Have you ever been watching your favourite TV show or movie, when suddenly, you spot your furry friend watching right alongside you? Most times, they seem like they’re enjoying the content just as much as we are, but do your pets watch TV?
It’s a simple question, and you might think that your pets aren’t watching TV, but rather just letting the flashing images catch their eye. But there’s now a rising trend on social media, where pet parents are putting on TV channels specifically designed for pets – Pet TV if you will – and letting their animals watch TV for hours on end. Is this okay? And should you let your pets tune into YouTube?
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Do pets even watch TV?
The big question is whether your pets are even watching the TV when they glance at the screen. While a lot of these instances can be shoved off as coincidence, your pets can and do, watch TV.
My Siamese cat particularly enjoys Narcos – perhaps not for the riveting storyline, but maybe the flashing gunfight scenes, who knows. But I do know that she watched several episodes with my family. I’ve also caught her thoroughly enjoying Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban one rainy evening.
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It hasn’t just been my cats though. When I was around 8, I sat down and watched Snow Dogs for the first time with my parents, and our husky. While we were laughing and enjoying Cuba Gooding Jr.’s hilarious performance, our husky was glued to the screen, seemingly enjoying seeing dogs that looked just like her. She howled, barked, and had her tail wagging crazily whenever any of the huskies came on screen.
Oh, and my pet tales don’t end there. I had a bird, who would sit in his cage and watch TV with the family. He would laugh (seriously) whenever something funny was said, or screech if something scary happened, always at the same moment as the rest of the humans in the lounge.
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And if my funny little anecdotes aren’t enough to answer the question of whether pets watch TV, perhaps science will.
Hills, PetMD, and various other sources all note that, yes, some pets – particularly dogs – can and do enjoy watching TV. It all comes down to the type of images shown, and your pet’s personality. Our pets are intelligent enough to recognise the moving images on our TV screens as something and do allow themselves to watch those moving images.
Should I let my pets watch TV?
On average, there are about 156 million hours’ worth of content on YouTube. Crazy right? But not all that content is aimed at us. There are a growing number of YouTube channels specifically dedicated to pets.
You might think that a few hours or minutes a night that your pet tunes into the TV alongside you might not be problematic. But, 8 hours’ worth of pet content, designed to keep your animals engaged with the screen all day? That’s a different story and does raise a few valid concerns on whether this is okay.
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I tried watching the CatTV shows on YouTube, and wow, it was extremely stimulating for human human-sized brain. However, my cats loved it. They seemed engaged and could not take their eyes off the screen. So I did some digging about the benefits of pet TV – if there were any.
And, to my surprise, there are a few benefits to letting your pets watch TV, even for several hours.
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These benefits include …
Being mentally engaging
All pets require some form of mental stimulation to keep them happy. We often resort to toys and walks to meet these needs. However, we all lead busy lives and can’t always make the time to play with our pets every day. That’s where Pet TV comes in.
Letting your pet watch some TV is much like sitting your toddler down in front of the TV while you’re cooking to stimulate them. Now, I’m not saying TV should be the only source of mental stimulation and engagement for your pets, but it does help on nights or days when you just don’t have the time for a walk.
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Easing separation anxiety
It’s been proven that having the TV on during the day can help ease your pet’s separation anxiety. While they might not sit and watch the screen for the full 8 hours you’re at work, the noise and those constantly moving images can keep them company.
By easing this anxiety, you can reduce your pet’s stress levels and various other things. Such as howling and barking for dogs, or destructive behaviour often seen in under-stimulated pets, like destroying furniture.
However, not all pets enjoy TV. Before you leave the TV on for them for several hours, watch some content with them to ensure they don’t have any adverse reactions. Some animals might not like the noises coming from the TV, causing anxiety and stress, which defeats the entire purpose.
But, at the end of the day, there’s very little harm in letting your pets watch TV. They might enjoy it, and you might walk away with cute anecdotes and cherished memories.
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