Cat TV

My old pet dog (RIP Henry) used to love nature programs; he’d show a special interest in anything featuring lions. He’d raise his head, stretch a little, and imagine himself out there on the savannah with them. Apparently, some people prefer cats to dogs, and if you’re one of them, you might want to give your furry housemate something to watch. YouTube is reassuringly full of pet-oriented content, and Becky Stern has crafted a delightfully simple device to stream reassuring scenes of birds and squirrels to pique her cats’ interest.

She’s kept it simple: it uses a 5-inch capacitive touch LCD screen, a Raspberry Pi, a USB speaker, mouse and keyboard, and a 3D-printed enclosure. Even this was one feature too many – the cats kept pawing at the screen, so she replaced the data USB connection with a power-only cable, to disable the touchscreen capability.