Cats and the Internet#The Catnip Times

Humans have a longstanding relationship with cats, and the animals have often been a subject of short films, including the early silent movies Boxing Cats (1894) and The Sick Kitten (1903).{{cite web|url=http://www.villagevoice.com/arts/how-cats-took-over-the-internet-actually-shows-they-didn-t-7602622|title='How Cats Took Over the Internet' Actually Shows They Didn't| first= Jessica| last= Dawson|work=Village Voice|date=September 8, 2015|access-date=October 2, 2015|archive-date=October 1, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001104831/http://www.villagevoice.com/arts/how-cats-took-over-the-internet-actually-shows-they-didn-t-7602622|url-status=live}} Harry Pointer (1822–1889) has been cited as the "progenitor of the shameless cat picture".{{cite web|url=http://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/why-does-internet-love-cats-so-much-infographic|title=Why Does the Internet Love Cats So Much? [Infographic]|work=Social Media Today|access-date=October 6, 2015|archive-date=October 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151006192500/http://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/why-does-internet-love-cats-so-much-infographic|url-status=live}} Cats have been shared via email since the Internet's rise to prominence in the 1990s.{{cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/33848745|title=Why cat clips rule the internet|work=bbc.co.uk|access-date=October 2, 2015|archive-date=September 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150918002256/http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/33848745|url-status=live}} The first cat video on YouTube was uploaded in 2005 by YouTube co-founder Steve Chen, who posted a video of his cat called "Pajamas and Nick Drake". The following year, "Puppy vs Cat" became the first viral cat video; uploaded by a user called Sanchey (a.k.a. Michael Wienzek);{{cite web| first=Stephen| last= Messenger|title=This Is The Very First Cat Video Posted To YouTube|url=https://www.thedodo.com/this-is-the-very-first-cat-vid-792883536.html|website=The Dodo|publisher=Group Nine Media|access-date=25 July 2017|date=1 November 2014|archive-date=March 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170310103246/https://www.thedodo.com/this-is-the-very-first-cat-vid-792883536.html|url-status=live}} {{as of|2015|lc=y}} it had over 16 million views on YouTube. In a Mashable article that explored the history of cat media on the Internet, the oldest entry was an ASCII art cat that originated on 2channel, and was a pictorial representation of the phrase "Please go away."{{cite web|url=http://mashable.com/2014/03/26/internet-cat-history/|title=The Complete Hiss-tory of Cats on the Internet| first= Jessica| last= Catcher|date=March 26, 2014|work=Mashable|access-date=October 2, 2015|archive-date=October 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151003034859/http://mashable.com/2014/03/26/internet-cat-history/|url-status=live}} The oldest continuously operating cat website is sophie.net, which launched in October 1999 and is still operating.{{cite web |url=http://Sophie.net |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991008210347/http://sophie.net/ |title=Sophie.net |archive-date=8 October 1999 |url-status=dead}}

The New York Times described cat images as "that essential building block of the Internet".{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/23/upshot/what-the-internet-can-see-from-your-cat-pictures.html|title=What the Internet Can See From Your Cat Pictures|newspaper=The New York Times|date=July 22, 2014 |access-date=October 3, 2015|archive-date=October 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151024143450/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/23/upshot/what-the-internet-can-see-from-your-cat-pictures.html|url-status=live|last1=Willis |first1=Derek }} In addition, 2,594,329 cat images had been manually annotated in flickr.com by users.{{cite book |volume = 5305|pages = 802–816|doi=10.1007/978-3-540-88693-8_59|series = Lecture Notes in Computer Science|year = 2008|last1 = Zhang|first1 = Weiwei|last2 = Sun|first2 = Jian|last3 = Tang|first3 = Xiaoou| title=Computer Vision – ECCV 2008 | chapter=Cat Head Detection - How to Effectively Exploit Shape and Texture Features |isbn = 978-3-540-88692-1}} An interesting phenomenon is that many photograph owners tag their house cats as "tiger".{{cite book|pages=1–8|doi=10.1109/CVPRW.2009.5204174|date=June 2009|last1=Berg|first1=Tamara L.|last2=Berg|first2=Alexander C.|title=2009 IEEE Computer Society Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition Workshops |chapter=Finding iconic images |isbn=978-1-4244-3994-2|s2cid=15311570}}

Eric Nakagawa and Kari Unebasami started the website I Can Haz Cheezburger in 2007, where they shared funny pictures of cats. This site allowed users to create LOLcat memes by placing writing on top of pictures of their cats. This site now has more than 100 million views per month and has "created a whole new form of internet speak". In 2009, the humour site Urlesque deemed September 9 "A Day Without Cats Online", and had over 40 blogs and websites agree to "[ban] cats from their pages for at least 24 hours".{{cite magazine|url=http://content.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1921086,00.html|title='A Day Without Cats Online': Internet Ban by Urlesque |date=September 9, 2009|magazine=Time |access-date=October 2, 2015|archive-date=October 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002232531/http://content.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1921086,00.html|url-status=live}} {{as of|2015}}, there are over 2 million cat videos on YouTube alone, and cats are one of the most searched keywords on the Internet. CNN estimated that in 2015 there could be around 6.5 billion cat pictures on the Internet.{{cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2015/04/02/opinions/yang-internet-cats/|title=Internet cats will never die| first= Jeff |last= Yang|date=April 2, 2015|publisher=CNN|access-date=October 2, 2015|archive-date=October 4, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151004114321/http://edition.cnn.com/2015/04/02/opinions/yang-internet-cats/|url-status=live}} The Internet has been described as a "virtual cat park, a social space for cat lovers in the same way that dog lovers congregate at a dog park".{{cite web|url=http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday/audio/201769374/cats-and-the-internet|title=Cats and the internet|date=September 5, 2015|work=Radio New Zealand|access-date=October 2, 2015|archive-date=October 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002180632/http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday/audio/201769374/cats-and-the-internet|url-status=live}} The Daily Telegraph deemed Nyan Cat the most popular Internet cat,{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/internet/10649297/Top-10-internet-cats-hall-of-fame.html|title=Top 10 internet cats hall of fame|date=February 19, 2014|work=Telegraph.co.uk|last1=Williams|first1=Rhiannon|access-date=April 4, 2018|archive-date=September 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923235457/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/internet/10649297/Top-10-internet-cats-hall-of-fame.html|url-status=live}} while NPR gave this title to Grumpy Cat.{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2014/07/11/330744382/friday-feline-fun-a-ranking-of-the-most-famous-internet-cats|title=Friday Feline Fun: A Ranking Of The Most Famous Internet Cats|date=July 11, 2014|work=NPR.org|access-date=April 4, 2018|archive-date=September 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923235630/https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2014/07/11/330744382/friday-feline-fun-a-ranking-of-the-most-famous-internet-cats|url-status=live}} The Daily Telegraph also deemed the best cat video on YouTube as "Surprised Kitty (Original)", which currently has over 75 million views.{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/7625230/The-10-best-cat-videos-on-YouTube.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100426114614/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/7625230/The-10-best-cat-videos-on-YouTube.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 26, 2010|title=Video: The 10 best cat videos on YouTube – Telegraph|date=April 23, 2010|work=Telegraph.co.uk}} Buzzfeed deemed Cattycake the most important cat of 2010.{{cite web|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/expresident/the-30-most-important-cats-of-2010#.nu9AA5k5Mx|title=The 30 Most Important Cats Of 2010|work=BuzzFeed|date=December 16, 2010 |access-date=August 25, 2017|archive-date=August 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170820103438/https://www.buzzfeed.com/expresident/the-30-most-important-cats-of-2010#.nu9AA5k5Mx|url-status=live}}

In 2015, an exhibition called "How Cats Took Over The Internet" opened at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/aug/07/how-cats-took-over-the-internet-new-exhibition-is-catnip-for-feline-fans|title=How cats took over the internet: new exhibition is catnip for feline fans| first= Jordan |last= Hoffman|newspaper= The Guardian|date=August 7, 2015|access-date=December 11, 2016|archive-date=February 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202105309/https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/aug/07/how-cats-took-over-the-internet-new-exhibition-is-catnip-for-feline-fans|url-status=live}} The exhibition "looks at the history of how they rose to internet fame, and why people like them so much". There is even a book entitled How to Make Your Cat an Internet Celebrity: A Guide to Financial Freedom.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2n4cAgAAQBAJ|title=How to Make Your Cat an Internet Celebrity|isbn=9781594746840|last1=Carlin|first1=Patricia|date=2014-04-01|publisher=Quirk Books |access-date=August 25, 2017|archive-date=July 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727190141/https://books.google.com/books?id=2n4cAgAAQBAJ|url-status=live}} The annual Internet Cat Video Festival celebrated and awards the Golden Kitty to cat videos.{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-14/internet-cat-video-fans-gather-for-golden-kitty-film-festival/6696772|title=Golden Kitty: Cat lovers gather for 'pawstigious' internet video awards|work=ABC News|date=August 14, 2015|access-date=October 2, 2015|archive-date=September 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150916110554/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-14/internet-cat-video-fans-gather-for-golden-kitty-film-festival/6696772|url-status=live}} According to Star Tribune, the festival's success is because "people realized that the cat video they'd chuckled over in the privacy of their homes was suddenly a thousand times funnier when there are thousands of other people around".{{cite web|url=http://www.startribune.com/internet-cat-video-festival-season-4-draws-thousands/321678771/#1|title=Internet Cat Video Festival draws thousands to St. Paul - StarTribune.com|work=Star Tribune|date=August 13, 2015 |access-date=October 2, 2015|archive-date=October 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002184809/http://www.startribune.com/internet-cat-video-festival-season-4-draws-thousands/321678771/#1|url-status=live}} The Daily Telegraph had an entire article devoted to International Cat Day.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/pets/11791716/International-Cat-Day-felines-take-over-the-internet-even-more-than-usual.html|title=International Cat Day: felines take over the internet (even more than usual)|date=August 8, 2015|work=Telegraph.co.uk|access-date=April 4, 2018|archive-date=April 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180418161223/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/pets/11791716/International-Cat-Day-felines-take-over-the-internet-even-more-than-usual.html|url-status=live}} EMGN wrote an article entitled "21 Reasons Why Cats And The Internet Are A Match Made in Heaven".{{cite web|url=http://emgn.com/entertainment/21-reasons-why-cats-and-the-internet-are-a-match-made-in-heaven/|title=21 Reasons Why Cats And The Internet Are A Match Made in Heaven|work=EMGN|access-date=October 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170117191302/http://emgn.com/entertainment/21-reasons-why-cats-and-the-internet-are-a-match-made-in-heaven/|archive-date=January 17, 2017|url-status=dead}}

In 2015, there were more than 2 million cat videos on YouTube, with an average of 12,000 views each – a higher average than any other category of YouTube content. Cats made up 16% of views in YouTube's "Pets & Animals" category, compared to dogs' 23%.{{cite magazine|url=https://time.com/4020458/internet-cats-museum-exhibit/|title=How Cats Took Over the Internet: Museum of Moving Image| first= Samantha| last= Grossman|magazine=Time|access-date=October 2, 2015|archive-date=September 26, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926055521/http://time.com/4020458/internet-cats-museum-exhibit/|url-status=live}} The YouTube video Cats vs. Zombies merged the two Internet phenomena of cats and zombies.{{cite web |url= http://1428elm.com/2015/09/15/internet-win-cats-vs-zombies/|title=Internet Win: Cats VS Zombies|work=1428 Elm|date=September 15, 2015|access-date=October 2, 2015|archive-date=October 3, 2015|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151003151631/http://1428elm.com/2015/09/15/internet-win-cats-vs-zombies/|url-status=live}} Data from BuzzFeed and Tumblr has shown that dog videos have more views than those of cats, and less than 1% of posts on Reddit mention cats.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/2015/08/how-cats-took-over-the-internet/|title=How Cats Became Rulers of the Interwebs|date=August 10, 2015|magazine=Wired|access-date=March 6, 2017|archive-date=January 27, 2017|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170127182631/https://www.wired.com/2015/08/how-cats-took-over-the-internet/|url-status=live}} While dogs are searched for much more than cats, there is less content on the Internet.{{cite web| url= http://jezebel.com/5703616/the-supply-and-demand-of-internet-dogs-and-cats|title=The Supply and Demand of Internet Dogs and Cats| first= Margaret| last= Hartmann|work=Jezebel|date=December 2010 |access-date=October 2, 2015|archive-date=October 3, 2015|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151003200136/http://jezebel.com/5703616/the-supply-and-demand-of-internet-dogs-and-cats|url-status=live}} The Facebook page "Cats" has over 2 million likes while Dogs has over 6.5 million.{{cite web| url= http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/using-internet-metrics-to-answer-super-important-questions-do-we-like-cats-or-dogs-more/|title=Does the Internet love cats or dogs more? – Digital Trends|date=June 16, 2013|work=Digital Trends|access-date=October 6, 2015 |archive-date=October 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151006175557/http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/using-internet-metrics-to-answer-super-important-questions-do-we-like-cats-or-dogs-more/|url-status=live}} In an Internet tradition, The New York Times Archives X

account posts cat reporting throughout the history of the NYT.{{cite web|url=https://petvet.social|title=PetVet|access-date=Feb 20, 2019}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}{{cite news| url= https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/07/arts/design/how-cats-took-over-the-internet-at-the-museum-of-the-moving-image.html|title=How Cats Took Over the Internet at the Museum of the Living Image|newspaper=The New York Times|date=August 6, 2015 |access-date=October 3, 2015|archive-date=October 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151024131404/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/07/arts/design/how-cats-took-over-the-internet-at-the-museum-of-the-moving-image.html|url-status=live|last1=Kingson |first1=Jennifer A. }} The Japanese prefecture of Hiroshima launched an online Cat Street View, which showed the region from the perspective of a cat.{{cite web|url=http://www.cnet.com/news/cat-street-view-is-the-internet-taken-to-its-logical-conclusion/|title=Cat Street View: The Internet taken to its logical conclusion|date=September 3, 2015|publisher=CBS Interactive|work=CNET|access-date=October 2, 2015|archive-date=October 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151006123941/http://www.cnet.com/news/cat-street-view-is-the-internet-taken-to-its-logical-conclusion/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://hiroshima-welcome.jp/kanpai/catstreetview/|title=広島 CAT STREET VIEW 第１弾 --尾道編--|date=May 18, 2019|access-date=May 19, 2019|archive-date=May 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190530062014/http://hiroshima-welcome.jp/kanpai/catstreetview/|url-status=live}}

Abigail Tucker, author of The Lion in the Living Room, a history of domestic cats, has suggested that cats appeal particularly because they "remind us of our own faces, and especially of our babies ... [they're] strikingly human but also perpetually deadpan".{{cite news|last1=Tucker|first1=Abigail|title=How Cats Evolved to Win the Internet|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/16/opinion/sunday/how-cats-evolved-to-win-the-internet.html?ref=opinion&_r=0|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=13 November 2016|date=October 15, 2016|archive-date=October 19, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161019204937/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/16/opinion/sunday/how-cats-evolved-to-win-the-internet.html?ref=opinion&_r=0|url-status=live}}{{cite book|last1=Tucker|first1=Abigail|title=The Lion in the Living Room: How House Cats Tamed Us and Took Over the World|date=2016|publisher=Simon & Schuster|isbn=978-1476738239|url=http://www.abigailtucker.com/#/book|access-date=13 November 2016|archive-date=November 14, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161114084202/http://www.abigailtucker.com/#/book|url-status=live}}

Jason Eppink, curator of the Museum of the Moving Image's show How Cats Took Over the Internet, has noted the "outsized role" of cats on the Internet.{{cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-tale-of-how-cats-clawed-their-way-to-internet-stardom-1438736940|title=The Tale of How Cats Clawed Their Way to Internet Stardom| first= Jennifer| last= Smith|date=August 5, 2015|work=WSJ|access-date=March 6, 2017|archive-date=March 24, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170324175441/https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-tale-of-how-cats-clawed-their-way-to-internet-stardom-1438736940|url-status=live}} Wired magazine felt that the cuteness of cats was "too simplistic" an explanation of their popularity online.

A scientific survey found that the participants were happier after watching cat videos.{{cite journal|title=Emotion regulation, procrastination, and watching cat videos online: Who watches Internet cats, why, and to what effect? | doi=10.1016/j.chb.2015.06.001 | volume=52|journal=Computers in Human Behavior|pages=168–176|year=2015 |last1=Myrick |first1=Jessica Gall | s2cid=16187524 }} The researcher behind the survey explained "If we want to better understand the effects the Internet may have on us as individuals and on society, then researchers can't ignore Internet cats anymore"{{cite web|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/science/weird-science/scientists-explain-why-watching-internet-cat-videos-good-you-n378156|title=Scientists Explain Why Watching Internet Cat Videos Is Good for You| first=Elizabeth |last= Palermo |work=NBC News|date=June 19, 2015 |access-date=October 2, 2015|archive-date=October 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151003014336/http://www.nbcnews.com/science/weird-science/scientists-explain-why-watching-internet-cat-videos-good-you-n378156|url-status=live}} and "consumption of online cat-related media deserves empirical attention".{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2015/06/16/the-fascinating-feel-good-psychology-of-internet-cat-videos/|title=The fascinating, feel-good psychology of Internet cat videos| first= Caitlin |last= Dewey|date=June 16, 2015|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=October 2, 2015|archive-date=October 4, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151004053309/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2015/06/16/the-fascinating-feel-good-psychology-of-internet-cat-videos/|url-status=live}} The Huffington Post suggested that the videos were a form of procrastination, with most being watched while at work or ostensibly studying,{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2015/06/17/cat-video-study_n_7600740.html?ir=Australia|title=Cat Videos Can Give You Energy And A Positive Attitude, Study Says|newspaper=The Huffington Post|date=June 17, 2015|last1=Mazza|first1=Ed|access-date=October 2, 2015|archive-date=October 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002174846/http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2015/06/17/cat-video-study_n_7600740.html?ir=Australia|url-status=live}} while IU Bloomington commented "[it] does more than simply entertain; it boosts viewers' energy and positive emotions and decreases negative feelings".{{cite web| url= http://news.indiana.edu/releases/iu/2015/06/internet-cat-video-research.shtml|title=Not-so-guilty pleasure: Viewing cat videos boosts energy and positive emotions, IU study finds|work=IU Bloomington Newsroom|access-date=October 2, 2015|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170225042219/http://news.indiana.edu/releases/iu/2015/06/internet-cat-video-research.shtml|archive-date=February 25, 2017|url-status=dead}} Business Insider argues "This falls in line with a body of research regarding the effects that animals have on people."{{cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/psychology-of-cat-videos-study-2015-6|title=The Internet loves cat videos for a surprisingly good reason, says new study| first= Drake| last= Baer|work=Business Insider Australia|date=June 18, 2015|access-date=October 2, 2015|archive-date=October 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151003081753/http://www.businessinsider.com.au/psychology-of-cat-videos-study-2015-6|url-status=live}} A 2015 study by Jessica Gall Myrick found that people were more than twice as likely to post a picture or video of a cat to the Internet than they were to post a selfie.{{cite web|url=http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2015/06/heres-a-study-about-internet-cats.html|title=So Here's a Study About Internet Cats|work=Science of Us|date=June 17, 2015|access-date=October 2, 2015|archive-date=October 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002015608/http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2015/06/heres-a-study-about-internet-cats.html|url-status=live}}

Maria Bustillos considers cat videos to be "the crystallisation of all that human beings love about cats", with their "natural beauty and majesty" being "just one tiny slip away from total humiliation", which Bustillos sees as a mirror of the human condition.{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150918-how-did-cats-win-the-internet|title=BBC – Culture – How cats won the internet| first= Maria |last= Bustillos |work= BBC.com|date=September 21, 2015 |access-date=October 2, 2015|archive-date=September 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924123603/http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150918-how-did-cats-win-the-internet|url-status=live}} When the creator of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee, was asked for an example of a popular use of the Internet that he would never have predicted, he answered, "Kittens".{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2014/03/13/tim-berners-lee-cats-www-internet-safety_n_4959160.html?ir=Australia|title=Inventor Of Web Astounded By All The Cats Online|work=The Huffington Post|date=March 13, 2014|access-date=October 2, 2015|archive-date=October 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002214753/http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2014/03/13/tim-berners-lee-cats-www-internet-safety_n_4959160.html?ir=Australia|url-status=live}} A 2014 paper argues that cats' "unselfconsciousness" is rare in an age of hyper-surveillance, and cat photos appeal to people as it lets them imagine "the possibility of freedom from surveillance", while presenting the power of controlling that surveillance as unproblematic.{{cite journal|url=http://journal.media-culture.org.au/index.php/mcjournal/article/viewArticle/794|title=Do Cats Know They Rule YouTube? Surveillance and the Pleasures of Cat Videos|journal=Media-culture.org.au|date=2014 |doi=10.5204/mcj.794 |access-date=October 6, 2015|archive-date=October 4, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151004200117/http://journal.media-culture.org.au/index.php/mcjournal/article/viewArticle/794|url-status=live |last1=O'Meara |first1=Radha |volume=17 |issue=2 |doi-access=free }} Time magazine felt that cat images tap into viewers nature as "secret voyeurs".

The Cheezburger Network considers cats to be the "perfect canvas" for human emotion, as they have expressive facial and body aspects.{{cite web|url=http://my.umbc.edu/groups/library/posts/53640|title=The Timelessness of Cat Pictures|date=August 27, 2015|work=myUMBC|access-date=October 7, 2015|archive-date=September 7, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907082253/http://my.umbc.edu/groups/library/posts/53640|url-status=live}} Mashable offered "cats' cuteness, non-cuteness, popularity among geeks, blank canvas qualities, personality issues, and the fact that dogs just don't have 'it'" as possible explanations to cats' popularity on the Internet.{{cite web|url=http://mashable.com/2010/10/21/why-does-the-web-love-cats/#xlVjumIFj8qi|title=The Million Dollar Question: Why Does the Web Love Cats?| first= Amy-Mae| last= Elliott|date=October 21, 2010|work=Mashable|access-date=October 2, 2015|archive-date=October 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151003025342/http://mashable.com/2010/10/21/why-does-the-web-love-cats/#xlVjumIFj8qi|url-status=live}} A paper entitled ""I Can Haz Emoshuns?" – Understanding Anthropomorphosis of Cats among Internet Users" found that Tagpuss, an app that showed users cat images and asked them to choose their emotion "can be used to identify cat behaviours that lay-people find difficult to distinguish".{{Relevance inline|date=October 2015}}{{cite web |url=http://eprints.lincoln.ac.uk/4654/1/Tagpuss_FINAL_parsed.pdf |title="I Can Haz Emoshuns?" – Understanding Anthropomorphosis of Cats among Internet Users |website=Eprints.ac.uk |access-date=2016-04-01 |archive-date=October 2, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002210509/http://eprints.lincoln.ac.uk/4654/1/Tagpuss_FINAL_parsed.pdf |url-status=live }}

Jason Eppink, curator of the "How Cats Took Over the Internet" exhibition, explained: "People on the web are more likely to post a cat than another animal, because it sort of perpetuates itself. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy. {{sic}}"{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/07/arts/design/how-cats-took-over-the-internet-at-the-museum-of-the-moving-image.html?_r=0|title=How Cats Took Over the Internet' at the Museum of the Moving Image |work=The New York Times |access-date=October 2, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002005757/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/07/arts/design/how-cats-took-over-the-internet-at-the-museum-of-the-moving-image.html?_r=0 |archive-date=October 2, 2015 }} Jason Kottke considers cats to be "easier to objectify" and therefore "easier to make fun of".{{cite web|url=http://www.salon.com/2009/02/10/cat_internet/|title=The Internet is made of kittens| first= Sarah |last= Hepola|work=salon.com|date=February 10, 2009|access-date=October 2, 2015| archive-date=October 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002233536/http://www.salon.com/2009/02/10/cat_internet/|url-status=live}} Journalist Jack Shepherd suggested that cats were more popular than dogs because dogs were "trying too hard", and humorous behavior in a dog would be seen as a bid for validation. Shepherd sees cats' behavior as being "cool, and effortless, and devoid of any concern about what you might think about it. It is art for art's sake".{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/mar/16/why-internet-loves-cats-not-dogs|title=Why the internet loves cats – not dogs|work= The Guardian|date=March 16, 2014|access-date=December 11, 2016|archive-date=February 2, 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202105307/https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/mar/16/why-internet-loves-cats-not-dogs|url-status=live}}

Cats have historically been associated with magic, and have been revered by various human cultures, the ancient Egyptians worshipping them as gods and the creatures being feared as demons in ancient Japan, such as the bakeneko. Vogue magazine has suggested that the popularity of cats on the Internet is culturally-specific, being popular in North America, Western Europe, and Japan. Other nations favor different animals online, Ugandans sharing images of goats and chickens, Mexicans preferring llamas, and Chinese Internet users sharing images of the river crab and grass-mud horse due to double-meanings of their names allowing them to "subvert government Internet censors".{{cite web|url=http://www.vogue.com/13291939/museum-of-moving-images-how-cats-took-over-the-internet/|title=5 Things We Learned at the Museum of Moving Images's 'How Cats Took Over the Internet'|work=Vogue|date=August 7, 2015|access-date= October 2, 2015|archive-date=October 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002085617/http://www.vogue.com/13291939/museum-of-moving-images-how-cats-took-over-the-internet/|url-status=live}}

{{main|Cute cat theory of digital activism}}

File:Censorshiplolcat.jpg images are often shared through the same networks used by online activists.|alt=A picture of a striped cat in an apparent seated position with its legs spread, looking at the camera. In the upper left corner is the text "Why U Wanna Censor Me?" in white capital letters]]

The cute cat theory of digital activism is a theory concerning Internet activism, Internet censorship, and "cute cats" (a term used for any low-value, but popular online activity) developed by Ethan Zuckerman in 2008.{{cite journal |last=Shirky |first=Clay |url=http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/67038/clay-shirky/the-political-power-of-social-media |title=The Political Power of Social Media |journal=Foreign Affairs |date=January 1, 2011 |volume=90 |issue=January/February 2011 |access-date=April 18, 2012 |archive-date=April 26, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150426063633/http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/67038/clay-shirky/the-political-power-of-social-media |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Shapiro |first=Samantha |newspaper=The New York Times Magazine |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/25/magazine/25bloggers-t.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all |title=Revolution, Facebook-Style |date=January 22, 2009 |access-date=April 24, 2012 |archive-date=December 4, 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181204114739/https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/25/magazine/25bloggers-t.html?_r=1 |url-status=live }} It posits that most people are not interested in activism; instead, they want to use the web for mundane activities, including surfing for pornography and lolcats ("cute cats").{{cite web |url=http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/007877.html |title=Bright Green: The Cute Cat Theory of Digital Activism |publisher=Worldchanging |access-date=April 18, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120630231006/http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/007877.html |archive-date=June 30, 2012 |df=mdy-all }} The tools that they develop for that (such as Facebook, Flickr, Blogger, Twitter, and similar platforms) are very useful to social movement activists, who may lack resources to develop dedicated tools themselves. This, in turn, makes the activists more immune to reprisals by governments than if they were using a dedicated activism platform, because shutting down a popular public platform provokes a larger public outcry than shutting down an obscure one.

Because of the relative newness of this industry, most owners of famous cats found themselves stumbling into Internet stardom without intentionally planning it.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2015/06/celebrity-cats|title=Can You Get Rich From Making Your Cat an Internet Celebrity?| first= Julie |last= Miller|magazine=Vanity Fair|date=June 10, 2015|access-date=October 6, 2015|archive-date=April 19, 2021|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210419174446/https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2015/06/celebrity-cats|url-status=live}}

{{main|Grumpy Cat}}

File:Grumpy Cat (14556024763) (cropped).jpg, a pet made famous through an image macro, on stage at VidCon 2014]]

Tardar Sauce (born April 4, 2012 – May 14, 2019),{{cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/grumpy-cat-dead_n_5cde79b2e4b00e035b8daba1 |title=Grumpy Cat, Online Pet Sensation, Dead At 7 |work=HuffPost |date=May 17, 2019|access-date=February 15, 2024 |first=Lee |last=Moran}}{{cite web|last1= |title= Alex: Grumpy Cat turned two on April 4, 2014. |url=https://www.facebook.com/TheOfficialGrumpyCat/photos/a.562257323810009.1073741825.435475646488178/809790345723371/?type=1&reply_comment_id=809832935719112&total_comments=10 |website=facebook.com/TheOfficialGrumpyCat|publisher=The Official Grumpy Cat|access-date=January 24, 2015|archive-date=April 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419174456/https://www.facebook.com/TheOfficialGrumpyCat/photos/a.562257323810009.1073741825.435475646488178/809790345723371/?type=1&reply_comment_id=809832935719112&total_comments=10|url-status=live}} better known by her Internet name "Grumpy Cat", was a cat and Internet celebrity known for her grumpy facial expression.{{cite web |url= http://www.grumpycats.com/about-grumpy-cat |title=About Grumpy Cat |publisher= | website= Grumpycats.com |date=September 30, 2012 |access-date=August 4, 2014 |archive-date=December 18, 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151218222748/http://www.grumpycats.com/about-grumpy-cat/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.austinchronicle.com/blogs/sxsw/2013-03-08/yes-you-could-totally-meet-grumpy-cat-at-sxsw/ |first=Wayne Alan |last=Brenner |title=Yes, You Could Totally Meet Grumpy Cat at SXSW: And here's an interview with the people behind the varmint |work=The Austin Chronicle |date=March 8, 2013 |access-date=March 15, 2013 |quote=On her paperwork, though, from the vet? It's spelled right, with a 'T' – for the record. |archive-date=March 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130312185348/http://www.austinchronicle.com/blogs/sxsw/2013-03-08/yes-you-could-totally-meet-grumpy-cat-at-sxsw/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://nymag.com/news/business/boom-brands/grumpy-cat-ben-lashes-2013-10/index.html |title=Boom Brands 2013: Grumpy Cat |work=New York |first=Katie |last=Van Syckle |date=September 29, 2013 |access-date=September 30, 2013 |archive-date=May 17, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190517102922/http://nymag.com/news/business/boom-brands/grumpy-cat-ben-lashes-2013-10/index.html |url-status=live }} Her owner, Tabatha Bundesen, says that her permanently grumpy-looking face was due to an underbite and feline dwarfism.{{cite news |url= https://www.foxnews.com/tech/internet-finds-worlds-grumpiest-cat-named-tardar-sauce/ |title=Internet finds world's grumpiest cat, named Tardar Sauce |publisher=Fox News Channel |website=news.com.au |date=September 28, 2012 |access-date=May 9, 2014 |archive-date=April 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150427014358/http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2012/09/28/internet-finds-world-grumpiest-cat-named-tardar-sauce/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2013/03/grumpy-cat-the-internets-favorite-sour-cat-draws-crowds-at-sxsw/ |title=Grumpy Cat: The Internet's Favorite Sour Cat Draws Crowds at SXSW| publisher= ABC News |website=abcnews.go.com |date=April 4, 2012 |access-date=March 11, 2013 |archive-date=March 11, 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130311010800/http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2013/03/grumpy-cat-the-internets-favorite-sour-cat-draws-crowds-at-sxsw/ |url-status=live }} Grumpy Cat's popularity originated from a picture posted to Reddit by Bundesen's brother Bryan on September 22, 2012.{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/10/tech/web/grumpy-cat-sxsw/index.html |title=The unlikely star of SXSW: Grumpy Cat |publisher=CNN.com |date=November 14, 2011 |access-date=March 11, 2013 |archive-date=March 13, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130313090551/http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/10/tech/web/grumpy-cat-sxsw/index.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url= https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/10bu17/meet_grumpy_cat/ |title=Meet grumpy cat: pics |publisher=Reddit |date=September 22, 2012 |access-date=March 11, 2013 |archive-date=April 2, 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130402171204/http://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/10bu17/meet_grumpy_cat/ |url-status=live }} It was made into an image macro with grumpy captions. {{As of|2014|December|10|df=US}}, "The Official Grumpy Cat" page on Facebook has over 7 million "likes".{{cite web |url=http://www.facebook.com/TheOfficialGrumpyCat |title=The Official Grumpy Cat |publisher=Facebook |access-date=July 14, 2014 |archive-date=August 21, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150821163735/https://www.facebook.com/TheOfficialGrumpyCat |url-status=live }} Grumpy Cat was featured on the front page of The Wall Street Journal on May 30, 2013, and on the cover of New York magazine on October 7, 2013.{{cite news |last=Rosman |first=Katherine |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324412604578513352795950958 |title=Grumpy Cat Has an Agent, and Now a Movie Deal |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=May 31, 2013 |access-date=May 30, 2013 |archive-date=February 1, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150201030538/http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324412604578513352795950958 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url= http://nymag.com/nymag/toc/20131007 |title=Table of Contents |work=New York |date=October 7, 2013 |access-date=September 30, 2013 |archive-date=July 12, 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170712104703/http://nymag.com/nymag/toc/20131007/ |url-status=live }} In August 2015 it was announced that Grumpy Cat would get her own animatronic waxwork at Madame Tussauds in San Francisco.{{cite news|title = Grumpy cat is getting her own waxwork and looks a bit... grumpy|work = BBC News|date = August 27, 2015|url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/34074121/grumpy-cat-is-getting-her-own-waxwork-and-looks-a-bit-grumpy|access-date = August 27, 2015|archive-date = August 30, 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150830052902/http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/34074121/grumpy-cat-is-getting-her-own-waxwork-and-looks-a-bit-grumpy|url-status = live}} The Huffington Post wrote an article exploring America's fascination with cats.{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marc-joseph/americas-fascination-with_b_8230420.html?ir=Australia|title=America's Fascination with Cats|work=The Huffington Post|date=October 2, 2015|access-date=October 2, 2015|archive-date=October 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151003101913/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marc-joseph/americas-fascination-with_b_8230420.html?ir=Australia|url-status=live}}

{{main|Lil Bub}}

Lil Bub (Lillian Bubbles) (June 21, 2011 – December 1, 2019){{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/02/entertainment/lil-bub-cat-death-trnd/index.html|title=Internet cat sensation Lil BUB has died at the age of 8|first=Lauren M. |last= Johnson| website=CNN.com |date=December 2, 2019|access-date=2019-12-03|archive-date=December 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191203005145/https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/02/entertainment/lil-bub-cat-death-trnd/index.html|url-status=live}} was an American celebrity cat known for her unique appearance. She was the runt of her litter. Her owner, Mike Bridavsky, adopted her when his friends called to ask him to give her a home. Her photos were first posted to Tumblr in November 2011 then taken off after being featured on Reddit.{{cite web|last=Sykes|first=Tom|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/04/19/lil-bub-the-world-s-cutest-cat-stars-in-documentary-lil-bub-friendz-at-tribeca.html|title=Lil Bub, The World's Cutest Cat, Stars In Documentary Lil Bub & Friendz at Tribeca|publisher=The Daily Beast|date=April 19, 2013|access-date=April 24, 2013|archive-date=April 23, 2013|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130423174554/http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/04/19/lil-bub-the-world-s-cutest-cat-stars-in-documentary-lil-bub-friendz-at-tribeca.html|url-status=live}} "Lil Bub" on Facebook has over two million Likes.{{cite web|author=Lil Bub|url=http://www.facebook.com/iamlilbub|title=Lil Bub – Bloomington, IN – Public Figure|publisher=Facebook|access-date=December 12, 2013|archive-date=January 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200111183026/https://www.facebook.com/iamlilbub/|url-status=live}} Lil Bub stars in Lil Bub & Friendz, a documentary premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 18, 2013, that won the Tribeca Online Festival Best Feature Film.{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/18/lil-bub-and-friendz-trailer-video_n_2900853.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003|title='Lil Bub & Friendz' Trailer: From Meme To The Movies (Video)|work=The Huffington Post |date=March 18, 2013|access-date=April 8, 2013|first=Kia|last=Makarechi|archive-date=July 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150703012313/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/18/lil-bub-and-friendz-trailer-video_n_2900853.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://tribecafilm.com/stories/the-10-best-vines-of-the-week-science-lil-bub|title=Lil Bub & Friendz| website= Tribecafilm.com|access-date=April 25, 2013|archive-date=June 22, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150622041733/https://tribecafilm.com/stories/the-10-best-vines-of-the-week-science-lil-bub|url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=http://tribecafilm.com/festival/features/tff-2013-award-winners|title=Here Are Your TFF 2013 Award Winners| website=Tribecafilm.com|date=April 25, 2013|access-date=April 29, 2013|archive-date=April 30, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130430044957/http://tribecafilm.com/festival/features/tff-2013-award-winners|url-status=live}}

{{main|Maru (cat)}}

Maru (まる, Japanese: circle or round; born May 24, 2007{{cite web |url=http://sisinmaru.blog17.fc2.com/blog-entry-900.html |title=私信 |publisher= | website= sisinmaru.blog17.fc2.com |date=February 22, 1999 |access-date=January 26, 2012 |archive-date= March 23, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323020912/http://sisinmaru.blog17.fc2.com/blog-entry-900.html |url-status=live }}) is a male Scottish Fold (straight variety{{cite news | url= https://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/story/2011-08-22/Maru-the-cats-meow-of-YouTube-stars-in-a-new-book/50099132/1 | work=USA Today | date=August 22, 2011 | title=Maru, the cat's meow of YouTube, stars in a new book | last= Donahue| first= Deirdre | access-date=August 25, 2017 | archive-date=August 23, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110823140311/http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/story/2011-08-22/Maru-the-cats-meow-of-YouTube-stars-in-a-new-book/50099132/1 | url-status=live }}) cat in Japan who has become popular on YouTube. {{As of|2013|04}}, videos with Maru have been viewed over 200 million times.{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/user/mugumogu |title=mugumogu's Channel |date=July 10, 2008 |publisher= YouTube |access-date=July 23, 2010 |archive-date=January 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200103153649/https://www.youtube.com/user/mugumogu |url-status=live }} Videos featuring Maru have an average of 800,000 views each and he is mentioned often in print and televised media discussing Internet celebrities.{{cite web |url=http://sisinmaru.blog17.fc2.com/ |title=I am Maru. |year=2006 |access-date=December 24, 2010| website= sisinmaru.blog17.fc2.com |archive-date=January 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126143015/http://sisinmaru.blog17.fc2.com/ |url-status=live }} Maru is the "most famous cat on the internet."{{cite magazine|title = In Search of the Living, Purring, Singing Heart of the Online Cat-Industrial Complex |magazine=Wired |volume=20 |issue=9 |url = https://www.wired.com/2012/08/ff_cats/|access-date = July 5, 2015|archive-date = January 16, 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180116100128/https://www.wired.com/2012/08/ff_cats/|url-status = live|last1=Lewis-Kraus |first1=Gideon }}

Maru's owner posts videos under the account name 'mugumogu'. His owner is almost never seen in the videos, although the video titled {{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20Q1QCr6b98 |title=Maru's ear cleaning|website=YouTube|date=December 18, 2008 }} is an exception. The videos include title cards in English and Japanese setting up and describing the events, and often show Maru playing in cardboard boxes, indicated by "I love a box!" in his first video.

{{main|Colonel Meow}}

Colonel Meow (adopted October 11, 2011According to the owners, October 11, 2011 is not the cat's birth date, but the date of his adoption. His birth date is unknown. – January 29, 2014){{cite web |url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4A9ji851Rc|title=R.I.P. COLONEL MEOW, YOU WILL BE MISSED|work=Youtube|date=January 30, 2014|access-date=January 30, 2014|archive-date=February 1, 2014|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140201004801/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4A9ji851Rc|url-status=live}} was a male Himalayan–Persian crossbreed cat, who holds the 2014 Guinness world record for the longest fur on a cat ({{cvt|9|in}}).{{cite web |url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2013/8/colonel-meow-the-cat-with-the-longest-fur-50832/ |title=Colonel Meow, the cat with the longest fur, makes it into new Guinness World Records™ 2014 Book |publisher=Guinness World Records |date=August 28, 2013 |access-date=July 31, 2014 |archive-date=August 18, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140818011446/http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2013/8/colonel-meow-the-cat-with-the-longest-fur-50832/ |url-status=live }} He became an Internet celebrity when his owners posted pictures of his scowling face to Facebook and Instagram.{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/31/tech/social-media/apparently-this-matters-rip-colonel-meow/ |title= Apparently This Matters: Colonel Meow is dead| first=Jarrett| last= Bellini|date=January 31, 2014|publisher=CNN|access-date=October 2, 2015|archive-date=October 2, 2015|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151002161306/http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/31/tech/social-media/apparently-this-matters-rip-colonel-meow/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.today.com/pets/colonel-meow-internet-star-worlds-furriest-cat-has-died-2D12023699|title=Colonel Meow, Internet star and world's furriest cat, has died|work=today.com|date=January 30, 2014|access-date=January 30, 2014|archive-date=January 31, 2014|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140131150507/http://www.today.com/pets/colonel-meow-internet-star-worlds-furriest-cat-has-died-2D12023699|url-status=live}} He was known by his hundreds of thousands of followers as an "adorable fearsome dictator", a "prodigious Scotch drinker" and "the angriest cat in the world".

{{redirect|Oh Long Johnson|the 2019 album by Miss Caffeina|Oh Long Johnson (album)}}

This unnamed cat was featured in the first place-winning video "Cat's Got a Tongue"{{cite web | url=https://www.homevideolicensing.com/video/128556 | title=Home Video Licensing }} from Season 10, Episode 20 of America's Funniest Home Videos. In the video, the cat makes aggressive noises at another.{{cite news |date=May 30, 2016 |title=Top 5 classic cat videos |work=New Zealand Herald |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=11645917 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011231336/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=11645917 |archivedate=October 11, 2016}} The noises sound like human words and phrases such as "Oh my dog", "Oh Long John", "Oh Long Johnson", "Oh Don piano", "Why I eyes ya", "All the live long day", and "Oh that long long Johnson". "{{cite video |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LBKVXyrHcw |title=Oh Long Johnson... - talking cat |date=June 11, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110704082515/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LBKVXyrHcw |archive-date=July 4, 2011 |url-status=dead}}{{cbignore}} The video first appeared on the Internet in 2006 during a compilation video on YouTube featuring cats producing human-like sounds, and other standalone videos were later uploaded. The full clip shows a second, younger-looking cat in the room.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkwiQmGWK4c |title=Talking cat says Oh Long Johnson |type=Video |publisher=YouTube| archive-date=2016-11-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161123055255/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkwiQmGWK4c}}

By 2012, the video of the cat had been viewed 6.5 million times.{{cite web| website= Tyden.cz| date= May 15, 2012 |url= http://www.tyden.cz/rubriky/relax/domaci-mazlicci/video-mluvici-kocka-dobyva-svet-zahrala-si-i-v-south-parku_234523.html |title= Podívejte se, VIDEO: Mluvící kočka dobývá svět. Zahrála si i v South Parku|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20190819103931/https://www.tyden.cz/rubriky/relax/domaci-mazlicci/video-mluvici-kocka-dobyva-svet-zahrala-si-i-v-south-parku_234523.html |archivedate=August 19, 2019 }} The clip was included in the 2019 Cat Video Fest which was held at the Vancity Theatre in Vancouver on April 20. There were to be five consecutive screenings of the videos.{{cite news| work= The Vancouver Sun| date= April 11, 2019 | url= https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/the-cats-came-back-cat-video-fest-returns-to-vancity-theatre | title= The cats came back: feline video festival returns to Vancity Theatre| first= Harrison |last= Mooney |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20190813191506/https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/the-cats-came-back-cat-video-fest-returns-to-vancity-theatre |archivedate=August 13, 2019 }}

The video was referenced in the South Park episode "Faith Hilling", where Johnson's speech pattern ended up causing several deaths related to "Oh Long Johnsoning".{{Cite book|title=Faith Hilling |last1= Parker| first1= Trey| last2= Stone |first2= Matt| work= South Park: The Complete Sixteenth Season|publisher=Comedy Central|year=2013|series=South Park|type=DVD}}

{{Main|Jorts (cat)}}

Jorts is an office cat that was the centre of a December 2021 dispute between staff. Self-reporting of the dispute on a subreddit of Reddit attracted significant attention.{{Cite web|last=Kooser|first=Amanda|title=Jorts the cat: Everything you need to know about the internet's new favourite cat|url=https://www.cnet.com/how-to/jorts-the-cat-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-internets-new-favourite-cat/|access-date=2022-01-02|website=CNET|language=en}}

{{multiple image

| width = 150px

| image1 = Brünnhilde (2017645524).jpg

| alt1 = A black-and-white profile photograph of a cat wearing miniature scale armor and a winged helmet. The photograph is labeled with the name "Brünnhilde".

| image2 = Brünnhilde.tif

| alt2 = A sepia-toned portrait photograph of a cat wearing miniature scale armor and a winged helmet. The photograph is labeled with the name "Brünnhilde".

| footer = Both photographs of Brünnhilde in 1936.

}}

Brünnhilde was a female tabby cat known from two 1936 photographs of her wearing a costume of her namesake from Der Ring des Nibelungen, an opera by Richard Wagner. She became notable in the 2022 for her inclusion in Not an Ostrich: & Other Images from America's Library, an exhibit of historical photographs hosted by the United States Library of Congress.{{Cite web |last=Finefield |first=Kristi |date=2023-01-04 |title=Caught Our Eyes: More Brünnhilde the Cat {{!}} Picture This |url=https://blogs.loc.gov/picturethis/2023/01/caught-our-eyes-more-brnnhilde-the-cat/ |access-date=2024-12-19 |website=Library of Congress |archive-date=2024-12-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241210025733/https://blogs.loc.gov/picturethis/2023/01/caught-our-eyes-more-brnnhilde-the-cat/ |url-status=live }}

Brünnhilde was owned by a man named Adolph Edward Weidhaas, who adopted her as a stray. He took two photographs of her in costume, wearing miniature scale armor and a winged helmet. The photographs were put on display at the Snapshot Store, a photography store in New York City, as advertisements.{{Cite web |last=Schneider |first=Jaron |date=2023-01-06 |title=Enjoy This 'Freshly Digitized' 1936 Photo of a Cat Dressed as Brünnhilde |url=https://petapixel.com/2023/01/06/enjoy-this-freshly-digitized-1936-photo-of-a-cat-dressed-as-brunnhilde/ |access-date=2024-12-19 |website=PetaPixel |language=en |archive-date=2024-07-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240720072927/https://petapixel.com/2023/01/06/enjoy-this-freshly-digitized-1936-photo-of-a-cat-dressed-as-brunnhilde/ |url-status=live }} Both photographs are now in the collection of the Library of Congress. Initially, only one of the photographs was available online (showing Brünnhilde from the side), and the Library of Congress described it as "one of [their] most beloved free-to-use photos". In January 2023, the Library of Congress digitized the second photograph (which shows Brünnhilde from the front) and released it on Twitter, at which point it became viral.{{Cite news |title=The Library of Congress has released a new free-to-use photo of a cat dressed as Brünnhilde – and fans are ecstatic |url=https://www.semafor.com/article/01/04/2023/the-library-of-congress-cat-brunnhilde |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529112951/https://www.semafor.com/article/01/04/2023/the-library-of-congress-cat-brunnhilde |archive-date=2024-05-29 |access-date=2024-12-19 |work=Semafor |language=en |url-status=live }} The Associated Press noted that the photographs of Brünnhilde were similar to many modern comedic cat photographs, saying that "at least one aspect of photography hasn't changed much in 150 years".{{Cite web |last=Rogers |first=John |date=2018-04-21 |title=Library of Congress brings America to life in LA photo show |url=https://apnews.com/article/9867f70d92bd42cca75952f74feec697 |access-date=2024-12-22 |website=Associated Press |language=en}}

{{main|Lolcat}}

A lolcat (pronounced {{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|ɒ|l|k|æ|t}} {{respell|LOL|kat}}) is an image macro of one or more cats. The image's text is often idiosyncratic and grammatically incorrect. Its use in this way is known as "lolspeak" or "kitty pidgin".

"Lolcat" is a compound word of the acronymic abbreviation for "laugh out loud" (LOL) and the word "cat".{{cite web |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB118798557326508182 |title=With 'LOLcats' Internet Fad, Anyone Can Get In on the Joke |access-date=February 13, 2008 |last=Rutkoff |first=Aaron |date=August 25, 2007 |work=The Wall Street Journal |archive-date=July 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180715151951/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB118798557326508182 |url-status=live }}{{cite web| first = Dwight| last= Silverman| title = Web photo phenomenon centers on felines, poor spelling| publisher = Houston Chronicle| date = June 6, 2007| url = http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/4862013.html| access-date = April 1, 2012| archive-date = June 18, 2013| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130618165552/http://www.chron.com/business/silverman/article/Web-photo-phenomenon-centers-on-felines-poor-1809345.php| url-status = live}} A synonym for "lolcat" is cat macro, since the images are a type of image macro.{{cite news| title = Laugh at cat humor| url = http://www.freep.com/article/20070518/FEATURES10/70518038/On-Web-Cat-lovers-laugh-out-loud-crazy-kitty-humor| first= Randy A. |last= Salas| work = Akron Beacon Journal, Star Tribune| date = June 9, 2007| access-date = June 17, 2007| quote = At first, they were called cat macros, but now go mostly by the name lolcats.| archive-date = October 5, 2013| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131005003032/http://www.freep.com/article/20070518/FEATURES10/70518038/On-Web-Cat-lovers-laugh-out-loud-crazy-kitty-humor| url-status = live}} Lolcats are commonly designed for photo sharing imageboards and other Internet forums.

{{main|Nyan Cat}}

Nyan Cat is the name of a YouTube video, uploaded in April 2011, which became an Internet meme. The video merged a Japanese pop song "Nyanyanyanyanyanyanya!" with an animated cartoon cat with the body of a Pop-Tart, flying through space, and leaving a rainbow trail behind it. The video ranked at number 5 on the list of most viewed YouTube videos in 2011.{{cite web|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2011/12/talking-twin-babies-nyan-cat-and-friday-top-youtubes-most-watched-videos-of-2011.html|title=Talking Twin Babies, Nyan Cat among YouTube's top videos of 2011|work=Los Angeles Times|date=December 20, 2011|access-date=December 20, 2011|archive-date=June 5, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120605023312/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2011/12/talking-twin-babies-nyan-cat-and-friday-top-youtubes-most-watched-videos-of-2011.html|url-status=live}}

{{main|Keyboard Cat}}

Keyboard Cat is another Internet phenomenon. It consists of a video from 1984 of Fatso, a cat wearing a blue shirt and appearing to play an upbeat rhythm on an electronic keyboard. The video was posted to YouTube under the title "charlie schmidt's cool cats" in June 2007. Schmidt later changed the title to "Charlie Schmidt's Keyboard Cat (The Original)".{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J---aiyznGQ |title=Charlie Schmidt's Keyboard Cat! – The Original! |publisher=YouTube |date=June 7, 2007 |access-date=July 21, 2014 |archive-date=February 24, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110224090848/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J---aiyznGQ |url-status=live }}

Fatso (who died in 1987){{cite news | url = https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2009/may/16/keyboard-cat | title = Internet review: Play Him Off, Keyboard Cat | date = May 16, 2009 | access-date = February 3, 2011 | publisher = | work= guardian.co.uk | archive-date = February 28, 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140228152719/http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2009/may/16/keyboard-cat | url-status = live }} was owned (and manipulated in the video) by Charlie Schmidt of Spokane, Washington, US, and the blue shirt still belonged to Schmidt's cat Fatso. Later, Brad O'Farrell, who was the syndication manager of the video website My Damn Channel, obtained Schmidt's permission to reuse the footage, appending it to the end of a blooper video to "play" that person offstage after the mistake or gaffe in a similar manner as getting the hook in the days of vaudeville.{{cite news | url = https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=7659033&page=1 | title = 'Keyboard Cat' Phenomenon Spreads on Web, TV | first = Jake | last = Coyle | date = May 22, 2009 | access-date = August 3, 2009 | work = ABC News | archive-date = February 12, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110212110054/http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=7659033&page=1 | url-status = live }} The appending of Schmidt's video to other blooper and other viral videos became popular, with such videos usually accompanied with the title Play Him Off, Keyboard Cat or a variant. "Keyboard Cat" was ranked No. 2 on Current TV's list of 50 Greatest Viral Videos.{{cite web |url=http://current.com/groups/50-greatest-viral-videos/ |title=50 Greatest Viral Videos |publisher=Current TV |date=October 27, 2009 |access-date=March 15, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615075302/http://current.com/groups/50-greatest-viral-videos/ |archive-date=June 15, 2011 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}

In 2009 Schmidt became owner of Bento, another cat that resembled Fatso, and which he used to create new Keyboard Cat videos, until Bento's death in March 2018.{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffgzh93MdQM |title=Keyboard Cat, Bento, A Tribute |publisher=Keyboard Cat |date=2018-03-16 |access-date=2018-03-16 |archive-date=November 28, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191128001005/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffgzh93MdQM |url-status=live }}

Schmidt has adopted a new cat "Skinny" or "Keyboard Cat 3.0", which has yet to become popular.

{{main|Cats That Look Like Hitler}}

Cats That Look Like Hitler is a satirical website featuring photographs of cats that bear an alleged resemblance to Adolf Hitler.{{cite web|url=http://timesonline.typepad.com/comment/2007/02/cats_that_look_.html |title=Cats that look like Hitler |last=Finkelstein |first=Daniel |author-link=Daniel Finkelstein |date=February 26, 2007 |work=The Times |access-date=August 6, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080719025347/http://timesonline.typepad.com/comment/2007/02/cats_that_look_.html |archive-date=July 19, 2008 }} Most of the cats have a large black splotch underneath their nose, much like the dictator's stumpy toothbrush moustache. The site was founded by Koos Plegt and Paul Neve in 2006,{{cite web|url=http://www.popmatters.com/pm/column/10186/mein-kat/|title=Mein Kat|first=Mikita| last= Brottman|date=February 7, 2007|publisher=PopMatters|access-date=August 6, 2008|author-link=Mikita Brottman|archive-date=July 21, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080721110451/http://www.popmatters.com/pm/column/10186/mein-kat/|url-status=live}} and became widely known after being featured on several television programmes across Europe{{cite video | first = Jonathan |last= Ross | title = The Jonathan Ross Show | medium = TV-series | publisher = BBC | location = UK |date = 2006}}{{cite video | first = Graham |last= Norton | title = The Graham Norton Show | medium = TV-series | publisher = BBC | location = UK |date = 2008}} and Australia.{{cite video | first = Dan |last= Walmsley | title = The Breakfast Show Live: A History of the Web | medium = TV-series | publisher = Dan Walmsley | location = Australia |date = 2006}} The site is now only run by Neve. {{as of|2013|February}}, the site contained photographs of over 8,000 cats, submitted by owners with digital cameras and Internet access and then approved by Neve as content.{{cite web |url=http://www.catsthatlooklikehitler.com/cgi-bin/seigany.pl?faq.html |title=Cats That Look Like Hitler! |publisher=Cats That Look Like Hitler |access-date=October 2, 2015 |archive-date=October 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151003104817/http://www.catsthatlooklikehitler.com/cgi-bin/seigany.pl?faq.html |url-status=live }}

{{main|Every time you masturbate... God kills a kitten}}

"Every time you masturbate... God kills a kitten" is the caption of an image created by a member of the website Fark in 2002.{{cite web |url=http://www.fark.com/farq/farkisms.shtml |title=Frequently Asked Questions: Farkisms |publisher=Fark |date=March 28, 1992 |access-date=October 2, 2015 |archive-date=August 10, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100810191349/http://www.fark.com/farq/farkisms.shtml |url-status=live }}{{cite news |url= http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/style/31178504.html?elr=KArks7PYDiaK7DUHPYDiaK7DUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiU |title= Domo: From underground to advertiser |first= Tom |last= Horgen |newspaper= Star Tribune |date= October 20, 2008 |access-date= October 2, 2015 |archive-date= September 3, 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140903084925/http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/style/31178504.html?elr=KArks7PYDiaK7DUHPYDiaK7DUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiU |url-status= live }} The image features a kitten (subsequently referred to as "Cliché Kitty") being chased by two Domos, and has the tagline "Please, think of the kittens".

{{main|I Can Has Cheezburger?}}

It was created in 2007 by Eric Nakagawa (Cheezburger), a blogger from Hawaii, and his friend Kari Unebasami (Tofuburger).{{citation needed|date=March 2012}} The website is one of the most popular Internet sites of its kind. It received as many as 1,500,000 hits per day at its peak in May 2007.{{cite web |url=http://www.rocketboom.com/vlog/rb_08_mar_14 |title=SXSW 2008 Panel LOLWUT? Why Do I Keep Coming Back to This Website? |access-date=March 16, 2008 |last=Huh |first=Ben |date=March 9, 2008 |work=Rocketboom |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080315135129/http://www.rocketboom.com/vlog/rb_08_mar_14 |archive-date=March 15, 2008 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}{{cite web |url=http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/jul2007/sb20070713_202390.htm |title=Bloggers Bring in the Big Bucks |access-date=February 13, 2008 |last=Tozzi |first=John |date=July 13, 2007 |work=BusinessWeek |archive-date=February 15, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080215230339/http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/jul2007/sb20070713_202390.htm |url-status=dead }} ICHC was instrumental in bringing animal-based image macros and lolspeak into mainstream usage and making Internet memes profitable.{{cite web |url=http://thephoenix.com/article_ektid55486.aspx |title=The cuteness surge |access-date=February 13, 2008 |last=Steel |first=Sharon |date=February 1, 2008 |work=The Phoenix |archive-date=February 3, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080203205121/http://thephoenix.com/article_ektid55486.aspx |url-status=live }}

In 2015, the atmosphere among the community of Brussels, Belgium was tense when the city was put under the highest level state of emergency immediately following the Paris attacks; however, Internet cats were able to cut the tension by taking over the Twitter feed #BrusselsLockdown.{{cite news|title = Belgians post cat pics in response to Brussels terror alert|url = http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/23/europe/paris-attacks-brussels-lockdown-cats/index.html|website = CNN|access-date = 2016-02-18|archive-date = February 18, 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160218210215/http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/23/europe/paris-attacks-brussels-lockdown-cats/index.html|url-status = live}} The feed was designed to discuss operational details of terrorist raids, but when police asked for a social media blackout the hashtag was overwhelmed by Internet users posting pictures of cats to drown out serious discussion and prevent terrorists from gaining any useful information.{{cite web |last=Smith |first=Oli |url=http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/621427/Brussels-Lockdown-Belgians-social-media-cat-pictures-fight-terror |title=Brussels Lockdown – Belgians tweet cat pictures to confuse ISIS terrorists during raids |work= Daily Express |date=November 23, 2015 |via=Express.co.uk |access-date=2016-03-19 |archive-date=March 19, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160319163406/http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/621427/Brussels-Lockdown-Belgians-social-media-cat-pictures-fight-terror |url-status=live }} The use of cat images is a reference to the Level 4 state of emergency: the French word for the number 4, quatre, is pronounced similarly to the word "cat" in English.{{cite news |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-34897645|title=Belgians tweet cat pictures during #BrusselsLockdown|work=BBC News|date=23 November 2015|access-date=23 November 2015|archive-date=April 22, 2018|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180422165939/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-34897645|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/brusselslockdown-belgians-respond-to-terror-alert-with-cat-pictures-to-confuse-suspects-a6744746.html|title=Brussels Lockdown: Belgians tweet pictures of cats to confuse Isis terrorists|first=Alexandra|last=Sims|newspaper=The Independent|date=23 November 2015|access-date=23 November 2015|archive-date=August 20, 2017|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170820123155/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/brusselslockdown-belgians-respond-to-terror-alert-with-cat-pictures-to-confuse-suspects-a6744746.html|url-status=live}}

{{main|Pusheen}}

Pusheen is another Internet phenomenon about a cartoon cat. Created in 2010 by Claire Belton, the popularity of using emoji and Facebook stickers led to a rise in Pusheen's popularity. She now has 9 million followers.

{{main|Bongo Cat}}

Bongo Cat is another Internet meme about a cartoon cat that originated on May 7, 2018, when an animated cat gif made by Twitter user "[https://twitter.com/StrayRogue @StrayRogue]"{{Cite tweet |user= StrayRogue| number= 992994454058381312|title=Original Gif Animation |access-date=October 22, 2019|archive-date=2021-04-19|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210419174554/https://twitter.com/StrayRogue/status/992994454058381312|url-status=live}} was edited by Twitter user "[https://twitter.com/DitzyFlama @DitzyFlama]"{{Cite tweet| user= DitzyFlama| number= 993487015499853824| title=Original Gif Animation Edit| access-date=October 22, 2019|archive-date=2021-04-19|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210419174639/https://twitter.com/DitzyFlama/status/993487015499853824|url-status=live}} to include bongos and the music "Athletic" from the Super Mario World soundtrack. This cat has since been edited to many other songs, and many different instruments.

Peepee the cat was the star of a copypasta popularized on Twitter. The post, "i Amn just........... a litle creacher. Thatse It . I Canot change this" was posted on September 18, 2018, and has garnered over 38,000 likes.{{Cite web |last=Anderson |first=Sage |date=February 5, 2019 |title=A cat named 'Peepee' runs his own Twitter account, and it's even cuter than you'd think |url=https://mashable.com/article/peepee-cat-twitter-account/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727182803/https://mashable.com/article/peepee-cat-twitter-account/ |archive-date=July 27, 2020 |access-date=2020-04-27 |website=Mashable |language=en}}

In April 2020, a video of a white cat from Québec, Canada named Minette bobbing her head as if dancing went viral.{{cite web | title=The vibing cat meme is instantly calming | website=The Daily Dot | date=2020-11-03 | url=https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/vibing-cat-memes/ | access-date=2021-04-19 | archive-date=November 17, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117124452/https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/vibing-cat-memes/ | url-status=live }} In addition to its popularity on social media sites like Youtube and TikTok, the cat was widely shared on livestreaming platform Twitch.tv, where it was enabled as a emote through third-party service BetterTTV on over 200,000 channels.{{cite web | title=BetterTTV | website=BetterTTV | url=https://betterttv.com/emotes/5f1b0186cf6d2144653d2970 | access-date=2021-04-19 | archive-date=April 11, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411042223/https://betterttv.com/emotes/5f1b0186cf6d2144653d2970 | url-status=live }} In December 2020, the official YouTube Channel of the International Cricket Council posted a video named "Vibing cricketers, vibing cat" showing edited footage of the cat alongside various cricketers dancing to music.{{cite web | title='Vibing cricketers, vibing cat': ICC wins meme game with latest tweet. Watch | website=Hindustan Times | date=2020-12-02 | first=Trisha | last=Sengupta | url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/it-s-viral/vibing-cricketers-vibing-cat-icc-wins-meme-game-with-latest-tweet-watch/story-OPAu2AwOC33YtVJlfQqeaP.html | access-date=2021-04-19 | archive-date=March 21, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210321203937/https://www.hindustantimes.com/it-s-viral/vibing-cricketers-vibing-cat-icc-wins-meme-game-with-latest-tweet-watch/story-OPAu2AwOC33YtVJlfQqeaP.html | url-status=live }}

{{main|Zoom Cat Lawyer}}

"Zoom Cat Lawyer", also known as "I'm Not a Cat", refers to a viral video taken from a livestream of a civil forfeiture hearing being held over the video conferencing application Zoom in Texas' 394th Judicial District Court. The video features attorney Rod Ponton, who is struggling to disable a cat filter that shows a white kitten mask over his face, resulting in it appearing as if a cat is speaking.{{cite news |first=Daniel |last=Victor |date=February 9, 2021 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/09/style/cat-lawyer-zoom.html |title='I'm Not a Cat,' Says Lawyer Having Zoom Difficulties |work=The New York Times}}

Big Floppa is a caracal from Russia (real name Gregory or Gosha for short) who gained popularity as an internet meme after being posted by his owner on Instagram.{{Cite web |last=Ryabikova |first=Victoria |date=2021-05-31 |title=Meet 'Big Floppa' - the hero of the most popular cat meme of 2020 (PHOTOS) |url=https://www.rbth.com/lifestyle/333844-meet-big-floppa |access-date=2023-08-13 |website=Russia Beyond |language=en-US}} Floppa can also more generally refer to a collection of images either portraying Big Floppa (also referred to as Gosha or Shlepa) or any caracals. The collection of images do not portray to a specific theme per se, but always hold Floppa as a centerpoint or personification of something.{{Cite web |last=Nambiar |first=Prerna |date=2022-05-22 |title=Raise a Floppa creator reveals why the game was deleted from Roblox |url=https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2022/05/22/raise-a-floppa-deleted-2/ |access-date=2023-08-13 |website=HITC |language=en-GB}}

File:Cute cat in loaf position.jpg

Catloaf (also spelled as cat loaf/cat-loaf and sometimes known as hovercat,{{cite web |date=10 April 2018 |title=Here's why your cat sits like a "cat loaf" |url=https://www.petbucket.com/blog/64613/heres-why-your-cat-sits-like-a-cat-loaf.html |accessdate=10 January 2022 |website=Petbucket}} tugboat or loafing{{cite web |last=Paoletta |first=Rae |date=22 November 2017 |title=Why Do Cats Look Like Loaves of Bread Sometimes? We Asked a Scientist |url=https://www.inverse.com/article/38682-why-do-cats-look-like-loaves-of-bread |accessdate=10 January 2022 |website=Inverse}}) is a term used to describe a cat's sitting position in which its paws and tail are tucked under the body, forming a loaf-like shape. A speculation for the sitting position indicates that the cat is relaxed and feels unthreatened, and therefore has no need to sit in a position where it would have to attack. Another potential reason for this sitting position is for the cat to maintain a comfortable body temperature without having to move.{{cite web |last=Ollila |first=Erin |date=19 July 2021 |title=The Cat Loaf: What Is It & Why Do Cats Loaf, Anyway? |url=https://www.hillspet.com/cat-care/behavior-appearance/what-is-a-cat-loaf |accessdate=10 January 2022 |website=Hill's}}

American cartoonist B. Kliban had noted the similarity between the shapes of cats and meatloaves as early as 1975.{{cite book |last1=Shapiro |first1=Fred R. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FtU4EAAAQBAJ&dq=kliban+cat+meatloaf&pg=PA460 |title=The new Yale book of quotations |date=2021 |isbn=9780300262780 |edition=Revised |location=New Haven |page=460 |access-date=12 November 2022}} However, widespread popularity of the word had not gained peak popularity until the 2010s on social media sites such as Reddit and Twitter, as well as Facebook, where the sitting position is also known as "tugboat" in the "Tuggin'" group.{{cite web |date=30 August 2021 |title=Why Do Cats Loaf? Probably a Good Sign |url=https://mrbosscat.com/cat-loaf/ |accessdate=10 January 2022 |website=MrBossCat}}

In South Korea, a 2021 news report's mention of a cat walking on the frozen Han River in Seoul became a meme in 2022.{{Cite web |last=기 |first=정아 |date=2024-04-22 |title=꽁꽁 얼어붙은 한강 위로 고양이가 걸어다닙니다…뉴스밈 또 터졌다 [요즘, 이거] |url=https://www.etoday.co.kr/news/view/2352921 |access-date=2024-07-04 |website=이투데이 |language=ko}}{{Cite web |last=황 |first=남경 |date=2024-04-23 |title="꽁꽁 얼어붙은 한강 위로 고양이가 걸어 다닙니다" 일하다가 별안간 밈 제왕 된 MBN 기자의 프로필 사진에 특이점이 왔다 |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=218927 |access-date=2024-07-04 |website=HuffPost Korea |language=ko}} In the video,{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSyvHrpakKA |title=지하철역 동파사고로 출근길 물벼락…한강물도 곳곳 '꽁꽁' [MBN 종합뉴스] |date=2021-12-27 |last= |publisher=Maeil Broadcasting Network |access-date=2024-07-04 |via=YouTube}}{{Rp|location=0:48}} a reporter says the phrase "{{Korean|hangul=꽁꽁 얼어붙은 한강 위로 고양이가 걸어 다닙니다|labels=no}}" ({{Lit|On top of the completely frozen Han River walks a cat.}}). In 2024, the audio of the phrase was remixed into a song that became associated with a dance challenge.

Cartoon Cat, a fictional cat monster created by the canadian horror artist Trevor Henderson in 2018.

Banana Cat, a cat inside a banana skin, has been notably used by the Canadian Ontario New Democratic Party in TikTok campaign ads. A series of videos titled "Banana Cat explains" describe "New Democats'" strategies for addressing issues such as healthcare, education and grocery costs.{{cite web | last=Austin | first=Serena | title=Are the Ontario NDP's TikToks effective? – The Cord | website=The Cord – The tie that binds Wilfrid Laurier University since 1926 | date=2024-04-07 | url=https://thecord.ca/are-the-ontario-ndps-tiktoks-effective/ | access-date=2024-08-20}} During a 2024 speech by Ontario New Democratic leader Marit Stiles about the governing Ontario Progressive Conservative Party's legacy, Progressive Conservative MPP Goldie Ghamari shouted in response "Your legacy is making cat videos on TikTok".{{cite web | last=Landau | first=Jack | title=Ontario's latest political flame war is playing out in the form of cat memes | website=blogTO | date=2024-02-26 | url=https://www.blogto.com/city/2024/02/ontario-political-flame-war-cat-memes/ | access-date=2024-08-20}}

Bonsai Kitten was a satirical website launched in 2000 that claims to provide instructions on how to grow a kitten in a jar, so as to mold the bones of the kitten into the shape of the jar as the cat grows, much like how a bonsai plant is shaped. It was made by an MIT university student going by the alias of Dr. Michael Wong Chang.{{cite web| first= Declan| last= McCullagh |url=https://www.wired.com/politics/law/news/2001/02/41733 |title=FBI Goes After Bonsaikitten.com |publisher=Wired.com |date=February 11, 2001 |access-date=October 2, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140317201158/http://www.wired.com/politics/law/news/2001/02/41733 |archive-date=March 17, 2014 }} The website generated furor after members of the public complained to animal rights organizations, who stated that "while the site's content may be faked, the issue it is campaigning for may create violence towards animals", according to the Michigan Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA). Although the website in its most recent form was shut down, it still generates (primarily spam) petitions to shut the site down or complain to its ISP. The website has been thoroughly debunked by Snopes.com and The Humane Society of the United States, among other prominent organizations.

Founded by Laura Mieli in 2012, it has been running full time since 2017.{{cite news| work= The Chicago Reader| date= July 23, 2018 | url= https://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2018/07/23/chicagos-first-ever-cat-convention-was-like-catnip-to-fans-of-felines |title= Chicago's first-ever cat convention was like catnip to fans of felines |first= Ryan| last= Smith |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20191215052453/https://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2018/07/23/chicagos-first-ever-cat-convention-was-like-catnip-to-fans-of-felines |archivedate=December 15, 2019 | access-date= }} It now has more than a million followers in over 100 countries.{{cite news| work= Daily Herald| date= July 19, 2018 | url= https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20180717/her-cat-blog-has-more-than-1-million-followers-now-shes-starting-a-cat-convention-in-rosemont| title= Cook County» Her cat blog has more than 1 million followers. Now she's starting a cat convention in Rosemont| first= Eileen O. |last= Daday |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20191215053957/https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20180717/her-cat-blog-has-more-than-1-million-followers-now-shes-starting-a-cat-convention-in-rosemont |archivedate=December 15, 2019 | access-date= }}{{cite news| publisher= WGN9| date= August 6, 2018 | url= https://wgntv.com/2018/08/06/cat-convention-draws-feline-fans-from-across-the-midwest/ |website= wgntv.com| title= Cat convention creates feline frenzy in Chicago suburb| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20191215052453/https://wgntv.com/2018/08/06/cat-convention-draws-feline-fans-from-across-the-midwest/ |archivedate=December 15, 2019 | access-date= }} It contributes articles to American Kennel Club affiliate, AKC Reunite.{{cite press release| publisher= Southern California Animal Response Team (SCART), AKC Reunite | url= http://www.scart.us/News/AKCPetDisasterReliefSCART.pdf | title= AKC Pet Disaster Relief Trailer Gives SoCal Animal Reponse [sic] Team A New Way To Help Local Pets| date= February 2016| page= 2| website= scart.us| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20190119121151/http://www.scart.us/News/AKCPetDisasterReliefSCART.pdf |archivedate=January 19, 2019| access-date=}}{{cite web| publisher= | website= AKCReunite.org| url= https://www.akcreunite.org/wintertimecats/ |title= Tips to Help Cats Stay Warm in Winter |first= Kristi| last= Davis | date= January 9, 2019|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20191215052455/https://www.akcreunite.org/wintertimecats/ |archivedate=December 15, 2019 }}{{cite web| publisher= | website= AKCReunite.org| url= http://www.akcreunite.org/catsimprovementalhealth/ |title= How Cats Help Improve Mental Health |first= Chelsy| last= Ranard| date= September 13, 2018| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20191215052456/http://www.akcreunite.org/catsimprovementalhealth/ |archivedate=December 15, 2019 |access-date= }}

In July 2018, it sponsored the first ever "Meow Meetup" at the Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois. The event was held July 21–22,{{cite news| publisher= CBS2 Chicago| date= July 20, 2018 | url= https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2018/07/20/meow-meetup-rosemont/ |title= This Weekend's Meow Meetup Is Catnip For Cat Lovers| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20191215052456/https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2018/07/20/meow-meetup-rosemont/ |archivedate=December 15, 2019 |access-date= }} was estimated to attract around 3000 people. It was the largest cat conference in the Midwest.{{cite web| work= Journal & Topics| date= July 18, 2018 | via= journal-topics.com| url= https://www.journal-topics.com/articles/first-meow-meetup-makes-way-to-rosemont/ |title= First 'Meow Meetup' Makes Way To Rosemont |first= Denise| last= Fleischer |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20200727183343/https://www.journal-topics.com/articles/first-meow-meetup-makes-way-to-rosemont/ |archivedate=July 27, 2020 |access-date= }}{{cite news| work= Chicago Business Journal| date= March 5, 2018 | url= https://www.bizjournals.com/chicago/prnewswire/press_releases/Illinois/2018/03/05/PH29364 |via= bizjournals.com| title= Much Anticipated 'Meow MeetUp' Debuts in Chicago July 2018 |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20210419174511/https://www.bizjournals.com/chicago/press-release |archivedate=April 19, 2021 }}

Founded by Lithuanian-born Justinas Butkus who lives in Wellington, New Zealand, the site adds a cat element to news stories. Reporting on actual events, it changes the wording to a type of cat talk such as "kidney opurration" instead of "kidney operation" and "prepurr for major eruption" instead of "prepare for major eruption". There were mixed reactions within the first week of the site's operation.{{cite news |work=Irish Independent |location= Dublin |date=May 22, 2018 |url= https://www.independent.ie/world-news/and-finally/how-this-cat-website-harnesses-feline-power-to-bring-attention-to-world-news-36934223.html |title=How this cat website harnesses feline power to bring attention to world news |first=Nicola |last=Irwin |agency=Press Association |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191215053954/https://www.independent.ie/world-news/and-finally/how-this-cat-website-harnesses-feline-power-to-bring-attention-to-world-news-36934223.html |archive-date=December 15, 2019}} NewsByCats.com has been defunct since some time after March 9, 2022.Final capture by Internet Archive: {{cite web |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220309134313/http://www.newsbycats.com/ |archive-date=March 9, 2022 |url= http://www.newsbycats.com/ |url-status=dead |title=[Homepage] |work=NewsByCats.com |date=March 9, 2022}}

The Purrington Post publishes a newsletter. The first, Volume 1, Issue 1 came out on November 1, 2013.{{cite web| publisher= Craig Street Cats| via= CraigStreetCats.ca |url= https://www.craigstreetcats.ca/purrington-post-back-issues.html |work= The Purrington Post| title= Back Issues |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20191215052452/https://www.craigstreetcats.ca/purrington-post-back-issues.html |archivedate=December 15, 2019 |access-date= }} According to Natural Pet Science, The Purrington Post averages half a million page views per trimester.{{cite web| work= NaturalPetScience.com| url= https://naturalpetscience.com/endorsements/ | title= NPS has been featured in...| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20191215052452/https://naturalpetscience.com/endorsements/ |archivedate=December 15, 2019 | access-date= }} It was referred to in September 2018 as an award-winning cat blog by the Dow Jones & Company owned financial information service MarketWatch.{{cite press release| work= MarketWatch| date= September 7, 2018 | url= https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/canadian-brand-natural-pet-science-new-product-launch-receives-media-recognition-for-pet-treats-made-from-hemp-and-crickets-2018-09-07 |title= Canadian Brand Natural Pet Science New Product Launch Receives Media Recognition for Pet Treats Made from Hemp and Crickets |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20191215052453/https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/canadian-brand-natural-pet-science-new-product-launch-receives-media-recognition-for-pet-treats-made-from-hemp-and-crickets-2018-09-07 |archivedate=December 15, 2019 | access-date= }} Also that year it was rated No. 3 by KittyCoaching.com in a list of the 12 best cat blogs for that year.{{cite web| website= KittyCoaching.com | url= https://www.kittycoaching.com/cat-tips/best-cat-blogs/ |title= The Best Cat Blogs – Updated for 2018| date= December 26, 2017 | archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20200727192901/https://www.kittycoaching.com/cat-tips/best-cat-blogs/ |archivedate=July 27, 2020 }} It was also highly rated by Cats.com in their Top 35 Cat Blogs You Should Know About list for 2018.{{cite web| publisher= Cats.com| date= December 9, 2018 |url= https://www.cats.com/top-cat-blogs |title= Top 35 Cat Blogs You Should Know About | website= wwwallaboutcats.com| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20191215052452/https://www.wwwallaboutcats.com/top-cat-blogs |archivedate=December 15, 2019 |access-date=}} The opinion of the Post on cat behavior has been valued enough to be quoted in articles.{{cite web| website= Romper.com| date= June 1, 2018 | url= https://www.romper.com/p/do-cats-smile-heres-how-to-tell-your-cat-is-happy-at-least-on-the-inside-9254812| title= Do Cats Smile? Here's How To Tell Your Cat Is Happy, At Least On The Inside |first= Shari |last= Maurer | quote= 3. They Meow — A Lot| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20200727190400/https://www.romper.com/p/do-cats-smile-heres-how-to-tell-your-cat-is-happy-at-least-on-the-inside-9254812 |archivedate=July 27, 2020 |access-date=}}

{{Portal|Cats|Internet}}

• Cultural depictions of cats
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• List of individual cats

{{Reflist|group=Note}}

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{{Domestic cat}}

Category:Animals on the Internet

Category:Cats in popular culture

Category:Internet culture