Need a break from mindlessly watching videos on YouTube or doomscrolling on X? Perhaps it's time to let a cat take over your screen.
New Chrome browser extension Cat Gatekeeper is designed to remind users to take a break from social media websites, namely YouTube, X, Facebook, Threads, Bluesky and Reddit.
"You know that cat who always shows up right when you're trying to work? We've recreated that classic cat-owner experience in your browser," developer Zokuzoku said on the Chrome web store.
Once users hit their time limit, a ginger cat appears on screen to lounge or rest beside a timer.
As the countdown continues, there's nothing for users to do but wait it out.
The timer only runs while the tab is active, and users can stop the countdown at any time by closing the tab.
To set the time limit before the cat appears (starting from 1 minute) and the duration of its stay on screen, click the Extensions icon (puzzle piece) next to the address bar and select Cat Gatekeeper; a tab will then appear with the adjustable settings.
Under the 'Target sites' section, users can select which specific social media platforms the cat should monitor.
In terms of privacy, the developer claimed that "no data is collected or transmitted externally", as page access permission is solely for displaying the timer or cat overlay.
Since its release on April 24, Cat Gatekeeper now has 9,000 users. Many reviewers are already asking the developer to make the extension available for all websites instead of just social media platforms.
