Why feline content is so contagious – mi2 content solutions

The popularity of cat content on the web has experts of all kinds scratching their heads, from the founder of I Can Haz Cheezburger (a multi-millionaire thanks to shared cat photos), to animal experts and social scientists.

The phenomenon has even spawned a successful “Cat Internet Video Festival” produced by the respected Walker Art Museum in Minneapolis now touring the US. The web has created cats who are instantly recognizable around the world like Grumpy Cat (above), Lil BUB and Maru, known for his antics with boxes, who has more subscribers than any animal on YouTube.

If you search “cat videos” on YouTube you’ll get more than 15 million choices. According to Ad Age, the top 100 cat videos generate about a million views a day. And cats consistently beat out dogs when it comes to social media success.

So why cats and not dogs? This question brings us closer to possible answers:

1) We are drawn to them as we are to human babies

With their big eyes and vulnerability, they draw us in and make us go gooey inside. Quite simply, they make us feel good.

2) A big word: they are anthropomorphic

The theory goes that cats are so expressive and emotive, we project human qualities on them, using them as a canvas for our own thoughts. Psychologists say captioning a cat photo is a socially acceptable way for us to vent negative emotions and thoughts (hello Grumpy Cat.)

3) Cats have always had a hold over us

In ancient Egypt cats had temples devoted to them and were mummified with their owners. Anyone guilty of killing a cat would be put to death. Now that’s cat power.

4) Cats are the most popular domestic animal

Nearly 87 million cats are kept as pets in the US (with one-third of owners having more than one) compared to 78 million dog owners.

5) The internet gives cat lovers a community

There are no dog parks for cats, a place where people can congregate and share their pet love. This at a time when people are having children at a later age or not at all, and living longer: cats are taking on the role of kids, companions, family.

6) Cats are cool. Dogs are not.

Dogs want to please us. Cats don’t.

7) We love to see cats lose their cool

Nothing like seeing the seeingly unperturbable dignity of a cat challenged by being stuck in a box. Cats get into all kinds of predicaments, made more amusing by how normally aloof and superior they present themselves — and quite simply, “curiousity killed the cat” can be highly entertaining to watch.