People love cats. You heard it here first. Not only do we like to cuddle with them, rub their bellies, look in their big eyes, tease them with laser dots and feed them 7 times a day, we also like to look at them on the internet. And there’s really no escaping them. With so many kitty Facebook pages, youtube videos of cats chasing their tails and jumping into boxes, with vines, grams, gifs and comics, cats really seem to have achieved their goal and taken over the world. Yes, they’re cute as hell, but is there more to it? Find out by reading these 10 psychological reasons internet cats are so popular.
10. You don’t just tell a cat to sit.
Unlike dogs, whom we domesticated thousands of years ago, cats are far from being docile. Our ancestors liked cats and let them stick around because they weren’t hard on the eyes and they had a knack for catching and killing pests. So what’s stopping them from turning on the full domestication mode ? They still bear an overwhelming resemblance to wild cats. This translates into cats not being properly equipped to live with humans. Hence, they tend to ignore our commands and break things around the house. Look, kitty broke a glass. Awwww!
9. Befriending, not beheading.
Videos that go viral most often involve odd couples. One such example is a cat being teased by a parrot. They seem on such good terms you can’t help comment, like and share left and right. We can’t help awww! whenever we see weird pairings. Come to think of it, humans and cats are exactly that. There’s no reason for us to keep them in our house and feed them our food. But it sure is adorable.
8. You’re a cat, and you’re a cat, we’re all cats!
I can’t be the only one who wishes one day her cat starts talking, right? Until then, we can only guesstimate what they might be thinking. The main theory is that they see as as big, non hostile cats. They try to interact with us as if we are their mothers and one of the ideas they’ve come up with is meowing. They rarely meow at each other, but as a response to our endless chatter they do their best to reciprocate. So next time you see a Youtube “Cats talking with their humans compilation”, bear in mind they’re probably just hungry.
7. And you’re my baby!
We attach a great number of human attributes to our fluffy pets, which is why we are inclined to watch videos with them online and adopt homeless kittens. But their behavior and motivations stem from something else than we think might be true. When your cat brings you a dead mouse on your coffee table, take a second before melting with affection. Cats have a hunting instinct that tells them killing lizards would be so much fun. But they don’t do it because they’re hungry. The wet food you put in their bowls each morning is way tastier. So they just dump their prey on your pillow so you can clean up after them. Not so touching now, right?
6. Cats don’t think too highly of us
Yes, we’re the big cats and we’re in charge of the shared territory, but why aren’t we marking all the corners in the house with pee, why aren’t we sharpening our nails on sisal and licking our furs? Are we broken? I won’t beat around the bush anymore. Cats actually think we’re dumb. And they’re irresistibly cute in doing so.
5. If it fits, I sits.
We’re all relieved cats can use litters and bury their poop. They do this because they accept us as dominant cats and they don’t need to let other cats know who’s in charge by marking their territory with unpleasant sights and smells. At the same time, they like to be reminded who’s in charge in the house, which explains why they follow you to the bathroom and stick around for a while. This also explains the thousands of photos tagged “cats in pants”.
4. I love this toy the human calls “curtain”
Next time you wonder why your curtain is shredded to pieces remember your cat is a wild animal. They can’t grasp abstract notions like expensive furniture or inherited, old coffee tables. Springing around the house, hunting invisible dots, running after flies are only some of the things they would normally dp out in the wild. While we see it as silly behavior, cats just try to adjust to indoor life. They don’t sit under you when you’re doing planks just to make you laugh. They are genuinely trying to understand what the big dumb cat is doing in that vulnerable position.
3. We can relate to their wild side.
Like cats, we weren’t designed to live indoors either. We hunted for the main part of our existence, while living in rudimentary shelters. So after an 8+ hour working day, it’s no wonder we find it funny when our kitty dips his whiskers in our glass of water or manages to knock over an 8 pound kettle bell. Hehe, who wants a treat?
2. I just chewed your favorite shoes. Can you feed me now?
Deep down we’re actually a bit jealous on cats for their indifference and ability to carry on no matter what. I broke a vase, can we play now? I burnt my whiskers when I wanted to see what was cooking, can we wrestle now? You left me in your wardrobe for four hours, but that’s okay, I had plenty of socks to play with. Are you people taking notes?!
1. It’s lonely at the top
We’ve slowly isolated ourselves from nature and surrounded ourselves with concrete walls that keep us warm, but not happy. That may be why cats are now a gateway into the wild life we left behind. If this article hasn’t convinced you to adopt a(nother) cat, you’ll find plenty online content to make you feel a bit better.
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