A MOMENT in kitty-vision history came and went at around 7.45pm yesterday - purr-fectly placed in the interval of Coronation Street to ensure maximum mewing figures! But did Whiskas' first ever TV advert designed especially for cats leave moggies in a flap, or did they nap all the way through it? We monitored our own feline guinea pigs to see if the £750,000 ad billed as the biggest event of the moggie year so far made them perk up their ears - or whether they just pre-fur-ed to do something else. Eric Leaver - Lancashire Evening Tail Teller - led the experiment, aided by Patchy, Tommy and Jerry.

THE latest advertising trick on the box didn't do much for dozing moggies across East Lancashire - in fact, eight out of ten owners said their cats didn't prefer it!

My cat Patchy lay behind the settee snoozing off a belly-full of tuna.

Tommy showed interest only in his own whiskers, licking them in a state of semi-doze on his favourite armchair.

And his brother, Jerry, plonked on the pouffe less than a foot from the telly, ignored the ad altogether.

At the next showing, Tommy was out cold. But this time both Patchy and Jerry were right in the front stalls on the pouffe.

Not a flicker - not even from Patchy who sometimes takes an avid interest in the telly, especially if football is on.

Sorry, Whiskas, you wasted your money at our house. But, then, what's £750,000 when this stunt has earned priceless free publicity. Other colleagues reported a similar response, although Bomber in Samlesbury (not renowned for his intellectual qualities), waved his ears and watched avidly, head darting from side to side.

His brother Kipling flicked an ear at the first meow and tucked his nose into his tail. Tawny in Weir sat up and watched the screen intently.

George and Jazzy at Hurst Green proved once again that it's only humans who fall for the advertisers' hype.

George, like all self respecting males, slept through it all while his sister was more interested in finding a more comfortable position on her man's lap.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.