Tablet Games Go To The Cats

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Touch-screen devices have opened up video gaming to a whole new demographic: cats. Our last word in business today is: swipe this.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

The laser pointer, obviously, is so last century.

Cat-food company Friskies has already made a few tablet games designed specifically for cats to play.

INSKEEP: Yeah, you put your paw right there on the screen.

MONTAGNE: Doesn't it hurt the screen?

INSKEEP: Exactly. One game features virtual fish swimming around, taunting kitties to paw at the iPad screen. And if you don't believe this, you can go to YouTube and look at it or share it with your cat, Renee. What do you think?

MONTAGNE: Yeah, I'm there. I'm going.

INSKEEP: You're game - or your cat's game, anyway. What's your cat's name?

MONTAGNE: My cat's definitely game. Maggie, Maggie the cat.

INSKEEP: Maggie. Maggie can be on the iPad. Later this month in Venice, California, Friskies will sponsor the first games for cat's hack-a-thon. Up to 75 programmers will compete to design the best videogame for cats. And that's the business news on MEOW-ORNING EDITION, from NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.