Cats have not changed much in thousands of years, but the homes they live in have. The bulky television that made a warm shelf has become a wafer-thin screen, the ball of yarn has been replaced by a nest of charging cables, and the mouse on the desk is plastic. "Then vs Meow" is a light-hearted series compiled by Bored Panda that sets an old-fashioned cat moment beside its modern, gadget-filled version.
Each panel pairs two photos (and in one case two drawings) under the headings "Then" and "Meow". The joke is that cats seem baffled by the switch: is that bird on the laptop real, and why does the radiator now fit in a power brick? Of course, the cats are not really confused or harmed by technology. The pictures simply show the same instincts, such as seeking warmth, stalking movement and claiming the most important spot in the room, playing out on new objects.
Below, the fifteen panels are grouped by the instinct they poke fun at, with a short note on what is actually going on in cat behaviour. A few practical tips for living with a cat in a house full of gadgets close the article.
Warmth and the best seat in the house
Sitting on the TV
In the drawn "Then" panel a cat sprawls happily on top of a deep, boxy television; in the "Meow" panel it dangles awkwardly over the edge of a flat screen. Old cathode-ray TVs gave off gentle heat and offered a broad, high shelf, two things cats love. Flat screens offer neither, which is why so many owners now find their cat on the sofa instead. The illustration is credited in the original series to the artist Anna Pavlova.
Intruding on human personal space
Then: a ginger-and-white kitten falls asleep across an open handwritten notebook. Meow: a fluffy white kitten stretches out on a laptop keyboard. Cats choose whatever their person is paying attention to, and a laptop is both warm and the centre of that attention. Lying on it is the most effective way to say "look at me instead".
Getting warm
A grey kitten hugs a radiator in the first photo, while in the second a tabby kitten curls up on a laptop power adapter. Cats are comfortable at warmer temperatures than people, so they hunt out every heat source in the house. A charger brick is small, but it is reliably warm and usually on the floor at cat height.
Hunters with a new kind of prey
Hunting
The "Then" image shows a tabby carrying a real mouse in its mouth; the "Meow" image shows a black-and-white cat proudly carrying a computer mouse by its cable. The joke works because the computer mouse really is named after the animal, thanks to its round body and cord "tail". Cats are driven to carry prey home even when they are well fed, so a cable makes a convenient handle.
Fishing
A white cat leans out over a pond full of koi, paw ready; in the modern panel a black-and-white cat taps at fish swimming across a tablet screen. Games designed for cats, with fish or mice darting across a touchscreen, became popular as tablets spread. They tap into the same quick paw strike a cat uses at the water's edge, without anyone getting wet.
Bird watching
A cat on a windowsill stares at a blue tit just outside the glass, while its modern counterpart studies a bird perched on a branch on a laptop screen. Cats are highly sensitive to small, fast movements, which is why on-screen birds can grab their attention. The window still wins, though: real birds come with sounds and smells.
Bird watching, part 2
Three black cats sit in a row at a snowy window in the first photo; in the second, three cats sit in front of a television showing birds in flight. Videos made specially for cats, with birds, squirrels or fish, are now easy to find online. Many owners use them as a distraction, although some cats ignore them completely.
Play, exercise and tangles
Getting tangled
A Siamese-type cat lies wrapped in yellow yarn next to a half-unrolled ball; the modern version shows a cat tangled in black cables on a wooden floor. Both scenes are funny, and both carry a real risk. Swallowed string or wool can cause serious internal injuries, and chewed cables can deliver electric shocks, so neither makes a safe unsupervised toy.
Playing
A black cat buries its face in a ball of wool, and a tabby lies on its back pawing at a smartphone covered in colourful app icons. Phones are attractive to cats because they glow, move under the finger and steal the owner's attention. The smartphone in the picture is likely to end up face down on the carpet.
Running
A ginger cat sprints across sand, all four paws off the ground, in the first image. In the second, a slim cat trots inside a large exercise wheel; the original series credits the wheel to the maker One Fast Cat. Cat wheels give indoor cats a way to burn energy, although most need some training with toys before they use one.
Playing, part 2
A tiny kitten bats at a feathered wand toy, and an older tabby sits at a laptop with one paw resting on a mouse as if checking email. Interactive play with a wand toy remains one of the best ways to keep a cat active and engaged. The laptop pose, on the other hand, is pure comedy.
Home life and social media
Catception
A grey kitten sleeps cuddled up to a stuffed toy cat in the "Then" panel. In the "Meow" panel a long-haired cat lounges beside a tablet showing a photo of a similar cat, which makes it look as if it is admiring itself. The title borrows from the film Inception, with its dreams inside dreams.
Dating
Two cats press their faces together in the first photo; in the second, a grey cat's face fills a computer screen on what looks like a social network profile. Head-rubbing is a real cat greeting, leaving scent marks that signal familiarity. The online version is a nod to the many cats with their own social media accounts.
Housing
A black-and-white cat sits inside a cardboard box cut into the shape of a little house. In the modern picture a cat hides in a fabric tepee, lit by the glow of a phone. Small, enclosed spaces help cats feel safe, which is why a box often beats an expensive bed.
Taking photos with my human
A smiling young woman hugs a cat in a traditional snapshot. The modern panel shows a face-swap selfie, with her face on the cat and the cat's face on hers, a filter trend that took off in phone apps around the time the series was made. The original credits the photos to the people pictured and their photographers.
What the jokes get right about cats
Underneath the humour, the series is a fair summary of cat behaviour. Cats seek heat, so they find laptops, chargers and sunny windows. They are built to notice quick movement, so a cursor or a bird video can catch their eye. They like high, enclosed or central spots, so they settle on keyboards and in boxes. And they want attention, so they block whatever is taking it away from them.
What the pictures do not show is any harm to cats from technology itself. Modern gadgets simply give old instincts new targets. A cat batting at a tablet is doing exactly what its ancestors did at the edge of a stream.
Living with a cat in a gadget-filled home
A few simple habits keep both cats and devices safe:
- Tidy or cover cables, especially for kittens that chew, and unplug chargers that are not in use.
- Do not leave string, wool or hair ties lying around as toys; offer wand toys under supervision instead.
- Give your cat a warm place of its own, such as a heated pad or a bed near a radiator, so the laptop is less tempting.
- Use screen games and bird videos as an extra, not a replacement for real play with you.
- If your cat swallows something it should not have, or chews a live cable, call your vet straight away.
Sources: The "Then vs Meow" series was compiled by Bored Panda, which credits each panel to its original photographers and artists.
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