Too close to the TV.

[nu nu]

Hello, everyone. I've only posted once before with a question. Now I've got another.

My tabby cat Majin has always liked watching TV. We used to have our 24" Sony plasma mounted on our living room wall, but recently due to some wall damage we purchased a stand for it so now it sits on an entertainment center shelf.

Ever since we moved the TV, Majin would hop up onto the shelf, with the screen literally about a centimeter from her face, and sit and watch for as long as we leave it on.

Of course at first we found it funny. But after she made a habbit of it, I became worried that she may develop a long-term vision problem. So now my roommate and I work together to keep her off the shelf, picking her up and placing her back on the couch where she USED to watch her programs, but she always worms her way back to the big screen when we're not looking.

My roomie suggested we block off the front of the shelf with a bit of wood so there would be no room for her to stand in front of the TV, but that seemed like a bad idea, especially if she'd try anyway and end up hurting herself. I suppose we could anchor the wood down somehow, but I want to know if there's any other option before we do that or if I shouldn't be worried by this cat habit at all.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[strange_wings]

I'd worry that if you tried to block it off that she may attempt to jump up there anyways and hit the screen somehow.
I have one that gets up in front of our LCD. I constantly shoo her down because she'll trying to lick the images on the screen.

I haven't had too much luck, there's a few nose prints and lick marks on it atm.

And if she's not doing that she blocks the remote.

I don't think it will harm a cat much since it's just a little bit, and since you are moving her.

Does Majin have any favorite things she likes? Nature shows? Commercials?
My Blasa seems to like the woman in the Progressive commercials... she'll go behind the tv looking for her. Must be the woman's expressive voice she likes so well.

 

[nu nu]

Originally Posted by strange_wings

I'd worry that if you tried to block it off that she may attempt to jump up there anyways and hit the screen somehow.
I have one that gets up in front of our LCD. I constantly shoo her down because she'll trying to lick the images on the screen.

I haven't had too much luck, there's a few nose prints and lick marks on it atm.

And if she's not doing that she blocks the remote.

I don't think it will harm a cat much since it's just a little bit, and since you are moving her.

Does Majin have any favorite things she likes? Nature shows? Commercials?
My Blasa seems to like the woman in the Progressive commercials... she'll go behind the tv looking for her. Must be the woman's expressive voice she likes so well.

That is absolutely adorable. lol

Majin doesn't do anything like that. She just sits and stares, occasionally tilting her head.

She'll watch anything we watch but she seems to get extra excited for Animal Planet or when there's a lot of motion on the screen (car chases on TruTV, for example). I think she enjoys the sounds of police sirens and big burly voices screaming, "GET OUT OF THE CAR WITH YOUR HANDS UP!" And when a car darts from corner to corner on the TV screen, she follows it with her whole head. It's rather cute.

She doesn't care much for cartoons, though.

Thanks for your advice. I think you're right about the wood maybe being a hazard.

 

[strange_wings]

Originally Posted by Nu Nu

I think she enjoys the sounds of police sirens and big burly voices screaming, "GET OUT OF THE CAR WITH YOUR HANDS UP!"

I think secretly you'd miss it if you couldn't watch her. I know I would, even if it means I have a kitten head in my way.

 

[mystik spiral]

Nu Nu, unfortunately I don't have any advice for you, but I had to pop in and say that my oldest nephew (he's almost 10 now) would stop WHATEVER he was doing when he was a toddler if a Billy Mays commercial came on the TV. Something about Billy Mays' voice just hypnotized him...

And shortly after Billy Mays died, my nephew asked me, "did you know Billy Mays died?". Probably completely inappropriate, but it made me laugh...

 

[Winchester]

Originally Posted by Mystik Spiral

Nu Nu, unfortunately I don't have any advice for you, but I had to pop in and say that my oldest nephew (he's almost 10 now) would stop WHATEVER he was doing when he was a toddler if a Billy Mays commercial came on the TV. Something about Billy Mays' voice just hypnotized him...

And shortly after Billy Mays died, my nephew asked me, "did you know Billy Mays died?". Probably completely inappropriate, but it made me laugh...

That's cute!

Nu Nu, years ago when Ms. Pepe was a kitten, she was mesmerized by a video game that our son had. It was a racing-type game and the cars would move from one side of the screen to the other. When they disappeared off the screen, she actually went over to the side of the tv; I guess she was wondering where those cars went to. She would sit down right in front of the tv screen, and watch the cars racing. She loved them.

We have a cannonball bed. The television in the bedroom is on a bureau. Even at her age, she'll plop her little fat butt on a cannonball and see there and watch television.

And now for a secret. Mystik Spiral, your nephew and Billy Mays? Well, my mother tells me that when I was little, when Pat Boone was on television, I would go up to the tv screen and kiss him.

(And I don't even like Pat Boone! I swear!!)

 

[mystik spiral]

Originally Posted by Winchester

And now for a secret. Mystik Spiral, your nephew and Billy Mays? Well, my mother tells me that when I was little, when Pat Boone was on television, I would go up to the tv screen and kiss him.

(And I don't even like Pat Boone! I swear!!)

Hey, there's nothing wrong with liking Pat Boone!! My nephew was also enchanted by ANY incarnation of the opening song/dance of the Cosby Show...

Kids are funny.

 

[rosiemac]

My Jack wouldn't like it if i turned his t.v. off

 

[nu nu]

Originally Posted by Mystik Spiral

Nu Nu, unfortunately I don't have any advice for you, but I had to pop in and say that my oldest nephew (he's almost 10 now) would stop WHATEVER he was doing when he was a toddler if a Billy Mays commercial came on the TV. Something about Billy Mays' voice just hypnotized him...

And shortly after Billy Mays died, my nephew asked me, "did you know Billy Mays died?". Probably completely inappropriate, but it made me laugh...

I was sad when he died.

Majin and I used to watch Pitchmen together.

 

[nu nu]

Originally Posted by strange_wings

I think secretly you'd miss it if you couldn't watch her. I know I would, even if it means I have a kitten head in my way.

I would miss it if she stopped watching TV altogether. But I'd like it if I could watch TV without a cat head in the way.