost $60 at IKEA so no huge loss and I'm tired of it, anyhow). She'll also try to squeeze into my lap and will sometimes sit there for hours. She'll sit or lay in the narrow gap between my keyboard and the back end of the keyboard tray (sometimes spilling onto the function keys, and yes, sometimes walking right on the keyboard), or she'll stand or lay on the narrow space in front of my monitor, blocking my view (she wants daddy's attention).

Unfortunately with my current setup there's no great place for her to sit, but if you have any room near your workspace (especially at or above eye-level, where they can look right at you) I highly recommend setting up a cozy spot for kitteh. They'll gravitate to it and be contented, most of the time.

Wow - so much great info. I feel very inspired. Thanks guys. My kids also thank you...my husband, not so much!

Feel free to send pics of your pets that I'll post on Lifework - you can email me directly

cerentha_harris@hermanmiller.com

Cerentha
Lifework, editor