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

6 Budget-Friendly Ways to Bond With Your Dog

You can''t buy your dog''s love (which is good, because we''re broke)! If money is tight, we''ve got a few ideas on cost-effective ways to bond with your dog.
Swedish Elkhound

The Swedish Elkhound is also known as the Jämthund and the Moosehound. It is an intelligent breed and one that is eager to please.
Bullador

The Bullador blends the gentle personality of the Labrador Retriever with the sweet-natured stamina of the Bulldog to produce a playful, loving family dog.
American Saddlebred Horse

The American Saddlebred Horse are used as driving horses, pleasure horses, jumpers, hunters, and more. It boasts a friendly and calm temperament.
Argentine Snake-Necked Turtle

The Argentine Snake-Necked Turtle, one of the two South American Snake-Necked Turtle breeds, is a unique breed of aquatic turtle named for its long neck.
Rose Ringed Parakeet

Rose Ringed Parakeet is a real spark of positive energy and will brighten up every home with their cute tricks, cuddly surprises, and lovable traits.
Top 10 Things To Do When You Lose A Dog

You want to be prepared if your dog gets loose and you can''t find him. We''ve prepared an emergency list of things you should do when you lose a dog.
Best Cat Repellent

A cat repellent is a humane and efficient way to keep cats from ruining your garden, peeing in your yard, or destroying plants and furniture.
Top 10 Cats Who Need a Hug

Happy International Hug Your Cat Day! Open your arms and show how much you''re a feline fanatic by hugging all the cats you come across today!
Best Cat Window Perches

Your cat wants to know what''s going on outside. Give her the perfect place to window watch. Check out our list of the best cat window perches.
Best Vacuum Cleaners for Pet Hair

Vacuum cleaners for pet hair are specially designed to tackle cat and dog hair embedded in carpets, gathered in tufts on floors, or stuck to your furniture.
Care-Tzu

The outgoing little Care-Tzu brings together the headstrong personality of the Shih Tzu and the curious nature of the Cairn Terrier.
Saltwater Goby Fish

Saltwater Goby Fish are a large family of fish made up of over 2000 distinct species. Most species of saltwater goby fish are extremely small in size.
Slovak Cuvac

Also known as the Slovensky Cuvac, the Slovak Cuvac is a large Slovakian breed known for its plush white coat and its livestock guarding abilities.
Tigerfish

The Tigerfish is a type of freshwater fish belonging to the genus Datnioides (Datnoids). It''s named for the vertical stripes that run all along its body.