The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) recently announced updates to its adoption standards. All new adoption contracts will include screen time limits for pets, specifying not more than one and a half hours per day of screen time. By their definition, screen time includes games on mobile devices, television programming, and popular YouTube pet friendly channels like Cat TV.
The move was triggered by research that shows pet obesity is growing across the globe. “Screen time limits for pets will drive increased activity, thereby reducing obesity,” said SPCA spokeswoman Brandi Conlin. “This is an opportunity for America to become the world leader in pet wellness.” She also noted that plant-based protein requirements had also been considered. But these rules were held back out of fear that they’d be seen as too progressive and restrictive. “We don’t want to scare off potential adopters with too many rule changes at once,” she added.