Jeff Lyons, Meteorologist and “Betty the Weather Cat.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has meant that many TV production studios have had to temporarily shut down, but that doesn’t mean viewers have to do without their favorite shows and news broadcasts. From famous musicians’ home concerts to John Krasinski’s “Some Good News” YouTube show, many celebrities are broadcasting from the comfort of their homes during lockdown. This is also the case for Indiana’s 14 First Alert Chief Meteorologist Jeff Lyons, who set up a green screen in his living room in order to continue to give the weather forecast from his home. While he usually films alone, he recently welcomed a furry visitor on screen—his cat, Betty.

10-year-old Betty made her screen debut in early April when she became curious about Lyons’ home studio. Lyons picked her up and cradled her in his arms while he reported on the weather. The response from Lyons’ followers was so great, Betty is now a regular co-presenter, and she’s even got her own banner to display her title, “Betty the Weather Cat.”

However, it isn’t always easy to get Betty to behave (she’s a cat after all), so Lyons often has to lure her with ham. “Two hams on the screen and a little ham on my fingers made it work…at least for a while,” Lyons says in one recent broadcast. “Why do I get the feeling I’m performing tricks for the cat instead of the other way around?”

Lyons recently started incorporating a “Betty the Weather Cat tracker,” allowing him to keep track of who is watching his reports around the world. Since Betty started joining him on screen, his online audience has grown so much that one report counted 220,000 people tuning for a single broadcast! Some viewers even come from Europe and Australia, proving just how famous Betty really is now. She’s so popular in fact, that she finally has her own Instagram. However, Lyons worries that her new-found fame will get a little too much for her to handle. He says, “Of course, she’s 10 years old, so can be a little crabby when I put her out of her comfort zone…but then again, aren’t we all?”