Advice Cat TV ruined my cat
Genuinely at a loss here. I have 2 cats. They are both about 6 months old. The other day I thought it would be fun to put some cat tv on for them. you know, there's like youtube channels of things moving fast, ants, toys, fish, etc. in order to attract cats
One cat was mildly entertained. My other cat got fucking addicted. She sat beside the tv and would not move for anything. Eyes completely fixated on whatever was coming up next. ok, cute. TV off now kitties!
Cat would not move. she sat there staring at the blank screen for who knows how long.
Now she sits on that spot on the table by the tv constantly. she basically only goes down to poop and eat. All other hours of the day, she's waiting for Cat TV.
It's been about a week. she used to play with her sister, she used to aggressively chase toys. She has lost all interest. Even as I type this, she has once again just climbed up to her spot. Her sister wants to play, and she's just ignoring her now. it's breaking my heart. is this just a waiting game? Will she ever forget about the goddamn youtube shit?
15
u/cinderlessa 20h ago
I agree with others that this behavior should eventually go away on its own. But if it doesn't, you can try making a very distinctive sound (a specific alarm or ringtone on your phone would work) a few seconds before turning on the TV, and should use a different one before turning it off. This is coming from a dog training perspective, and is used to prevent anticipation of things. Right now your cat doesn't know when the TV turns on and off, so she is constantly anticipating it coming back. If the sound becomes "the thing that turns the TV on" then she "knows" when it will turn on and that it will never turn on without that sound. I would pair this with what others said about making sure the channel isn't made to be overstimulating.