Must see cat TV

Cats are the stars of a new reality TV show debuting Friday on Animal Planet, with live Web feeds launching today.

"Meow Mix House" features ten cats that are up for adoption. They live in a tricked out cat pad in a storefront on Madison Ave. in New York. The kitties will "compete" for titles such as loudest purr, the biggest sleeper, and the one who catches the most toy mice.

This mix of "Big Brother" and "American Idol" format offers views a chance to vote off a cat contestant each week. (Each former contestant will be adopted into a permanent home.) The winner of the show will get a job with sponsor Meow Mix.

I watched the webcam for a bit this morning, and it switches cameras to get a good view of all areas of the kitty condo. The living room has a leopard print couch with fluffy pillows, the dining room has chairs to sit on, with bowls of food on a lucite table. There's some sort of kitchen and a "porch", which is basically a wooden floor with some sleeping pads.

The cats are pretty active, which is good for producers, who have to cobble a show together each week, and they seem to be very interested with the crowd gathered outside the window. This show seems custom-made for morning TV, so I hope "GMA" or "The Today Show" will showcase the losers each week with a long interview and discussion of future television plans.