Fax Machines and Cat Piss: A Deadly Combination

Is this cat considering burning you to death?

Fax machines are still widely used in Japan (see more in The New York Times). A couple different times I've sent an email asking someone to email a copy of something to me. The reply was, "What's your fax number?" That's why this news can even exist.

According to Yomiuri Shimbun, Brother company announced that fax machines produced by the company between January of 2005 and February of this year could burst into flames when they come into contact with cat urine. Apparently a short can be caused when a cat urinates into the hole where paper comes out. No word yet on if human urine or goat urine has the same effect. No injuries have been reported.