PURRFECTLY HILARIOUS: THE MOST MEMORABLE CAT-ASTROPHES IN LIVE TV HISTORY

Out there in the jungle of live TV – the one where we expect anything and everything to happen, from the most embarrassing to the most upsetting, and even the most hilarious – there live a few bloopers that have become memorable blocks of time. Our house cats have been upstaging, overthrowing, and otherwise causing utter domination and chaos on our live broadcasts. Here are some not-so-funny-but-highly-entertaining ‘cat-astrophes’ from the thick of it. The only thing more exhilarating than live TV is when the unexpected happens … or even when the unexpected happens … times more than that.

THE CAT THAT STOLE THE SHOW...LITERALLY!

When Paws Met The News

Picture the scenario: a weatherman stands in front of the green screen, preparing to provide the forecast. Then a crafty cat takes the stage and seizes the opportunity for its 15 minutes of fame. During an On Air weather report in Georgia in 2014, a stray cat made its appearance and stole the show, leaving the audience wondering what the weatherman had to say for himself. It is one thing to predict a storm approaching, quite another to forecast a cat landing on your lap.

THE FELINE TELEPROMPTER INCIDENT

A Purrfect Distraction

Another came when a news anchor’s desk was invaded during a live broadcast by a loose cat, perhaps practising for a career as an anchorman with paws. The feline began batting at the teleprompter screen and, as the poor weeping news anchor tried to read out the rolling script while it was being clawed away and obscured by rump and tail, the ‘breaking news’ took on an entirely new meaning.

WHEN CATS CLAIM THE WEATHER MAP

Forecast: Cloudy with a Chance of Whiskers

Cats seem to be especially drawn to weather maps. Another hilarious example showed a cat strategically positioning his body so he could lay smack in the middle of the weather desk. While the men on screen tried to point out areas of high and low pressure, a lazy cat rather seemed to be forecasting a nap of high, yet adorable, cuteness.

THE VIRTUAL CAT INVASION

Working from Home Woes

Thanks to the recent boom of working from home, this trend had a new opportunity for cats who were making theirZoom debuts – cats showing up on virtual meetings, or even jumping into their owners’ laps as they broadcast from home, their little whiskers garnering their very own starring roles.

WHEN CATS BECOME THE STORY

Feline Field Reporters

That bark was not unique to the studio. More than once, field reporters were also given cause to yowl: live on air, one of them watched in shock as the cat perched on his shoulders and slid down to his hand. As for the folks reporting the news, help from cats has become a fact of life – one in which the cats refuse to be ‘just’ subject.

CATS AND THE QUEST FOR VIRALITY

Going Viral: A Cat's Play

More often, in the age of social media, these organic cat intrusions go viral – images loved by millions around the world. Even if a viewer can’t remember the details of the weather at the time or the specific news story, the image of the cat interrupting the broadcast in order to rub against the leg of a news presenter or perch on the front page of the day’s news will be etched in their mind. In this way, the cat invasion has become not just a blooper, but also a precious moment of humour and sweetness in the daily news feed.

ABOUT THE CAT

The cats’ incessant curiosity, their refusal to be trained, even their tendency to claim any space they find themselves in as ‘theirs’ will lead to a moment when they can blunder into a live broadcast. Want to pay attention to me? Have the cursor on your screen? Or are you just looking for the warmest spot in the room? Whatever you’re doing, you can bet it has nothing to do with what a cat does. ‘Sometimes,’ he continues, ‘you can only laugh at life… and at live TV.

And, in the end, as much as live television is about providing news and entertainment, it’s the unexpected, the unscripted, that can often be the most memorable – and perhaps those flashes of CGI cats can serve as a reminder, in times fraught with strife, how living with all the fuzziness and languor and lovability of a cat can bring an antidote to a world bereft of that kind of joy.