What's Your Cat Really Thinking?

It's no surprise that cats are taking over the internet. Naturally owners snap and upload photos of their cats and it's the basis of many popular sites, like Andmycat. These sites are great fun but it's interesting to stop for a minute and take a cat's eye view.

Who can resist a cute, funny or even "grumpy" cat? Moggies are an internet hit and provide us with lots of laughs - but do their online personas reflect the real musings of a cat?

Everyone adores kittens, cats are beautiful and lovely images of them snuggling up to other cats, dogs, humans or even rabbits are just unmissable.

So it's no surprise that cats are taking over the internet. Naturally owners snap and upload photos of their cats and it's the basis of many popular sites, like Andmycat.

These sites are great fun but it's interesting to stop for a minute and take a cat's eye view before we humans forget that, beautiful as they are, inside every cat there lurks a curious and intelligent being, designed for stalking, hunting and getting into mischief.

So what self-image would cats like to cultivate and what would be their top websites?

I can haz Cheezburger? is hugely popular but even non-cat lovers can spot that some manipulation is involved, and most cats wouldn't want their owners to try and set up the poses at home. And they'd feel the same about Catcosplay.

Being dressed up is something that most cats hate. It may be fun for us but it's at the expense of cats and most would turn their backs to the screen in that resolute way that's so familiar to cat owners.

Henri's cat appreciates the sophistication of cats but in reality cats may find some scenes a little questionable.

In one video, Le Vet, a dog comes right up to a cat in a wire basket, which most cats would find disturbing - always cover see-through baskets with a towel when you visit your vet. And the cat gets close to caged birds and rodents in Paw de Deux, which is scary for them.

The latest feline international media star, Grumpy Cat, is another victim of human projection and we mustn't forget that cats don't think like us.

For example, spraying on a shopping bag or new furniture isn't a revenge attack for an imagined slight - it's the act of a worried cat to make an unfamiliar threatening smell seem more homely.

Maru is another internet sensation, a fun-loving cat who gets plenty of stimulation, with opportunities for exploration, chasing and pouncing.

His resourceful owner often makes use of cheap "toys" like paper bags. Most cats would love this site and some would probably feel that their owners could pick up some useful tips.

The popular cartoon Simon's cat has surprisingly good observations about natural cat behaviour - getting into mischief, exploring new things and getting an owner's attention. And Double Trouble is a good illustration of the problems that can occur when a feline interloper is suddenly introduced.

Cats think like cats, not humans

Most of these sites are cute, funny or both, and are there for us humans to enjoy.

But don't forget that in reality, pets don't see the world as we do and they don't have feelings and imagination like ours.

Of course we do have things in common and our cats have a bond with us. But imagine a world almost composed largely of scents, where you can't see much unless it's moving, where high pitched sounds are incredibly magnified and where you live just for the moment.

That's the real world of your cat.

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