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.

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.