TV Show Makes Casper Go Crazy. ;)

[Caspers Human]

We've been watching this TV show from PBS called "The Story of Cats."

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/story-cats-about/14638/

It's all about cats from lions and tigers, all the way down to domestic house cats.
It's a pretty good show. A worthwhile show if you can get PBS in your area.

It's a two-part program. We watched the first episode last week and we are watching the second episode right now, this evening.

Both times, Casper is acting crazy. [emoji]128518[/emoji]
He's got the zips, running around like he's full of it and climbing the walls. He plays with his mouse toys and pouncing on "invisible bugs." All the usual playful stuff but totally over the top.
It's super fun to watch! [emoji]128515[/emoji]

It's even funnier because every time a big cat shows on the screen he goes even crazier! He just goes to town on his scratching post!

We're sitting here watching and wondering what's going on.

Is it because he's jealous of the cats on TV and wants attention?
Is it because the images of big cats on the screen triggers his "fight or flight" instinct?

Maybe it's a little of both.

Just a few minutes ago, he looked up at the screen and saw a closeup of a big tiger then, moments later, he bolted out of the room at top speed?

Totally funny! [emoji]128526[/emoji]

Do anybody else's cats do things like this when there are cats on TV?

Anybody have any ideas why?

 

[moorspede]

I watched the series awhile ago, it's great, isn't it? My youngest reacted with fear hearing a cat in pain on a vet show a few weeks ago. Both have a certain interest in mirrors because they rarely see their reflections but they quickly lose interest, no doubt because there is no associated smell.  

One of my cats likes to sit outside on the balcony and look in, there has to be some sort of reflection there to hold it's interest. The other likes to look at the bottom of her stainless steel water dish a couple of times a day. 

 

[Caspers Human]

Casper is not much of a TV watcher.  We tried playing him some "Videos for Cats to Watch" such as this: 
He has an occasional, passing interest but no big reaction.

If he hears the sound of a cat on TV, he might react momentarily but I've never seen him pay attention to the TV for more than half a minute or so.  Even this cat show on PBS doesn't seem to attract his attention but, if you watch the show and keep one eye on Casper, it's pretty clear that his activity is timed to the action on the screen.

CasperTV.jpg

• Caspers Human
• Nov 13, 2016

Here is Caper doing the closest thing to watching TV that we have seen him doing.

When the Clouded Leopard came on-screen he jumped up on the table and did the "I'm Not Looking at You" thing.  Then he jumped down, took a couple of notches out of his scratching post and ran a couple of laps around the room.

This kind of thing took place for the entire time we were watching the show.  We even turned the TV off, temporarily, to see whether Casper was reacting to the TV or something else.  When the TV went off, Casper quieted down.  When it went back on, he acted up again.

I wish I had my camera ready when the Tiger showed up!  OMG! 

He was on the floor, just under the table where he is sitting in the picture, above.  The tiger growled.  He looked up at the screen then instantly bolted, top speed, down the hallway and up the stairs.  It was FUNNY! 

 

[Anne]

Maybe he's just excited about seeing the ancient relatives and how awesome they are. He's trying to show you that he's just as cool as his uncle! 

 

[Norachan]

I don't have a TV, but the last time I put one of those YouTube videos for cats on Hiro knocked the computer monitor over and smashed it. So now he's not allowed to watch TV anymore and has to be content will terrorizing the wildlife out in his enclosure.

 

[Caspers Human]

That's when I decided that we needed a safety strap!

So, even though Casper doesn't seem to notice the TV, he really does notice on some level, even if he pretends not to.

If you notice, in this picture...  That's Casper's scratching post, down there in the corner.

I kinda' wonder if this new spurt of activity isn't a kind of "Look at ME!" behavior like a 3-year old kid.

I agree with you.  There could be an aspect of competition with his bigger cousins, too! 

 

[jtbo]

Not exactly tv as I gave up on tv really many years ago, but videos that http://www.tvbini.com/ make tend to be something that interests mine, so much that they actually have learned to ask to put cat tv on, instead of boring text on screen.

So I get argument of which channel to watch even without tv or other humans around.

 

[tarasgirl06]

We watched both parts avidly and enthusiastically, too!  Not sure about the rest of your post, but cats do love to be active, that much I know!

 

[mattkat]

A while ago, when we had a box TV, our cat would sit on the top and paw at the people moving on the screen.

Also, we've been showing our cats the birds and squirrels videos, they would stare at the screen, lick their lips, and paw at it as if they wanted to catch it. 

A cartoon:

tv-cat.jpg

• mattkat
• Nov 13, 2016

 

[zed xyzed]

There is this great special on PBS call the Story of Cats if you get a chance check it out  http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/story-cats-about/14638/ 

On watching TV; Midi only once was actively watching, it was a special on squirrels. He was transfixed for the full hour. One funny thing that happens once in a while is when a door bell goes off on TV and he looks at my front door in horror. I have had him for 10 years and never lived in a place that had a door bell. Obviously his previous house did. 

 

[mazie]

Netflix has a documentary called "The lion in your Living Room"  Informative and fun to watch. 

 

[Anne]

Has anyone here tried the "Cat TV" movies on YouTube? A kitten I had fostered loved them but my adult cat couldn't care less.

 

[jtbo]

Not exactly tv as I gave up on tv really many years ago, but videos that http://www.tvbini.com/ make tend to be something that interests mine, so much that they actually have learned to ask to put cat tv on, instead of boring text on screen.

So I get argument of which channel to watch even without tv or other humans around.

Has anyone here tried the "Cat TV" movies on YouTube? A kitten I had fostered loved them but my adult cat couldn't care less.

I found those videos which I wrote about from youtube, their videos seem to be made such way that they are very interesting to my cats, much more than other videos. Would love to read interview about how they make those videos and how it all started, who they are who make the stuff etc

 

[moorspede]

 
I don't have a TV, but the last time I put one of those YouTube videos for cats on Hiro knocked the computer monitor over and smashed it. So now he's not allowed to watch TV anymore and has to be content will terrorizing the wildlife out in his enclosure.

Ouch! Bad cat. 

One of mine was terrorised by birds when she was smaller. They ganged up on her and she had to make a run for it, ever since she won't go on to the balcony unless we put the clothes line up to 

 

[tarasgirl06]

Our beloved Samuda always loved car chase scenes.  He would sit tall on the edge of the bed and watch avidly. 

 

[Caspers Human]

Our beloved Samuda always loved car chase scenes.  He would sit tall on the edge of the bed and watch avidly. :catguy:

"Dukes of Hazard" probably would have been his favorite TV show! [emoji]128521[/emoji]

 

[destinyz12]

My cat loves watching tv, particularly following movements on the screen.  She goes crazy when you open up Netflix and move the cursor around to look for something- she will literally try to attack it.   I need to record it and post it sometime because it's hysterical.

Here she is expressing her opinion of the presidential debate:

IMG_20160926_215215615~2.jpg

• destinyz12
• Nov 16, 2016

And here she is as a tiny thing when we first got her, getting into gymnastics mode by watching the Olympics while sitting on her "balance beam":

IMG_20160815_225445347.jpg

• destinyz12
• Nov 16, 2016

 

[tarasgirl06]

ROFLMOTO!  Never have seen that one.  

 

[tarasgirl06]

A very wise little girl, Casper 

 

[tarasgirl06]

I know, I know!  Now they are so deprived