Why today’s TVs are turning pets into COUCH TATOES PAW

latest show David Attenborough’s has cats and dogs glued to the HD to the screen — thanks them wild technology that’s driving

WHATEVER David Attenborough produces onscreen, he is promised a captive audience, and the same is true for his latest series, Dynasties. Only this time, it’s not only humans who are enjoying the show.

If posts on social media are anything to go by, it seems our pets have been captivated by the five-part series too, now available to view on bbcearth.com.

One episode, which followed the fortunes of a pride of lions in Kenya, saw cats pawing at the screen trying to touch their feline cousins. Another, about a hyena pack circling a male member saw hundreds of dogs mesmerised.

Never before has a television series been so universally adored by all members of the household. And it seems it is not just the subject matter, but the way in which we now view television that is the cause.

High-definition televisions, typically bought in the past five years and gracing the living rooms of 72 per cent of the population, have not only enhanced our enjoyment of the box, but also our pets. When humans watch television, they need to see between 16 to 20 frames per second for the action to look as smooth and continuous as it does in real life. Since standard analogue TVs have always refreshed the image around 60 times per second, this has long been sufficient for humans to see a smooth picture.

Animals track images at a much faster rate as they have evolved to hunt. Dogs need to see about 70 images per second and cats 100 to view TV action as clearly like us.

The 60-times-a-second screens appear jerky to cats and dogs. It is only now, with the latest HD sets, which refresh images at least double that rate, that our pets can finally see what we see.

According to Daniel Cummings, behaviour officer at Cats Protection, studies have shown cats can see outlines, patterns and textures. ‘As technology has become more advanced, it makes the images appear smoother to our pets,’ she says. ‘The size and detail on TV screens may make them more interested as well.’

There are other reasons your pet may be wanting to hog the remote. Dog behaviourist and trainer Adem Fehmi says: ‘In the old days, our screens were smaller and more likely to be stuck in the corner.

‘Now TVs are larger, with surround sound and mounted high up on walls. So when our dogs curl up on the sofa, the TV is in their eye-line and they are more likely to notice what’s going on.’

So given the choice, what would your pet really like to watch? Experts say dogs and cats respond mostly to the movements of animals that look and move like them. However, how dogs react — barking, running around, or turning a blind eye — is also down to their personalities and breeds.

Most of all, they will respond to other dogs especially if they are barking — as well as cats if they are already used to chasing them.

Adem says: ‘Very observant breeds, such as collies and other working dogs, are more likely to notice what’s on TV than lower energy types, like Shih Tzus and Chow Chows.’

Tamsin Durston, canine behaviour officer at Dogs Trust, agrees: ‘Dogs are a species that find movement stimulating. And dogs bred to herd sheep might be so used to chasing moving things that the movement on screen triggers more of a response.’

Breeds such as beagles who use more of their sense of smell to hunt may be less interested in moving images than terriers and whippets. Cats are lone hunters with more acute eyesight, so they are more drawn to smaller movements on screen — even following balls during football matches.

Cat behaviourist Celia Hammond says: ‘Their eyesight responds to moving images. Cats’ favourite shows are usually about wildlife — birds, mice, small rodents. Some of their attention may also be due to the sounds.

‘Cats have the widest hearing range of all mammals. So they may hear things on wildlife programmes that we cannot.’

However, if you’re getting a new high-tech TV, there is one feature that may be wasted on your pet: Technicolor. Cats see the world in more muted colours because their eyes are adapted to hunt in low light. Dogs do not register bright yellow and red. But are we breeding a nation of four-legged screen addicts?

Adem says he sees about four cases a year in which dogs have fixated on certain types of TV shows, usually featuring animals.

In two cases, the dogs became so excited, they lunged at and broke their owners’ TV screens.

He says: ‘If a dog is bored and it’s not being exercised properly, it may start to fixate on the TV. If it’s a Chihuahua which barks for five seconds when a show comes on, it is not a problem. If it’s a rottweiler who thows himself at a €2,000 TV trying kill the cat on Coronation Street, it’s another matter.’ So what do animals think is behind the television screen? Although some pets will look behind the set to check out what’s happening, over time most work out that there’s not much to get excited about.

Feline behaviourist Trudi Atkinson, author of Practical Feline Behaviour: Understanding Cat Behaviour And Improving Welfare, says: ‘If the experience is new, they are more likely to react to it, until they learn it is harmless, and that there is no benefit to be gained from interacting with it.’

But as vets cite obesity as their biggest animal health concern, could the increasing amount of time pets spend watching television put them in danger of turning into couch pawtatoes?

Moderation is the answer, says Adem. ‘TV is no substitute for exercise, stimulation and companionship. You wouldn’t want your pet left to watch TV all day long.’