Why grandad gets fewer Xmas presents than the dog

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

IF GRANDAD doesn’t seem to get into the festive spirit this year, it’s probably because he knows what’s coming…in his case, not very much.

A survey has found that even the family pet will end up with more presents than grandpas, who apparently end up at the bottom of everybody’s gift list.

Predictably, children get the most presents from individual family members, according to the study into who gives what by Barclays. The poll of 2,000 Britons found that the average amount of gifts handed to each person in the family by their nearest and dearest reduces the older the recipient gets – although eldest children tend to outstrip their younger brothers and sisters.

On average, the eldest child receives 5.5 presents, the middle child 4.4 and youngest child 5.2 – while mums and dads get 2.9 and 2.5 respectively. Grandmas can only bank on 1.9 – the same as the family pet – while grandads average a measly 1.8. Partners can expect four gifts from their other half.

The poll found that the average Briton gives 27 presents each and spends an average £37 per gift – adding up to a whopping £999 in all. It also claimed the five worst presents to receive at Christmas are batteries, underwear, socks, a tie and soap.

A spokesman for Barclays said: ‘It’s bad news for grandparents who are set to receive fewer presents than four-legged members of the family. And while the youngest child is often accused of being the most spoiled in the family, the research shows that it is in fact the eldest child who can expect to do the best out of Christmas this year.’

Josie Clapham, of Barclays, said: ‘Many of us enjoy treating friends and family, but it’s important to not get too carried away and put yourself under financial pressure going into the new year.’

Did you catch the final episode of david Attenbor-ough’s latest series last night? Or did you struggle to see past your own tabby cat to the indian Tiger on screen? For the five weeks that dynasties has broadcast it is not just humans who have been transfixed by the footage. if posts on social media are anything to go by, it seems our pets have been captivated, too.

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 our pets’, too.

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 Protec-tion, 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 turn-ing 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, of dog training company dog-ease, 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 behav-iour officer at dogs Trust, agrees: ‘dogs are a species that find move-ment 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 move-ments on screen — even following balls during football matches.

Cat behaviourist Celia Ham-mond 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 Atkin-son, 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. ‘Television is no substitute for good exercise, mental stimula-tion and human companionship. Just as with a young child, you wouldn’t want your pet left to watch TV all day long.’