Pets are great, but some of them act as if the whole world dances to their tune.
If you have pets, especially cats, you’ve probably experienced this: These four-legged friends roam the house as if it were their own palace and you were their servants. Everything you do, you do for Their Lordship—and that includes gaming.
It doesn’t really matter whether you’re playing on a PC or a console. Cats think you sit in front of a monitor so they can make themselves comfortable in front of it and be admired by you. If you’re playing on the couch, they’ll happily sprawl out right in front of your face—or maybe even find an even more inviting spot.
At least that’s the case for one gamer who shared his plight with the world on Reddit. User Narrow-Survey7102’s catloves to sit right on top of his Xbox Series X. While this is very cute, it also prevents the console from cooling properly and causes it to overheat more quickly. That’s why the gamer had to come up with a solution.
The Xbox as “Hostile Cat Architecture”
In his post on the Xbox subreddit, he writes: “I’ve turned my Series X into hostile cat architecture.” Hostile or defensive architecture typically refers to design elements in public spaces intended to prevent certain groups of people from gathering there. For example, cities use spikes in front of buildings or seat dividers on benches to prevent homeless people from sleeping there.
Reddit)
Our cat likes to sit on my Xbox Series X to keep its butt warm while I’m gaming, which increases the risk of the console overheating. That’s why I 3D-printed this “hostile architecture” modification to keep the cat from blocking the fan vent.
In the post images, Narrow-Survey7102 shows the described design—including a concept model—next to the mischievous culprit. The attachment is a sort of jagged crown that can be secured directly on top of the console with pins. TheHe has made the 3D model available on the Makerworld website in case you’re having similar problems.
By the way, Narrow-Survey7102 cites the following as inspiration for the designthe boosters from Starship Flight 13, which is set to launch into space next.
While this Xbox player’s creative design prevents pets from causing your consoles to overheat, it obviously can’t stop summer itself.
High outdoor temperatures can also push your devices to their limits. You’ll find tips on how to keep the heat at bay for your expensive tech in the link box above.
