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

Gen Y Dogma: And Puppy Makes Three

When you meet “the one,” you just know… that you need to bring a dog into the mix. That’s what it was like when writer Christina Ped…
Scorkie

As a hybrid breed, the cute and scruffy Scorkie comes from two purebred parents- the Yorkshire Terrier and the Scottish Terrier.
The Truth About Vegetarian Diets And Dogs

It’s true that certain veggies are great for dogs to eat… but can your dog live on a vegetarian diet? If you’re thinking of making a switc…
Japanese Cool Cats Wear Hats Made From Their Own Fur

Just when you thought you''d need to buy stock in lint rollers, making hats for cats out of their own hair is sweeping the kitty fashion industry!
Upside Down Dog Of The Week – Sugar

Meet Sugar, our Upside Down Dog of the Week from Upsidedowndogs.com. Sugar is a 2-year-old female Staffordshire Bull Terrier from California. Here’s wh…
Best Gilded Golden Retriever Gifts

Goldies are a sweet gift! Give the gift of happiness with brilliant Golden Retriever-inspired trinkets that are sure to be treasured.
Hydrated Hounds Need Replenishing TORUS Water Bowl

Does your dog lap more water onto the floor than in his mouth? Heyrex''s TORUS water bowl takes a ""licking"" and keeps on kicking... with fresh water on demand.
Cheese Whiz Dog Treat Recipe

When it comes to cheese, dogs just can''t get enough. Satisfy those cravings with the Cheese Whiz Dog Treat Recipe.
Pooghan

The Pooghan brings the intelligent Poodle together with the independent Afghan Hound. A gentle, friendly dog who loves to be part of all family activities.
Palomino Horse

The Palomino horse is gentle, easy to train, and easy to work with in a variety of settings.It is most often described based upon its coat color.
Goffin’s Cockatoo

Goffin''s Cockatoo is treasured for its incredible intelligence as well as entertaining, goofy nature that would charm anyone.
Anglo-Francais De Petite Venerie

It''s easy to tell that the Anglo-Francais de Petite Venerie is a French hound. Its medium size, tricolor coat, and muscular build are all familiar sights.
Doxiemo

The Doxiemo was was created by crossing the fluffy American Eskimo Dog with the charming Dachshund. Read on to learn more about this adorable designer dog!
Dog Insurance Dos and Don’ts

Are you confused about dog insurance? We''ve put together a handy list of dos and don''ts you need to know about before you sign on the dotted line.
Doxie Pin

The Doxie Pin is a mixed breed dog whose parents are Miniature Pinscher and the Dachshund- you can expect a few of both breed''s traits in this designer dog.