I have known some cats who liked to watch TV, and some who didn’t.
Those cats who did seem to enjoy television showed a definite preference for videos that displayed the activities of animals, birds, or fish.
Such TV content might be depicted on videos produced specifically for the viewing pleasure of cats, or could be part of a wildlife program on cable television.
I can find no scientific studies that propose a negative outcome associated with you providing your pet with this type of recreation. If it is something your cat seems to take pleasure in doing, playing some TV for your cat may be another way to make your kitty happy.
You may wish to visit my blog post Living With Your Cat for more ideas about how to give your cat the gift of a contented life.
I have seen cats get very interested whenever there was an actual squirrel or bird hanging around outside a window or a glass door. It would seem that a likewise response would result from a TV screen displaying a similar scenario.
There are plenty of free videos for your cat available on YouTube, or you can just do a general internet search for something like “videos for cats”. Use the phrase “for cats” rather than “of cats”.
There are a few considerations you do need to be mindful of.
3 Bad Things That Can Happen When Your Cat is Watching TV
1. While watching TV, your kitty may decide to participate in the action and might scratch the TV screen.
2. Your cat may push against the TV screen, causing it to topple backwards. They may want to see if they can catch what they are watching on the TV.
3. Your cat may try to get behind the TV screen, causing it to topple forwards. They may think they are watching scenes that are three-dimensional, and will want to see what wildlife is behind the TV set.
At various times I have witnessed attempts by our cats at bad things 2 and 3, but never number 1.
Fortunately, we were there to stop them from knocking the TV over. They were undeterred by the fact that the TV was in a cabinet with very little space at the front, sides, and top. They would still manage to find a way to get at the TV. They are cats.
A flat-screen TV can be knocked over by a pet, a child, or by anyone. One way to prevent this accident is to anchor the TV set to the cabinet. I will leave it to you to decide what is best in that regard.
What Do Cats See When Watching TV?
Whether it be just looking around at their environment or looking at TV, cats do not see the world the same way humans do.
You may want to visit my blog post How You Can Read Your Cat’s Eyes to learn more about how the feline optical perception of color and distance are different from ours. And their eyes do not process the images on a TV the same way our eyes do.
We call them “movies” because in years past they were literally moving pictures. Movies were individual pictures on a strip of celluloid that was moved fast enough to be perceived as continuous motion by the human eye.
They were also called “flicks”, because if the pictures were not moving fast enough, our eyes detected flickering. Digital technology pretty much eliminated this phenomenon as far as perception by the human eye is concerned.
(Visit this Reviewed website for information on digital TV refresh rates and frames per second. I personally cannot do justice to this technical subject.)
I found some discussion on the internet about the idea that cats may see flicker when watching TV, because their eyes may not be efficient at processing the aforementioned refresh rate or frames per second technology currently inherent in digital television sets.
However, I could find no scientific discussion of this technology as it relates specifically to cats, so I am just going to rely on my own personal experience. When I have witnessed cats watching TV, they seemed to me to be doing so in a way that did not indicate that they were having any difficulty seeing and interpreting what was on the screen.
I therefore believe that what cats see on TV closely resembles what they see in real life. It most probably is different from what we see, but it is what they are used to.
What Alternatives to Watching TV Can I Give My Cat?
4 ways to give your cat an alternative to watching TV:
1. Provide a perch for your cat to sit and gaze out the window. A table or a bookcase or a cat tree are all possibilities. Make sure the window is closed else your cat knock out the screen and have an accident or get out. For information on cat trees, visit my blog post How to Choose a Cat Tree
2. Plant some bird friendly foliage in sight of that window. Visit the National Audubon Society website to get a list of plants that are native to your geographic area and that are known to attract birds.
3. Put a bird bath in sight of that window.
4. Put a bird feeder in sight of that window.
Perky-Pet Panorama Wild Bird Feeder
For pricing and information visit the Chewy company product web page
These are all win-win suggestions. The birds get water, food, and plants, and your cat gets to watch birds. Not to mention any squirrels that might show up.
Why Should I Let My Cat Watch TV?
Because you love your cat. If this is something they enjoy, why not make them happy?
If you are not watching the TV with your cat, videos produced specifically for cats could provide some nice entertainment for your pet.
It you are going to watch TV with your cat, there are plenty of wildlife programs that are both educational and entertaining, so that both you and your cat can enjoy them. Plus you get to spend some quality time with your pet, and that is a very good thing.