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Cat scratch fever--on the iPad

Videos of pets trying out iPads appear to be an emerging trend on YouTube, with Iggy the cat and Chloe the Corgi giving the tablet a try.

Leslie Katz Former Culture Editor
Leslie Katz led a team that explored the intersection of tech and culture, plus all manner of awe-inspiring science, from space to AI and archaeology. When she's not smithing words, she's probably playing online word games, tending to her garden or referring to herself in the third person.
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  • Third place film critic, 2021 LA Press Club National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards
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Leslie Katz

Look, we're into cute cat videos just as much the next guy. But mix a feline with a shiny new iPad, and we start to worry. Yes, the person who posted the above cat-plays-with-iPad video to YouTube Tuesday assures us the screen is fine since "the cat's claws are not as strong as glass." But is letting a scratch-prone pet loose on a pricey new purchase really the best way to break it in? We'll get back to you on that one as soon as our CNET ferret's done with its iPad benchmarking.

That said, Iggy must be an Apple cat, the way he takes to the thing. He plays a game, he plays with a music app, he can't take his eyes off the screen. Honestly, this pet navigates the new tablet with more ease than half the visitors to an Apple store probably would. Impressive.

Chloe the Corgi, on the other hand, views the iPad skeptically, cocking her head, pushing the gadget around with her nose, and ultimately barking at it nervously and with obvious distrust. Clearly, the Apple/Microsoft divide is alive and well in the animal kingdom.