When you are unemployed you will fill your days doing a LOT of curious things that you didn’t realize you could actually fill your time with. For instance, today I spent at least three hours photo shopping Britney Spears in to pictures of my friends. Last week I went online and taught myself 18 different types of braids. The point is, you’ve got time and sometimes you fill that with television even if you don’t want to and think “Oh, I would never do that.”

Trust me. You can and you will. Even if it’s just running on the background for “quiet noise.” So it only stands to reason that if I’m watching the television and my cats are with me all day that in some way they are also watching the tv. It did make me stop and wonder if my pets should be watching television and if it would actually have any short or long-term effects on them. Raise A Paw tunes in to find out Should Your Pet Be Watching TV?

Well the short answer is that there is no scientific proof as to whether or not watching a television is part (or good for that matter) for your pet. This actually raises a bigger concern and that is why your pet is watching the television. What I’m saying is that the television is not a babysitter for your dog or cat. I hear people say from time to time that they will leave the TV on during the day for their pet so that it won’t be lonely or anxious. The reality of this is that in doing so you are actually trying to soothe yourself and make yourself feel better about leaving your pet alone than you are considering what’s best for your babe. What your animal needs is attention and exercise and neither of those things are offered by simply turning on a switch of the boob tube.

Furthermore does your pet even understand what’s happening on the TV?  Well, if you notice that your four-legged friend is actually paying attention to the screen then it actually may be focused on what’s happening on the screen. If your dog or cat was bored by the television or upset by it then its behavior would reflect that. It would return to its normal behaviors – pacing, chewing on things, whining, scratching, etc.

It has been determined that dogs in particular have amazing motion sensitivity which means that the optical illusion that makes still images on a TV appear fluid don’t trick them as easily as they do people and for most pups the fact that it doesn’t look legit is a turn-off or rather, it bores them.  However even if the images are interesting that doesn’t mean that the dog will enjoy them. You see, just like people some dogs are in to TV and some just aren’t.

If you pet does have anxiety and you might find that leaving the TV actually on gets them used to everyday noises like bells ringing, the sound of a vacuum and other loud noises that they aren’t able to anticipate.  While this might not work in every case sometimes pet owners claim that it has been helpful for them.  While no amount of vegging out will replace the quality time you can spend with your pet or the time you can spend exercising them it may, in a pinch, aid in lessening its anxieties and fighting boredom.

The verdict?  Well, there is no evidence to support the idea that having the television on is harmful to your pet it there is also no actual evidence to support that it does your pet any good.

Video via YouTube

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