{"id":1286,"date":"2019-02-27T12:59:03","date_gmt":"2019-02-27T19:59:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/?p=1286"},"modified":"2019-02-27T12:59:03","modified_gmt":"2019-02-27T19:59:03","slug":"ask-a-vet-do-pets-watch-tv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/ask-a-vet-do-pets-watch-tv\/","title":{"rendered":"Ask a Vet: Do Pets Watch TV?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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TV shows and commercials aren\u2019t geared toward pets, but that doesn\u2019t mean they don\u2019t watch TV. Many pets glance at the screen, react to the sights and sounds of animals on TV, and may even become as captivated by the latest Netflix series as we are. But when pets watch TV, do they understand what they see or are they merely attracted by all the bright lights and moving pictures?<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Here Birdie, Birdie!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A study of shelter cats showed that some definitely had a preference for television shows with images of birds, rodents, and fish (aka prey). Some cats will even go so far as to swat at the screen or run behind the television looking for their object of interest.
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Watching television won\u2019t hurt your kitty\u2019s eyes<\/a>, and it may be a useful form of entertainment<\/a> during the day when everyone is away from home. Just take care they don\u2019t become too obsessed. Cats with a tendency to leap at or behind the TV shouldn\u2019t be allowed to watch unsupervised.
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Who\u2019s that Dog?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A 2013 study published in the journal Animal Cognition<\/em> showed that dogs can recognize pictures of other dogs among images of people and other animals. It\u2019s been widely documented that dogs can perceive on screen images in much the same way we do, although our eyes are structured differently (their eyes register images more quickly than ours, and they can see a range of two primary colors whereas humans can see a full range of color).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do Pets Watch TV?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Whether or not pets watch TV probably boils down to personality. Just like people, some pets are simply more interested in what\u2019s on the screen than others. If you have a TV-loving dog or cat, here are some tips to help them get the most out of their viewing time:
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