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A PC owner has credited their cat with saving them from a dangerous situation after their NVIDIA RTX 4090 began to melt and smoke while unattended.
According to reports, the incident started when the user stepped away from their computer, only to hear their cat meowing unusually loudly from another room.
When they returned, they discovered smoke coming from their PC along with a strong burning smell, caused by a melted GPU power connector.
The owner quickly unplugged the system to prevent further damage after noticing the PC wouldn’t shut down normally, potentially avoiding a more serious fire.
Cat saves NVIDIA RTX 4090 owner’s life
The story originally surfaced on a Taiwanese forum similar to Reddit, before being picked up by tech outlets.
“When I was squatting in the toilet, I suddenly heard the cat keep screaming, and when I opened the door, I saw the smoke and smell of plastic,” the user explained.
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While the cat’s alert likely prevented a worse outcome, the incident highlights an issue that has followed NVIDIA’s flagship GPU since launch.
The RTX 4090 has been plagued by reports of its 16-pin 12VHPWR power connectors overheating or melting under certain conditions. Investigations previously suggested that improper cable seating or uneven power distribution across pins could lead to dangerous heat buildup.
Despite design revisions and newer connector standards aimed at fixing the problem, cases are still occasionally reported years later.
In this instance, the owner claimed the cable was properly connected and regularly checked, though no adapter was used in their setup.
That detail has raised further questions within the PC hardware community about whether all melting incidents can be attributed to user error alone.
For now, one thing is clear: without the cat’s quick reaction, the situation could have escalated far beyond a damaged GPU.
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This isn’t the first time this year a cat has saved its owner from a fire. In March, a heroic kitten went viral after it sacrificed itself to save its owner from a house fire.
Cats aren’t the only ones getting honored. Also this year, a man and his dog were credited with saving an elderly woman and her pup after a fire broke out in her home.
