Has your cat ever stared out of a window for hours or been mesmerized by your actual tv?
That, my fur-iends, is cat TV.
What is Cat TV?
Cat TV is a way to entertain and exercise your cat mentally by showing them an interesting picture, landscape, or toy that can hold their focus for hours. Cat TV keeps your cat’s mind engaged, helping to feed their natural instincts of watching and hunting the world around them.
Cat TV is, most importantly, a way to enrich the life of your cat.
Benefits of Cat TV
Like I said, cat TV is an incredibly enriching activity for your cat. By providing them with it, you’ll allow them to enjoy a number of benefits.
- Entertainment: Whether a bird outside, a toy fish, or simply a flower blowing in the breeze, your cat will be entertained watching the movement in front of them.
- Mental Engagement: Instead of sitting around your house bored for hours, your cat will be able to keep their mind active throughout the day.
- Fulfilled Instincts: Your cat’s natural state is to hunt. Cat TV provides them with that prey (even though it may be just out of reach through a window or screen). When those instincts are fulfilled, your cat should be happier.
Cat TV is also beneficial to you as their guardian. A bored cat can be destructive and clingy, but when a cat has used up their energy watching and engaging with their version of cat TV, your cat can be much happier and loving—and less likely to keep you up at night!
Different Types of Cat TV
Now that you know why cat TV is important, let’s talk about the different types:
- Window: A window is the best cat TV there is! Place a cat bed in front of a window in your home so that your cat can comfortably watch the world all day long. Bonus points if you strategically place a bird feeder outside within the viewing frame—your kitty will love watching them fly around!
- Actual TV: Turning on a nature video on your TV is almost as fun for a cat as an actual window. While a digital screen isn’t always ideal to have running all day, my cats do enjoy the occasional YouTube video by Birder King or an episode of Planet Earth.
- Interactive, Automated Toy: There are toys that you can buy that are either timed automatically or can be controlled remotely from your phone. These are purrfect for your cat if you will be gone for most of the day—and will help encourage them to exercise!
Try a few different versions of cat TV with your kitty and see which one they like the best! You can even switch them up from time to time to keep your cat optimally engaged and excited.
Do your cats like cat TV? Leave a comment below with what they like to watch!
Pawsitive Purrpose 