TV combines a recognisable image with movement and sound. After spending hours watching my own cats, it seems that they have a sense of humour, though nowhere near as sophisticated as a human sense of humour. The fact that cats can recognise TV images is exploited by companies producing videos aimed specifically at a feline audience. Once dismissed as a cranky idea, many of us now own a cat video. These videos can be played to stimulate the mind of an otherwise bored cat or to keep a lonely cat company.
Some cats take to video right away.
When fostering a kitten I used to play a video to keep her quiet. She was so fascinated by the images of birds at a bird feeder that she would even stop wrecking the front room to watch it. Other cats need several exposures to the videos before they show any interest. The cat tends to look at your pointing finger instead of the screen. But then Sappho isn't interested in real birds and has no hunting urges to indulge.