Tablets for tabbies: Apps geared toward cats are a hit

  

October 04, 2015 •  MICHELLE KUESTER

There’s no denying that cats love to play with everything, and as the saying goes, “There’s an app for that.” Read on to discover some of the most popular free gaming apps geared toward cats in the Google Play Store and the iTunes Store in addition to how a young and senior cat responded.

Cat Fishing 2 by Friskies

For iOS and Android

This game features multiple timed levels with varying numbers of fish swimming across the screen. The goal is for the cat to touch, or catch, as many fish as possible. The more fish the cat touches, the more points it gets and the more challenging the game becomes.

Responses:

Puma (1-year-old young adult): The cat enjoyed watching the fish swim across the screen with the occasional batting. Strong color contrast between the fish and background, plus noises from the game, kept her interest. This seemed to be her favorite game.

Snuggles (16 years old, senior): The cat watched the fish swim, but he didn’t touch the screen. Without any contact on the screen, the game will make a meow sound effect attempting to get the cat’s attention. His ears perked up, but he still didn’t play with the game.

Pocket Pond 2

For iOS and Android

Give the fish in the aquarium a break from the cat’s mischievous eyes with this app, which provides a digital koi pond for their entertainment. This app is similar to "Cat Fishing 2," except with a more realistic appearance. The pond water ripples and dragonflies land on the surface adding an extra dimension for visual stimulation. The app can entertain humans as well, allowing them to raise their own koi in the pond.

Responses:

Both cats found the game to be more relaxing than stimulating. They laid down for naps after watching the koi swim lazily through the flowing water on the screen. Good for calming cats down.

Free Game for Cats Paw Me

For iOS and Android

This app features several different toys for the cat to play with on the screen. The backgrounds are animated and change over different levels to keep the cat’s attention. Cats can also compete against each other in this multiplayer, or multicat, game.

Responses:

Puma: She seemed to enjoy the animated backgrounds, but they caused some distraction to the game.

Snuggles: The animated backgrounds made it hard for him to see the toys on screen. He ended up staring blankly at the screen and then losing interest.

Game for Cats

For iOS

With a black background, a small colored dot moves quickly across the screen like a laser pointer tempting the cat to bat at it. This game offers in-app purchases so be careful by only playing the laser version to ensure it stays free.

Responses:

Puma: The simplicity of this game made this app less exciting. Playing with a normal handheld laser is much more fun for pet and owner.

Snuggles: It didn’t appear that he could see the laser light on the screen.

Crazy Cat

For Android

Several critters race across the screen tempting the curious cat playing the game. The cat gains points for each critter it touches, like most games, but the faster the critter, the more points it’s worth. This app also features Bluetooth capability, for a price, where the pet parent can connect their smartphone and move the critter around the tablet screen themselves.

Responses:

Puma: This was a sensory overload. The cat stared wide-eyed at everything moving around at different speeds and tried to bat at the screen, but it was lackluster. The game seemed almost too complicated for her.

Snuggles: The flashy backgrounds drew the attention of this senior cat. He slowly moved his paws across the screen, and while he didn’t hit too many critters, he seemed to enjoy the chase. This appeared to be his favorite game.

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