My cat usually ignores the television when it's on, and probably wonders what the huge fascination is all about, yet she will sit on the couch with me whenever the set is on. I guess she just likes that companionship for a couple hours a day. My parents have a cat who likes a certain television personality and he will come running whenever that particular man is on a show. He will jump up onto a chair and just sit, staring at the set until that person is gone and then he will resume doing whatever it was he was previously doing. We think it has something to do with that person's voice, because that cat will come out of the woodwork from anywhere in the house if he hears it. Another cat we used to have years ago, would watch only if he heard a cat meow on a TV show or movie. Then he would come into the room and stare at the set until he got to see the cat, then he was satisfied and would walk away again. I think he just wanted to make sure there wasn't a real kitty in the house with him. A third cat would watch only if a certain movie was on. He would stick around for most of the movie, which is, at least in my experience... unusual. I've known cats who would watch if a dog barked on TV, some watching with interest and others with hackles raised. I've had a lot of cats over the years so I've seen a lot of this. I've also seen a lot of cats who couldn't care less... my girl included.
So how about you... do you have any stories about television watching cats? Can't wait to hear about them.
