Cats who love TV
Posted by Armarkat on 2nd Aug 2024
Does your cat watch TV? There are several reasons why many cats enjoy videos. However, attention spans and preferences depend on your cat’s personality. When you think of TV shows, several genres come to mind, from sitcoms to sci-fi. Similarly, there are ‘genres’ of TV for cats: bird watching, mice running around, videos showing other cats, and more!
Like humans, some kitties are more entranced by glowing screens than others. An online poll by What Your Cat Wants revealed what types of TV ‘shows’ or online videos cats prefer most. Out of 182 responses, 18 cat parents expressed that their cat is not interested in videos at all. However, among the remaining 164 responses, the top ranking category was videos made specifically for cats “with birds, mice, etc.,” which 88 cat parents (48% of those polled) indicated was their cat’s favorite. The two closest categories were “other wildlife videos” (20 responses) and “animation” (17 responses). Additional options in the poll included sports (10 responses), videos showing cats (10 responses), normal TV programs (9 responses), video games (8 responses), and “other” for any videos outside of the specific categories listed (2 responses).
While some cats will only give the TV a passing glance, there are also cats who enjoy TV almost as much as the average human. We interviewed Shannon, cat parent of TV enthusiast Penny. Penny stands out among her kitty peers due to her love for many genres of TV shows and YouTube videos. Photos of her in this article feature just a few of her many TV habits. We’ve also included knowledge from cat experts about why cats like Penny are fascinated with TV.
Shannon, how often does Penny watch videos?
“Penny will often look at the screen when there is movement on it. So, almost every day if I am watching something. She tends to pay more attention if there is something of interest to her feline brain, such as another cat, or birds and mice.”
This reaction comes naturally to all cats. According to PangoVet, “Cats are also predators by nature. When they see small prey animals like mice and birds on the screen, they believe that they are really there, which may be enough to trigger their prey drive.”
Shannon also explained that Penny “will watch humans if they are close-up and not moving too much. If the movie or tv show or video is too loud or fast moving, she'll tend to ignore it. I think because it overwhelms her.”
How long do the videos tend to be?
“They vary in length, depending on if it is a clip, TV show, or movie. Her attention to it will last anywhere from half a minute to maybe ten minutes.”
Where are the videos from?
“The ones she usually watches are clips made for cats on YouTube that have things like bird cams in trees. There's a Netflix documentary about cats called Inside the Mind of a Cat and she liked watching quite a bit of that, including a big tiger running.”
Penny’s fascination with the tiger in the program is also instinctual. Cats Protection notes that “although our domestic moggies [house cats] split from their lion and tiger cousins a long time ago they may still be able to recognise their feline outline or facial features on screen. However, even if they can identify other cats on television, the majority of cats are unlikely to feel threatened by them as they would a neighbour’s cat, because they cannot detect their scent or other cues that tell them it is a real cat.”
Does Penny have a favorite video?
“She loves a particular video of kittens mewling. She always tries to find the kittens, so she can take care of them. She often starts purring too. It's funny because normally she doesn't really like other cats, but she has a pretty strong maternal instinct.” Despite never having been a mother, Penny responds to videos of kittens on the laptop by rubbing against the computer the way she would rub against another cat.
“She's also weirdly partial to Better Call Saul,” an ace-attorney crime drama!
To date, no negative effects of watching TV have been reported in cats. For cats who enjoy watching TV, the activity can be a fun way to stimulate your cat’s brain, calm their nerves, and expose them to the excitement of nature that indoor living does not otherwise provide.
Quote of the day: “What do feline fans of Star Trek say? ‘Live long and prospurr!’” - Unknown
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Do you have a cat question you’d like answered in our blog? Email rmniels [at] gmail.com.
Sources:
“Can cats see what's happening on TV?” Cats Protection
https://www.cats.org.uk/cats-blog/what-do-cats-see-when-they-watch-tv
“Do Cats Like Watching TV? 8 Reasons Why They Watch It,” PangoVet
https://pangovet.com/pet-behavior/cats/do-cats-like-watching-tv/
“Does your cat like to watch tv?” What Your Cat Wants