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

AKC Announces The Most Popular Dogs In The U.S. For 2014

This breed may never have taken home the Best in Show title, but the Labrador Retriever is still #1 one with North Americans! Talk about a never-ending winni…
3 Veterinary Tests That Every New Cat Should Get

When your new cat comes home, you need to take her to the vet for a health check. Here are the tests you need to ask your veterinarian to run on your kitty.
Picardy Spaniel

The Picardy Spaniel is actually one of the oldest continental spaniel breeds. They are talented gun dogs but also make for friendly and docile family pets.
Giant Schnauzer

The Giant Schnauzer is really a fairly compact dog for its size and, given enough exercise, can actually be calm companion and wonderful family pet.
Products That Help Keep Your Senior Cat Happy

Senior cats really don’t ask for much. You can keep them happy with the same essentials that kitties of all ages want and need: good food, fresh water, a clean litter box, beds, scratchers, and toys.
Adoptable Dog of the Week-Harley

Our Adoptable Dog of the Week is Harley, a one year old Basset Hound and Terrier mix with unique facial markings from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Try To Catch The PetSafe Kibble Chase Roaming Treat Dispenser

Looking for a better way to keep your dogs entertained and well fed? Try the interactive PetSafe Kibble Chase Roaming Treat Dispenser!
American Walking Pony

The American Walking Pony is a true pleasure to work with. This horse breed is calm and docile, and is comfortable to ride.
Study: Top 10 Most Common Dog and Cat Illnesses

Would it shock you to learn that pet parents spend more than $15 billion a year on vet care? But most of these dollars are spent treating the minor illnesses.
Best Cat Dewormers

Does your cat have worms or parasites? Gross! Get rid of them with one of our picks for best cat dewormers.?
Scoodle

The Scoodle is a cross between a purebred Poodle and Scottish Terrier. This is a breed that is known for its energy and playfulness,
New Study Shows How Movies Affect Dog Breeds’ Popularity

Call it the Lassie Effect: Researchers have proven that movies featuring dogs create a major surge in breed popularity. Lassie. The Shaggy Dog. 101 Dalmatia…
Cão Da Serra De Aires

The Co da Serra de Aires is also known as the Portuguese Sheepdog. These breed bonds closely with family and they are always eager to please.
PetSafe Smart Feed Automatic Pet Feeder

Make sure feeding time is always on time. The PetSafe Smart Feed Automatic Pet Feeder allows you to deliver meals to your pet no matter where you are.
Barbs

Barbs are a large family of freshwater fish that are a popular choice in the aquarium hobby. Different species of barbs come in a dazzling array of colors.