Want to show your adorably aloof feline friends some much-needed appreciation but don’t know how to? Give them the best ‘purr-sible’ thing with this Raspberry Pi Cat TV that tech YouTuber Becky Stern created for her own cats! Naturally, she used the small Raspberry Pi-powered display to give her pets a gripping viewing experience like no other, with a constant stream of nature videos featuring birds and squirrels.
Aside from giving viewers a necessary look at her cats Benchley and Hamlet, Becky Stern’s video also showcased the rigorous process of making the Raspberry Pi Cat TV. The main components she used to create it were a five-inch LCD screen, a USB cable for power and touchscreen input, and a Raspberry Pi 5 board. However, she noted in her blog that a Raspberry Pi 4 would also work. Another important, and likely the most expensive, part of the process was her use of a 3D printer to create the mini-TV’s enclosure.
The Raspberry Pi Cat TV may be near ‘im-purr-sible’ to replicate
Unfortunately, if you don’t have a 3D printer handy, this flashy feline gift may be an impractical and, well, ‘im-purr-sible’ task for you. It’s also worth noting that some of the parts Stern used, like the five-inch LCD that came with an HDMI and USB cable, were gifted by hardware retailer Elecrow. This means you’ll have to spend well over $500 to replicate this Raspberry Pi-powered mini-TV.
If you do decide to make it, you’ll first need to learn where to buy a Raspberry Pi 5. Once you’ve got your board, you’re well on your way to earning your cat’s favor, even if they don’t quite show it sometimes. Of course, since this mini-TV can also function with its less expensive predecessor, you may want to check out our Raspberry Pi 4 vs. Raspberry Pi 5 page to know the differences between each model.
