POV: Dustin Discovers Screen Time

Hey y’all — Dustin has officially discovered screen time, and I am not sure what to do about it. If you’ve been following along, you know that POV: Dustin Discovers Screen Time is not even a little bit surprising given this cat’s personality. He has always had big opinions about everything in this house. Baskets, sunbeams, the general concept of boundaries — he has thoughts. But this morning I caught him doing something that genuinely stopped me in my tracks.

I set the iPad up with a cat video, walked away for literally thirty seconds, and came back to find Dustin staring at that screen like he was settling in for movie night. He tries to look around it, paws at whatever is crawling across it, and — I kid you not — this morning he looked exactly like he was scrolling. Just casually scrolling away. I never thought I would be setting screen time limits for my cat the same way I set them for my teenagers. And yet. Here we are. I seriously cannot even be mad because it is the most adorable thing I have ever seen in my life. You’re welcome.

Dustin has been obsessed with screens since basically day one. The moment a video starts playing on a phone or tablet, he is right there — head tilting, eyes locked in, doing that thing where he bats at the screen like he’s going to catch whatever is moving across it. We’ve joked about it, but I genuinely was not prepared for this morning.

I put on a cat video on the iPad, set it on the couch, and walked to the kitchen. When I came back, Dustin had positioned himself in front of it like he had somewhere to be. He was watching it so intently — peeking around the edges, pawing at the screen, tracking every single thing that moved across it. And at one point, I promise, he looked like he was scrolling. Like a little furry person just casually checking his feed. I grabbed my phone immediately and got it on camera and I am so glad I did.

And if you’ve ever wondered why cats are so drawn to screens, cat behavior experts say it comes down to their instinct to track movement.

His brother Eddie is still recovering from his FIP treatment and has been a little more laid back lately, which honestly means Dustin has been filling the entertainment gap all on his own. And apparently he has decided that iPad time is his new hobby.

If your heart needs something small and happy today, this is it. That’s really all this video is — thirty seconds of a ridiculous cat being ridiculous, caught on camera by a mom who laughed out loud in her own living room. Sometimes that’s exactly what we all need.

And if you want to see what Dustin and his brother Eddie have been up to lately, or if you want to grab something fun for the cats in your life, I have a whole Dustin & Eddie’s Picks section over in my Shop My Kitchen — laser toys, tunnels, water fountains, the whole nine yards. Because apparently my cats have a lifestyle now.

More Dustin and Eddie Adventures

These two boys never run out of ways to make us smile — here are more of their greatest hits!

• POV: Dustin Has Two Modes — Sweet Angel and Complete Chaos — sweet and calm one moment, absolute unhinged chaos the next. There is no in between with this cat.
• Eddie Is Thriving — FIP Treatment Update — the happiest update on Eddie’s recovery. He is snuggly, he is sweet, and he is sleeping in shoe boxes like he owns the place.
• POV: You’re a Cat, I’m a Basket, We Get Each Other — every basket in this house has been officially claimed. Every single one.

POV: Dustin Discovers Screen Time — About the Longstreth Family

Welcome to the Longstreth family! Stephanie and Jason have been married for 33 years and together they are raising five incredible kids — four of whom came to them through adoption, a cause that is deeply close to their hearts. One of their children has Down syndrome and some special medical needs, and advocating for that community is a passion they share proudly. Jason is a preacher, an elder, and a college professor. Stephanie is a stay at home mom and the heartbeat of this household. Life in the Longstreth home is big, busy, beautiful, and never boring — and they love sharing it with you!

Want more real family life, Dustin and Eddie shenanigans, and crowd-friendly recipes in your inbox every Saturday? Join Stephanie’s weekly newsletter — it’s free, it’s fun, and there’s always room at the table!