This is no laughing matter, gang, your health may be at risk according recent reports, and studies.
Many of you have Humans that have done it. They have turned on the TV and made it into the electronic babysitter. Sometimes the choice of initial pograming is yours, sometimes not, and if not you could always use the remote, as long as you remembered to return it to the original channel before your Human came home. ;-D
That has led more than a few Humans to study the following question: Is watching too much TV going to rot your Cat’s brain?
Um, If you have a rotted brain, would you know, or even care? Would YOUR Human notice?
They know television can hinder development in Human children—the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that kids under 2 watch no TV since those first years are a critical time for brain development.
They wonder: Is it the same for Cats? And is that calculated in Cat Years, or strictly Human.
The Humans, who study these things are all in a Dither over the questions raised.
I'm taking a break (No Pun Intended) from helping Elvira Mistress of Felinity nurse Daddy Kiril back to health, to bring you all the latest!
Here’s the good, the bad, and the ugly of your Human letting you hang out on the couch in front of their 40” TV screen.
GOOD
There are some good reasons to let us watch the tube. In fact more than 60% of pet owners leave on their TV or radio for their Cat or Cats when they leave the house. Vets actually recommend leaving the Radio on if your Cat suffers from separation anxiety, or likes to listen to Conservative Talk Radio all day while you are at work.
Plus, some Cats just plain love to nap & snooze to the sound of the TV &/or Radio in the backround. ;-D
Dozens of people have shared stories about their Cats loving to watch Animal Planet, cartoons (especially “Tom & Jerry, Top Cat, and other Feline themed Oldies on the Cartoon Network & elsewhere”), & favorite ads with animals in it.
One enterprising Human polled Cat owners about how much TV they let their felines watch and got some interesting responses.
One woman’s Cat was so addicted to “Bill O'Reilly” that , after radio show went off for the day, every day at 5 p.m. she’d sit staring at the TV waiting for him to turn it on. On the weekends he would have to flip through the channels to prove to her there was no “Factor” that day that was not a re-run. (I can only hope she likes other weekend programing on FOX, like Huckabee.)
Television can actually be good for Kittens, too, especially those ages 3 to 5 weeks old. Watching Humans and other Kittens, and hearing sounds like people talking, vacuums, traffic, and other household noises help them socialize. By eight weeks, TV-watching Kittens were less fearful of strange situations, like watching MSNBC, or Daytime Soap Operas, and their politics were well on the way to being settled, be it Republipussy, Democat, or "They all stink, as far as I'm concerned!", as well.
But back to big question: Is TV ruining your brain? After all their efforts the Human scientists still don’t know. Despite numerous government studies, including a recent National Science Foundation test where researchers put shrimp on a treadmill (Please don't ask me to explain the actions of the Government!) scientists have never looked into it.
Here’s what they THINK they know, however. They believe that Cats don’t experience television like Humans do. They think we notice the movement and sound only – no storyline – and they don't believe we can connect the two.
They spent our Humans hard earned tax dollars on such nonsense?
Every Cat worth his, or her, Catnip, understands EVERYTHING we watch on TV (Even if we don't agree with what's presented, and how), hear on the Radio, or read...and debates things with their brothers, sisters, and neighbor Cats, and even with their Humans, in Felinese, or their Humans native language. ;-D
We are, many of us, Bloggers, and published authors, after all, sometimes as co-authors with our Human.
There HAS been a study to investigate whether showing TV to shelter Cats -- who spend all day in cages -- reduces their anxiety. It appeared to help.
Well, whoop-de-do! ANY activity is better in a shelter, especially if it's NOT a No Kill facility.
THE BAD
So what’s the downside? Yup, you guessed it. You, some Humans believe, will turn into a couch potato.
Cats need exercise just like Humans, and even Dogs, do. There are millions of Cats in the U.S. and a huge number of us are overweight or obese. That's scary.
What's scarier is that some of the Humans think that depriving you of the intellectual stimulation that the Boob Tube provides is the answer to your diet issues.
THE UGLY
Bottom line: As far as the Humans can figure out, so far, TV doesn’t hinder a Cat's brain development....
(You would think they would clear up the whole mystery immediately, by asking us directly, and then they could move on to important topics, like the effect of TV & Radio, on the brains of Dogs, pet Birds, Ferrets, Fish, Hamsters, and cute widdle Bunny Wabbits. ;-D
To tell you the truth, I sometimes wonder if these scientists, and study takers, ever had Cats in their homes, and lives, at amy time, from childhood to the present.)
....But TV can hinder – ahem! -- our muscle development.
So get your Human up off the couch and playing more with you, and any of your favorite toys that make you run, and leap, and pounce!
Oh, and here's something different, and challenging for both of you: Talk your Human into getting a Feline leash, or harness, so you can join him, or her, for a walk. Maybe, just maybe, you both will get addicted to a real-life nature show, beyond what you see out the window in the yard. ;-D
There is a great new article that goes deeper into all of this, on the Fox News Website, by Jennifer Quasha, recent co-author of "Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Dog's Life: 101 Stories about the Ages and Stages of our Canine Companions" and "Chicken Soup of the Soul: My Cat's Life: 101 Stories about the Ages and Stages of our Feline Family Members".
Comments are always open, so tossin your 2 cents, and share your stories, and favorite, and least favorite TV/Radio interests.
Our dogs seem to enjoy old movies.
We don't have cats, but I'm sure an
endless loop of Tom Jones's "What's
New, Pussycat" would keep most cats calm
and comforted.
:)
Posted by: Jaspar | June 01, 2011 at 11:21 PM