Cat apps: No thumbs required

In honor of National Pet Parents Day, which is always the last Sunday in April, I decided to search some apps to see if any of them are cat-friendly. I thought I'd find only apps geared toward cat people (and I, myself, am a cat person), but I was pleasantly surprised. There are actually apps available for your cat to play with. He doesn't even need thumbs.

Crazy Cat: This app is designed for Android tablets for cats. Your cat can chase an animated mouse, butterfly or gecko across the tablet screen. If you'd like to join in the fun, you can use your phone to control critters on the screen via Bluetooth. If you're the competitive type even with your pets, you can view your pet's scores after he plays. The faster the critter is moving on the screen, the higher the score. The free version is fully functional, but you have to watch ads occasionally.

Cat Playground: With this app, your cat can use his paw to chase a mouse, fish or laser pointer. He earns points for every hit he makes. This app is designed for tablets, but will work on any Android phone. They warn that the cat may become very excited when playing and may bite or flip the phone, so supervise your cat while he plays with it. Cat Playground is available for $2.55 in Google Play.

CatPaint: This app is for the humans who delight in everything cat-related. Have you ever looked at a picture and thought, "It needs more cats!" That's exactly what this app does. You can add cats to any picture you like using one of the 20 cat brushes. The cats meow when they're placed within the pictures. The best part is that you can share your fanatical feline creations with all your friends on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. This app is available for $0.99 in the App Store.

Will you be downloading these apps for your cat? Does your cat even use technology?

Photo courtesy swanksalot, via Flickr.