Cat Bringing You Dead Animals as Gifts? Artificial Intelligence Will B

Published A Few Days Ago
ADVERTISEMENT

The use of artificial intelligence in the pet industry is slowly but surely gaining more ground: this AI-powered cat flap just proves it.

If you have a cat that’s free to go outdoors as he or she pleases, you’ve probably got a few gifts in return. And by gifts, I mean dead (or almost dead) critters your kitty has hunted down for you and oh so helpfully put right on your bed so you could find them once you wake up. It’s disturbing and disgusting, but hey- studies show that that means your cat considers you their family member, albeit an incompetent one. While the gory gift is a kind gesture in your cat’s eyes, it doesn’t mean you have to like it though.

Ben Hamm certainly didn’t like his cat, Metric, bringing his prey inside the house. That’s why he developed an AI-powered cat flap that blocked the thoughtful kitty whenever he tried to enter the house with a critter stuck between his jaws. He installed an Amazon Deeplink camera above the cat door and trained the artificial intelligence with pictures of his cats with and without dead animals in tow. The algorithm is based on 3 steps: checking if the cat is going in or out, checking to see if the cat is in the frame, and lastly, checking to see if there are any critters in his mouth. Hamm had to feed over 23,000 images to the AI for it to start detecting his pet trying to sneak in dead animals.

Once the artificial intelligence was able to discern his kitty ‘coming in for a snack vs coming in with a snack’, the rest was easy. He programmed the kitty flap to stay locked for 15 minutes once the gory gift was detected, send him a picture of the deed (just in case) and automatically donate a small sum to Audubon Society, a bird organization. (Metric seems to prefer bird prey.) In the case Metric was coming empty-mouthed, he could enter normally.

Needless to say, many cat pawrents would be thrilled about having this type of AI-powered pet door at their disposal, but this is still far from being a publicly available product. Until it hits the pet store shelves, though, my advice is just to have an indoors-only cat. The nastiest thing my indoors-only cats have gifted me with is hairball vomit- and I’d take vomit over a dead animal every time.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

You May Like

Benefits Of Garlic Supplements For Dogs

Dispelling the negative myths surrounding garlic for dogs and why you may want to use it as a supplement to your dog’s diet Garlic has been given a bad…
Upside Down Dog Of The Week – Willie

It’s Tuesday, and you know what that means – it’s time to announce our Upside Down Dog of the Week from Upsidedowndogs.com. This week&rsquo…
Goberian

The Goberian is a cross between a purebred Golden Retriever and Siberian Husky. These dogs are smart, and they can learn quickly.
Blue Headed Parrot

If you''re living in an apartment and have always been worried about noise levels, the calm and quiet Blue Headed Parrot might be a good choice for you.
Poshie

The fun-loving Poshie brings the outgoing personality of the Pomeranian together with the playful nature of the Shetland Sheepdog.
Food Trucks Are Going To The Dogs

Forget the local chip truck - the Food Truck craze has been taken to the next level. Don''t be surprised to see dog food truck on your city streets soon.
Planing Your Pet’s Future: What All Pet Parents Should Do First

A non-profit animal welfare organization helps you ensure your pet gets continued lifetime care in case they outlive you.
Hear Doggy! Ultrasonic Martian Toy Review

The Martians have arrived - can our brave testing dogs protect us from the Hear Doggy! invasion? Let''s talk about what makes the Hear Doggy! different.
Cats Photoshopped in Soccer Pictures Score All The Goals

Do you have some free time and nothing to do with it, right? BoredPanda is sponsoring a unique photoshop challenge that has fur flying on soccer fields!
First Thing’s First: Teaching Your Puppy How to Focus

To a puppy, everything he sees is new and exciting. But learning to focus and recognizing his name is an important part of a puppy''s training course.
Labrottie

The Labrottie is a cross between a purebred Labrador Retriever and Rottweiler. These dogs are known for their affectionate and devoted personality.
Common Myths About Spaying And Neutering Your Dog

As a responsible pet parent, you''ll be faced with whether or not you will spay or neuter your dog. Let''s look at common myths about spaying and neutering.
The Solution For Boring Court Programming? Adorable Dog Reenactments!

John Oliver proves that everything – including the Supreme Court – is better with dogs I’m a huge fan of political satirist and comedian Jo…
Basic Dog Tricks: Shake A Paw

The shake a paw trick is a basic trick that should be one of your dog''s standards that he can pull out when guests come over and he wants to impress them.
Glen of Imaal Terrier

The Glen of Imaal Terrier is small and spirited, though not as excitable as other terrier breeds. Often described by owners as a big dog on short legs.