I asked a dog behaviourist why my pooch is obsessed with this video game about cats

This week, my partner was playing the new PlayStation release Stray – a game that immediately caught our curious dog's attention.

In Stray, which is also available on PC, you play a cat separated from its family as it tries to escape a long-forgotten city. It's very cute, the visuals are incredible and the cats look and sound super realistic.

Naturally, our one-year-old sheepadoodle Fiadh was fascinated. She spent a good 10 minutes watching the TV, edging closer and closer to the screen. (Watch above.)

It's not just Fiadh that has become obsessed with Stray. Since its release on July 19, pet owners around the world have been noticing their cats and dogs' strange reactions to the game.

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One gamer shared a video on Twitter of her dog lunging at the TV in excitement, while another jokingly complained to the developers because her dog "likes it too much".

Cats have also been captivated by the game.

Twitter user @farringtonb asked, "Did the developers at Stray test this game around actual cats? Because it's literally unplayable. Nothing wrong with the game, my cat just literally won't move from in front of the TV."

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There's even a Twitter account dedicated to the curious kitties called @CatsWatchStray.

Elliot Mason, a dog behaviourist with Dog Behaviour Solutions, says dogs perceive images on TV in a similar way to humans.

"Perhaps the most notable difference between human and canine in this regard is that dogs' eyes register images more quickly than people which typically means they will be more likely to respond to higher definition, fast moving image," he says.

"The connection to the animals they see on TV may be connected to real life in a similar way that a dog who chases a ball responds via a biological connection to chasing prey, like reacting to quick movement, or perhaps through repetitive conditioning when engaging in activities with their human.

"The other way in which dogs differ from humans is they have dichromatic vision as opposed to the humans trichromatic. So while dogs likely see something very similar to us on the TV, the range of colours associated will be different."

Stray is Annapurna Interactive's biggest PC launch to date, having clocked up over 60,000 concurrent players on Steam, breaking Annapurna's previous record by nearly 50,000.

Adorably, the developers are also raising money for homeless cats.