# Why don't cats watch TV? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 13, 2006, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cats-watch-tv/356589 "2006-05-13T03:13:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![solkoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@solkoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solkoe)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2006, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cats-watch-tv/356589/1 "2006-05-13T03:13:01Z")
Why not? My cat will stare anywhere but the TV. It’s like it can’t even see it. You would think that the TV would be more interesting than the wall. My cat can hear the cat food bag crinkling from a mile away but completely ignores the sound of a cat on TV. Yet he would notice the same sound outside. Aren’t cats tuned into motion as well. A picture of a mouse or any other rapid movement is completely ignored. Does anyone have cat that watches TV? ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2006, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cats-watch-tv/356589/2 "2006-05-13T03:24:39Z")
Our Muffin watches tv. She started during a screening of [Stuart Little](http://www.the-becketts.net/sbimages/muffinstuartlittle.jpg), when she saw the cats in that movie and began hissing at them and getting very angry. For many months after, she watched the tv every time it was on, no matter what was showing. Now she only occasionally gives it a glance and seems to have lost interest. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2006, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cats-watch-tv/356589/3 "2006-05-13T04:43:46Z")
That’s a very good question. I’ve wondered the same thing. Even nature programs with lots of “natural” sounds and images seem to elicit absolutely no response. WAG that part of it is that if an image of say, another cat/animal, is displayed on the screen, it has no _scent_, therefore does not register as “real” to the cat, who ignores it. This still doesn’t explain why they don’t respond auditorally either though. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2006, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cats-watch-tv/356589/4 "2006-05-13T04:58:42Z")
My older cats will react to noises from the TV, if they aren’t looking at it at the time. Like when they are looking the other direction, and a cat meow comes from the TV – they look around quickly, but once they see it came from the TV, they ignore it. It seems that they have learned that anything on the TV is not ‘real’, and can safely be ignored. Much like they react to mirrors. Those were exciting as kittens, with growling, snarling and batting at that cat in the mirror. But they seemed to learn that it wasn’t ‘real’ – no smell, no texture, etc. and now they just ignore the mirrors. Apparently the sense of sight is enough to identify a possible danger, but if the other senses (especially smell) fail to confirm it as ‘real’, they quickly learn to ignore it. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2006, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cats-watch-tv/356589/5 "2006-05-13T07:23:26Z")
I have three cats. One watches TV alot, the other two don’t maybe they just don’t like my taste in programing. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ambushed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3bc359/32.png) [@ambushed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ambushed)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2006, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cats-watch-tv/356589/6 "2006-05-13T07:27:09Z")
Many cats do watch TV. There are actually several competing makers of videotapes and DVDs specifically for cats to watch. Our planet is clearly doomed. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2006, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cats-watch-tv/356589/7 "2006-05-13T07:46:08Z")
> [@ambushed](#): > > Many cats do watch TV. There are actually several competing makers of videotapes and DVDs specifically for cats to watch. Yes. those videos show birds in a caged area where they can chirp and make short flights. It’s the chriping mainly the gets the cat’s attention. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2006, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cats-watch-tv/356589/8 "2006-05-13T10:59:46Z")
One of my cats watches cartoons, but has no interest in live action. Maybe it’s the simpler images–just one or two objects moving on screen she can follow rather than a more complicated composition of multiple objects and backgrounds. Both of my cats react to the sounds of other animals on TV, primarily cats meowing and dogs barking, but otherwise ignore voices, music, gunshots, whatever. ---
**Author:** ![solkoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@solkoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solkoe)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2006, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cats-watch-tv/356589/9 "2006-05-13T12:59:57Z")
What a coincidence! Being 4 minutes late on almost exactly the same thread! Maybe there should be a thread about that! ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2006, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cats-watch-tv/356589/10 "2006-05-13T13:33:04Z")
My two overlords often watch TV with the family. It’s quite funny looking, actually - the three and a half (the baby doesn’t really watch, she spends the time on my lap batting at my face and trying to out-cute Logan) anyway, the three and a half humans will sit in a row on the couch, and one cat will sit on each armrest, facing the TV. At commercial breaks, we all get up and stretch, including the cats. When we first got surround sound, I tested it out with a DVD of Jurassic Park. The poor cat was walking through the living room when the T-Rex roared. I’ve never seen her get so flat on the ground, as she just quivered, waiting to be munched by the monster. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2006, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cats-watch-tv/356589/11 "2006-05-13T13:45:23Z")
We’ve got a cat that will watch NASCAR races all day long if we let him. Which we don’t. His little head just goes round, and round, and round… ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2006, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cats-watch-tv/356589/12 "2006-05-13T14:05:06Z")
I’ve had a few cats that watched tv. One of them, a kitten, would sit about two feet in front of the tv, and just sit there watching for about 20 minutes at a time. It didn’t even matter what was on, she’d just sit there watching. Strange. ---
**Author:** ![Boulter\_s\_Canary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Boulter\_s\_Canary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boulter_s_Canary)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2006, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cats-watch-tv/356589/13 "2006-05-13T14:18:13Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I’ve had a few cats that watched tv. One of them, a kitten, would sit about two feet in front of the tv, and just sit there watching for about 20 minutes at a time. It didn’t even matter what was on, she’d just sit there watching. Strange. I once had a cat that nearly concussed himself leaping at a mouse on TV. ---
**Author:** ![SnakesCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@SnakesCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakesCatLady)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2006, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cats-watch-tv/356589/14 "2006-05-13T14:20:51Z")
We had a cat in Hawaii that was fascinated by one of the news anchors on a local show. Every time this guy was on the screen, she would get up on the kitty condo by the TV and stare at him, occasionally trying to “touch” him through the screen. We managed to get a good picture of her watching him and sent it to him at the station. He sent us a nice thank you note! I have a screensaver of fish on the computer thinking it would entertain the cats. They pay no attention at all to it. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2006, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cats-watch-tv/356589/15 "2006-05-13T14:21:55Z")
I have the cutest picture of one of my cats watching pro wrestling. ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2006, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cats-watch-tv/356589/16 "2006-05-13T14:52:03Z")
Of my three, only Cuervo watches tv, and only football. No, really, no other sports, or shows or noises interest him. If he’s in the room when a football game comes on, he’s fascinated by it. ---
**Author:** ![Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazon_Floozy_Goddess)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2006, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cats-watch-tv/356589/17 "2006-05-13T18:00:13Z")
When I’m on my computer, I have to keep the cat out of the room or else she pesters me constantly. While I’m in there, I turn the TV on in the living room and she’ll sit on the couch and watch till I come out. If I don’t turn on the TV, she’ll pace around in the hall meowing. She also likes to sit on my lap and watch me play my PS2. She particularly seems to be fascinated by Splinter Cell - I think the stalking/attacking action intrigues her. She shits bricks if the vibration function in the controller goes off, though. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2006, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cats-watch-tv/356589/18 "2006-05-13T18:03:42Z")
Our cat enjoys the Final Fantasy games (X and X-2, mostly) and Jack Layton. During the elections, there was several times when a news report or the debates would be on, and she’d be asleep on the couch or something, and when Jack Layton started talking, she’d look up, and often sit up to watch for a while. We have an NDP kitty! She also likes the Crocodile Hunter, but we don’t so much, so she doesn’t get to see him too often! ---
**Author:** ![rwjefferson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a6a055/32.png) [@rwjefferson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rwjefferson)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2006, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cats-watch-tv/356589/19 "2006-05-13T18:04:59Z")
A normal (if there is such a thing) cat’s vision refreshes faster than the television. Only slow cats see the moving picture. Think of it as an intelligent test for cats. rwj ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2006, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cats-watch-tv/356589/20 "2006-05-13T19:01:00Z")
> [@rwjefferson](#): > > A normal (if there is such a thing) cat’s vision refreshes faster than the television. Only slow cats see the moving picture. Think of it as an intelligent test for cats. > rwj Then I sure have a dumb kitty-kat then. BUT, if she jumps up on my lap while I’m on the computer she goes \* nuts \* over the cursor when it moves on the screen. I guess she thinks it’s a bug or something. 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cats-watch-tv/356589.md?page=2)