# Too Much Television is Corrupting our Cats **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 11, 2023, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-much-television-is-corrupting-our-cats/989930 "2023-09-11T12:44:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-much-television-is-corrupting-our-cats/989930/1 "2023-09-11T12:44:39Z")
Our daughter, MilliCal, has taken to running YouTube videos of birds, squirrels, and mice for our cats. The cats have become addicted to the videos, watching them for hours, and crying when they want the laptop to be powered up to run the videos. One of them has even bitten our daughter – something she NEVER does – when she tried to turn the video off. I swear this is all absolutely true. > [@](#): > > [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9hDCskzWSM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9hDCskzWSM) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-much-television-is-corrupting-our-cats/989930/2 "2023-09-11T12:46:24Z")
Actual web article about CAT TV > **[Is Cat TV Really Good For Cats? - Cats.com](https://cats.com/is-cat-tv-good-for-cats)** > > Is watching TV good for cats? In this in-depth guide, you’ll learn all about the pros and cons of television for cats. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-much-television-is-corrupting-our-cats/989930/3 "2023-09-11T13:17:56Z")
I do not know about animal psychology, but I can tell you that while cats certainly like watching things, that is a prelude to chasing and playing with things, and, ultimately, hunting and killing things. Kittens, especially, will play with anything. That is why the mother will first bring home dead mice and voles, then they watch her finish off live prey, and later the hungry kittens have to do it themselves. Too much watching could leave the cat overstimulated which would explain a bite (a cat may also bite if startled when focused on another cat or a dog). I would just get them a bunch of bouncy balls and other cat toys. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-much-television-is-corrupting-our-cats/989930/4 "2023-09-11T13:38:19Z")
Just don’t give them access to gay porn. > **[Kenyan official says gay lions must be separated](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/gay-lions-sex-kenya-photos-men-inspired-need-therapy-says-official-a8036016.html)** > > The country's 'moral policeman' Ezekial Mutua says the animals must have been inspired by seeing gay men and should receive therapy ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-much-television-is-corrupting-our-cats/989930/5 "2023-09-11T13:49:19Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > I would just get them a bunch of bouncy balls and other cat toys. We have a plethora of “other cat toys” around the house, much of it littering (no pun intended) our floors. The TV was something new ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-much-television-is-corrupting-our-cats/989930/6 "2023-09-11T15:24:11Z")
… and this cat never took a bath again. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_kgRFHaNo-Y/hqdefault.jpg "Cat Watching Horror Movie") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kgRFHaNo-Y) ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-much-television-is-corrupting-our-cats/989930/7 "2023-09-11T15:58:27Z")
That was hilarious! I think I’ve watched it about six times now. Thanks for posting! ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-much-television-is-corrupting-our-cats/989930/8 "2023-09-11T15:59:27Z")
Apart from one cat I had who loved watching basketball, our cats never noticed TV until we got our first flat-screen, and even then it wasn’t until we got a giant 4K TV that the animals really started watching. We sometimes put on nature documentaries for them, but we’ll need to show them the birds! They already have some live bird shows through our windows, but that’s not always on. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-much-television-is-corrupting-our-cats/989930/9 "2023-09-11T16:06:30Z")
My pleasure. The first time I saw the clip, it didn’t have a title, so I didn’t know it was, “Psycho,” until I listened to the soundtrack and then I was **Oh, that cat is in for a scare!** Someone probably goosed it at the crucial time, but still… big fun. > [@InternetLegend](#): > > They already have some live bird shows through our windows, but **that’s not always on**. Can’t. Stop. Laughing! (bolding mine) ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-much-television-is-corrupting-our-cats/989930/10 "2023-09-11T21:29:52Z")
One thing I love about cats is how much body language they have. Not just the body/head movements, but pupils dilating, ears twitching/flattening, etc. I can tell when my cat is in a pouncing mood from his pupils alone. ---
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2023, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-much-television-is-corrupting-our-cats/989930/11 "2023-09-12T03:53:37Z")
My cat, Trei, loves to sit in my lap when I’m online. Several months ago I put on a video of squirrels to see if she would watch. When she finally caught a glimpse, she was fascinated. We watched for a while and then I went on to something else. A few hours later, I came in the office and she was standing on the laptop keyboard. I had the forums open and “create a new topic” was on the screen with a bunch of characters in the title box. Fortunately, she hadn’t posted, though I did a check of all the forums to make sure. She doesn’t get to watch videos anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2023, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-much-television-is-corrupting-our-cats/989930/12 "2023-09-12T04:11:29Z")
I would like to have seen Trei’s post. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2023, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-much-television-is-corrupting-our-cats/989930/13 "2023-09-12T05:09:39Z")
I second that! I’ll bet Trei has a very interesting perspective on this topic. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2023, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-much-television-is-corrupting-our-cats/989930/14 "2023-09-12T06:18:28Z")
That video of the cat watching Psycho is funny as anything. Thanks for posting it! I had a cat who liked to watch TV football with me. He would ignore all other sports, and had no use for TV generally—comedies, dramas, news, whatever, none held any interest for him. Unless football was on. Then, he would jump up on the arm of my chair, and we’d watch the game together. He was a big mackerel tabby cat, so I guess his favourite NFL team was the Cincinnati Bengals, and his favourite CFL team was the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. But he didn’t care; if I was watching football on TV, he’d be watching with me. ---
**Author:** ![dogbutler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogbutler/32/428_2.png) [@dogbutler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dogbutler)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2023, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-much-television-is-corrupting-our-cats/989930/15 "2023-09-12T06:47:45Z")
Spot enjoys watching F1 with me, but he fell madly in love with [Willow](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5cDum5wR_U), to the point of spending 30 minutes trying to get her out of the TV. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-much-television-is-corrupting-our-cats/989930/16 "2023-09-15T07:14:28Z")
Our basketball-watching cat wouldn’t watch football at all. Maybe he had reservations about the number of injuries and wanted a less rough-and-tumble sport. Cats, man. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-much-television-is-corrupting-our-cats/989930/17 "2023-09-15T07:38:04Z")
My cat Toby used to watch _Meerkat Manor_ by standing on two legs and leaning on the entertainment center. I think he thought he _was_ a meerkat.