Sony's 'Cat@Log' device allows cats to tweet

Good news for those obsessed with cute cat videos. It won't be long before your fuzzy friends start generating their own content. 

According to the website Tech-On, Sony Computer Science Laboratories has announced a quantum leap in human-feline communications. Created in collaboration with the University of Tokyo, the "Cat@Log" is a special collar that transmits regular photos and text updates of a cat's whereabouts to any personal computer, which in turn automatically uploads them to Twitter. 

Worried about feline privacy? Don't be. Rather than composing on the fly, the device is designed to upload pre-set phrases corresponding to the cat's location. For instance, you could pre-set the device to Twitter "this tastes good" when your pet is eating, or (presumably) "I'm seeing trails, man!" when they've gotten into the catnip box. It also incorporates what has to be the world's first cat facial-recognition feature, allowing you to keep tabs on the sorts of pals your kitty is hanging out with.

Sony has yet to announce an actual release date for device, which one hopes will be slimmed down for its eventual launch. But it follows in the footsteps of such venerable human-pet communication tools such as Takara's 2003 hit "Bowlingual," which purported to translate the barks and growls of pooches into intelligible text. The big question is, how will the kitties themselves take to wearing the thing? Sony top researchers have that bit covered too, explaining that "if it's attached like a collar, cats don't mind it... much."

While the device is currently limited to just eleven stock phrases, could an era of owners following their pets' self-composed Twitter feeds be far behind? "Thanks for feeding me late. I left a little present in your sock drawer."