Are Baby Sensory Videos Good for Cats? Potential Benefits & Enrichment Explained

More and more pet owners are looking for ways to provide enrichment to their pets. Enrichment in your cat’s environment can improve their quality of life by giving them more entertainment, exercise, and problem-solving, all of which can help keep your cat healthy. Puzzles, toys, games, and even activities like cat agility can all provide enrichment to your cat, as well as providing different textures and tastes of foods and treats and having one-on-one time with you.

Since many people are looking for more ways to increase the enrichment in their cat’s life, they have started to turn to things like videos and music. Some people have started providing their cats with baby sensory videos to support enrichment, but do these videos actually do anything for cats? We don’t really know if sensory videos are necessarily good for cats, but there are surely a few benefits worth exploring. It is also important to note that there is no evidence that there are any negative impacts from letting your cat watch sensory videos.

Are Baby Sensory Videos Good for Cats?

Some cats show a great interest in watching videos, and baby sensory videos often offer sights and sounds that can be attractive and enjoyable for a cat. Cats that have a high prey drive tend to be more engaged with baby sensory videos than more sedentary cats.

The types of baby sensory videos that cats like does vary significantly between cats. However, the most common types of videos that cats seem to like are videos with lots of movement or videos that focus on small animals, like birds and rodents.

While cats can’t see the bright colors in baby sensory videos, they show a distinct preference for videos that have a high level of contrast between colors. This is likely because it allows the cat to see the movement better than a video with low contrast.

How Can Baby Sensory Videos Benefit My Cat?

While most of the evidence for the use of sensory videos for cats is anecdotal, there are some indicators that these videos can be beneficial for the cats that pay attention to them. Studies have shown that baby sensory videos can help soothe a stressed cat during high-stress events, like storms and fireworks. The videos can serve as an audio and visual distraction for the cat during stressful events.

We also know that if your cat watches a video, then their brain is being engaged. These videos can support your cat’s mental health, as well as encourage them to use their natural hunting instincts. They may even encourage your cat to get more exercise. Some cats may like to pounce or paw at the video, so make sure to provide your cat with a screen that they can’t easily damage.

Summary

The proof is lacking, but many indicators allowing your cat to watch baby sensory videos can provide them with some benefits, including stress reduction and increased enrichment and happiness. However, there isn’t any evidence that letting your cat watch these videos is harmful to them.

If showing these videos to your fur baby, make sure to provide your cat with a screen they won’t easily damage since they may want to paw at the screen in an attempt to “hunt” the images on the screen.

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Featured Image Credit: Catherine Heath, Unsplash