Why the Internet chose cats

[Enrique]

http://thoughtcatalog.com/2011/why-the-internet-chose-cats/

It is widely-known that some people are ‘dog people’ and others are ‘cat people’. In fact, in mainstream romantic comedies, whether or not someone is a ‘dog person’ is often central to the evolving relationship. Countless films exist in which someone’s status as a ‘dog person’ or ‘not a dog person’ acts as the primary or major secondary plot conflict.

In early 2010, specific research was conducted by a University of Texas at Austin that found almost 42 percent of Americans self-identify as ‘dog people’ versus only 12 percent who reported they are ‘cat people’. About 28 percent said ‘both’ and 15 percent said ‘neither’. Which means that according to this dude’s research, more people dislike both types of furry housepets than express a distinct cat preference.

Yet the internet widely prefers cats. Some of the most popular Internet memes are related to cats. The /b/, or ‘random’ section of popular image board 4chan, which is reputed to be a ‘den of festering evil’ by people who wince anxiously and mispronounce ‘4chan’ while chatting in office cubicles, once routinely created an entire ‘holiday’ devoted to posting cat pictures. As most common internet culture memes are derivatives, loosely, of things people did on 4chan three years prior, it is unsurprising that the ‘Caturday’ holiday became, like, ‘a thing’ for people who would self-identify as moderate to heavy internet users.

It similarly became popular to caption images with white block text in order to make them funnier; thanks to the unfortunately-named website ‘memegenerator.net’, images with white text on them from the internet became known as ‘memes’ even though ‘meme’ doesn’t mean ‘picture with white text on it’. Cat memes are generally the most popular type of captioned image; people go to websites such as ‘cute overload’, ‘icanhazcheezburger’, and, more recently, ‘cute boys with cats’ and, perhaps the most exciting of a million cat-related Tumblrs, ‘cashcats.biz,’ simply to view pictures of cute cats all day, with or without text thereupon.

(...)

[Kali]

1. interesting

[astral]

2. Well, cats are cuter, cleverer, independent, and they make better bosses

Remember the video where they set a huge pile of cats free in a furniture store? Now, what do you think would happen if they tried that with dogs?

[Enrique]

4. cats rule

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I9NAeDkSVYE/TVVY2snnrYI/AAAAAAAAARY/p9rlHsJ8Jos/s1600/cat-fail+beds.jpg

[KT2000]

15. There it is in a nutshell!

That is hilarious and I am sharing it!

[nolabear]

3. Cats make a far better projective field. Dogs insist on being right out there.

I'm not saying cats don't have distinctive personalities but in a photo there's a universality to those expressions--bored, grumpy, irritable, superior, they all look a lot alike so you can make up a whole scenario around it. Dogs just don't cooperate. PLUS, if you're in a room with a dog the dag's damned near always looking at you if you're doing something interesting like taking a photo. Cats don't give a rip.

[Skittles]

5. cats are just more interesting than dogs

I love dogs but they are fairly predictable

[emilyg]

6. Cats don't drool.

[kentauros]

7. Uh, mine does

especially when he's happy and content. I remember an "incident" last year when I was at the computer desk here, barefoot, and the next thing I know, I feel wetness on the top of one foot. My cat had walked up, stopped at my feet, and drooled on me :rofl:

[emilyg]

8. Your cat loves you. Just the sight of you....... and

he's in heaven.

[Kablooie]

9. Because capybara people are few and far between.

[Arugula Latte]

10. Cats are just better in every way.

The end.

[XemaSab]

11. How is 4Chan supposed to be pronounced?

:shrug: :(

[Enrique]

13. that's what I was wondering too

i doubt I'll ever have to say it out loud, but I don't want to mispronounce it in my head and look stupid there. :-)

[undeterred]

12. Never heard of 4chan or any of the websites listed in paragraph 4

[madinmaryland]

14. This thread is worthless without kitten pictures. nt

[KT2000]

16. 12% are cat people? No way

How could that be, there must be more than that, or else I know every one of them.