‘Cat Tv ruined my cat’: 6-month-old kitten watches YouTube once, then abandons toys, ignores her sister, and waits by the blank screen like a feline "iPad kid"

Author image for Blake Seidel
Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager
Aug 22, 2026 7:00 AM EDT

Who would have thought that we'd have to manage our cats' screen time as well as our kids'?

We all know the dangers of too much screen time. We know it the same way we know that not wearing sunscreen outside is bad for us and fossil fuels are ruining the environment. And yet, some people still put on tanning oil instead of sunscreen, and most of the world travels by car, plane, or bus, all of which require massive amounts of fuel. We try to keep our kids away from screens as much as pawssible, but did you ever imagine you would live in a world where you would have to manage your cats' access to screen time? 

Our pawrent below thought a little Cat TV would be harmless for his 6-month-old kittens. He was wrong. One of his kittens became completely obsessed with it - she began ignoring her sister, abandoned her toys, and began waiting in front of the blank screen for her pawrent to turn it on again. She essentially lost everything that made her a kitten, most importantly, the need for stimulation through socialization and exploration. The kitten's pawrent is now wondering: did he just turn his cat into an iPad kid? Will she ever go back to being a normal kitten?

The good news is that they're not the only pawrent dealing with this, either with a hooman child or a feline one. The other good news is that cats have relatively small brains, so in my humble opinion, if they just refuse to turn on the TV for a while, their cat will eventually get bored and forget about it. Other cat owners chimed in below with great cat-ecdotes and purrfect morsels of advice, so keep reading below to make sure your cat children don't turn into "iPad kids" as well.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to start your Caturday with the funniest felines on the internet!

Add as a preferred
source on Google
Advertisement
  • 01
    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
    via robotco
  • 02
    One cat was mildly entertained. My other addicted. She sat beside cat got the tv and would not move for anything. Eyes completely fixated on whatever was coming up next. ok, cute. TV off now kitties!
    via robotco
  • 03
    Cat would not move. she sat there staring at the blank screen for who knows how long.
    via robotco

  • Let's first talk about why screen time can be so damaging to kids, whether they're kittens or humans. A child's brain develops at an incredibly fast rate, their brains are constantly building new pathways in order to understand the world around them. When you expose them to things like Cat TV or kids' shows, which are designed to produce a lot of dopamine and are filled with flashing lights and colors, you're raising the kid's baseline levels of stimulation. They will search for that same dopamine rush time and time again because that's what the show is designed to do - to keep kids interested, stimulated, and coming back for more.

  • 04
    Cheezburger Image 10657210112
    via Vadim Bogulov

    Cat staring at electronic device playing Cat TV

    Image depicted solely for explanatory purposes.

  • 05
    Now she sits on that spot on the table by the tv constantly. she basically only goes and eat. All other hours of down to the day, she's waiting for Cat TV.
    via robotco
  • 06
    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 gold in youtube sh?
    via robotco
  • 07
    paulaaaaaaaaa you turned your cat into a tablet kid lol
    via paulaaaaaaaaa
  • 08
    Bollefritz Our boy is addicted too. Its the Al flashy stuff that got him hooked. But i must say after a few months he leveled out a bit in the beginning it was like you describe your situation now. We also have a big tv with he would rampage if we played tv on it.
    via Bollefritz
  • 09
    Now he loses intrest in about 15 to 20 min and than walks away. His sister couldn't care for anything we played she,s like "whats with the fake stuffz" and doesnt look at it at all or walks off.
    via Bollefritz
  • 10
    010
    via Bollefritz
  • 11
    SnooBananas7203 My cats are 11 and 7 years. They love Cat TV. I've restricted watching to mornings and evenings. The cats watch it after breakfast and dinner. I'm not kidding. After they eat, they go and sit in front of the TV until I turn it on. If I turn on an episode that they are not interested in, one of them walks over, sits in front of me, sometimes touches my leg, until I get up and select a different episode to watch. I'm a cat tv remote control.
    via SnooBananas7203
  • 12
    Natural-Research6928 One of my floofs is addicted to documentaries about space.
    via Natural-Research6928

  • My cats couldn't care less about anything on the TV. I've tried. There was a period at work where I was working extra long hours, so I tried turning on some YouTube channels that were for entertaining cats.

    Nothing. They wouldn't even face the TV.

    Some cats are just wired differently than others. At least I don't have to worry about my cats being iPad kids. They'd rather hide under the bed for the chance to attack my ankles as I walk by.

  • 13

    “They’re addicted too! And they like the Westminster Dog Show!”

    TrooperLynn 6 WHY DIDN'T NOAH SWAT THOSE TWO MOSQUITOES?
    via TrooperLynn
  • 14
    DrifterDavid Man I can't put them on because my cats literally will attack the tv. I never thought about this as a possibility.
    via DrifterDavid
  • 15
    SonnyvonShark Well, that's what happens when you give children with malleable brains screens, lol. 6 months old kittens are equivalent to a human child. Time to restrict TV to weekends.
    via SonnyvonShark
  • 16
    TrinityKilla82 I did this with my cat. I just didn't put it on again and after about a month he got sick of waiting
    via TrinityKilla82
  • 17

    “Walked into my cat using my laptop”

    EmergencyResolve2955
    via EmergencyResolve2955
  • 18
    Revolutionary-Two457 She definitely will. Give it time there brains are quite small
    via Revolutionary-Two457
  • 19
    Dunning_Arugula My poor Tv went down to my kitten few weeks ago watching Cat Tv, joke on her though I cant adford a new one atm. The artist
    via Dunning_Arugula
  • 20
    Cheezburger Image 10657208832
    via Dunning_Arugula
  • 21
    TIL_eulenspiegel This is genuine cat hunting behaviour! Once they've seen potential prey, they never forget it and will watch for it in the same place day after day.
    via TIL_eulenspiegel
  • 22
    I once lived in a second floor apt and my cat liked to sit on the balcony. Balcony had solid vertical wall panels with a small crack between them, and a horizontal railing on top..
    via TIL_eulenspiegel
  • 23
    The cat noticed that birds would occasionally alight on the railing. So she would sit obsessively staring out through a vertical crack, without moving, for HOURS every day, for weeks and weeks. My MIL thought there was something mentally
    via TIL_eulenspiegel
  • 24
    wrong with her. Then one day, a bird flew up along the exact right trajectory. The cat was invisible behind the balcony wall panel, but could see out the crack that the bird was coming. She leapt up and snagged that bird right out of the air and stuffed it into her mouth! This is what your cat is hoping for!
    via TIL_eulenspiegel
  • 25
    actiaslxna Try some cat nip to see if that will break her out the tv trance
    via actiaslxna
  • 26
    Hungry Menu8627 Put a bird feeder outside your house /apartment where your cats can see from a window or patio door. It will have the same effect but is a healthier option imo. My cat loves to scare away birds that get too close to the patio door and has little furry friends that come by to say high and grab some seed every day (bunnies, chipmunks, and a squirrel).
    via HungryMenu8627
  • 27
    PostPostModernism My cat turned 13 yesterday and I have him a little cat TV as a present lol. I think just like people, your cat will adjust to it being off eventually. Edit: cat tax
    via PostPostModernism
  • 28
    Cheezburger Image 10657209344
    via PostPostModernism
  • 29
    bracingforsunday Oh no you have an iPad kid
    via bracingforsunday
  • 30
    BigShiz1 My girl loves to watch KDramas. She will literally come out of hiding the MINUTE she hears someone on the TV speaking Korean. She doesn't care about anything other shows either. Luckily I am addicted to KDramas as well
    via BigShiz1
  • 31
    OOTBALEN Feel better? The War W WO FALL The Worst of 15 Jacke The Wall of Cheand THE WAIS Torbay Moden Awes BEBER BORISSER Uffizi
    via BigShiz1

Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

Tags

youtube cat owner problems cat tv ipad kids
Scroll Down For The Next Article