Cats love playtime, and one kitten enjoying an iPad game has delighted the internet after going viral this week.
With more than 6 million views, the TikTok video featuring Bean was shared on Monday by Namita Dabral from Singapore—who uses the TikTok handle beancurd.
The calio-patterned domestic shorthair kitten —who is 7-weeks-old and is also sometimes called Beancurd—is seen playing an iPad game, delightfully running, jumping and tapping at the screen.
“This wasn’t the first time she played with the iPad,” Dabral told Newsweek: “More like the third time and I definitely did not expect the cute response despite her general playful nature.”
Feline behavior consultant Jennifer Van de Kieft told Newsweek: “A small moving object on the screen is irresistible to this kitten. She wants to attack it. It brings out the cat’s hunting instinct.”
Cats are predators and instinctive hunters. Despite the domesticated kitty being far removed from the big cats seen in the wild, hunting is an instinct they have retained. Hunting skills are often taught to a kitten by its mother in order to catch prey—in domesticated cats this is usually apparent in chasing and pouncing with toys.
Beancurd/TikTok
Delighted by the video, TikTok users rushed to comment. One wrote: “Bean is gonna be a gamer,” while another said: “Her aim is better than mine and I’m human!”
Another commenter wrote: “Made my day.”
Van de Kieft recommends more tactile toys for cats: “Like the laser light, [the iPad] is something they can never actually catch in their paws. I would only recommend this to supplement regular play for a high energy cat who needs a lot of enrichment.
“I do prefer cat TV instead of the games where cats can watch birds and squirrels rather than attacking a screen where they never catch the object they are hunting.”
Another commenter on the viral video shared how much their cats love playing with a digital tablet and wrote: “I have to share my iPad with my cats as they regularly ask to watch cat TV or play games! They just walk to the iPad and place a paw on it.”
When it comes to enriching activities for our feline friends, Van de Kieft recommends creating a pretend hunt for your cat to challenge and stimulate them.
“The best toys are the wand or fishing rod type toys where you manipulate a stick and string with a prey attachment such as a mouse, worm or feathers at the end of it,” she said.
“Use the wand to create a pretend hunt for your kitten. Move the toy away from the kitten—think how the prey would move—and give her opportunities to attack it,” Van de Kieft said. “Let her win by grabbing the toy and biting it, but keep it fun and a little challenging too. Kittens need this type of play several times throughout the day.”
In January, a custom-made feline hideaway including iPad, bed and snacks went viral online with users dubbing it: “Catflix and chill.”
