June 18th National Internet Cat Day. Of course, one might say that every day is Internet Cat Day. Fluffy certainly has staked her claim on the internet. In fact, our feline overlords have taken over roughly 90 purrcent of the world wide web. Fluffy has even been described by ThoughtCatalog as the internet’s unofficial mascot. A local vet takes a closer look at this pawesome topic below.
Fluffy’s Rise To Stardom
It’s hard to believe, but the internet really only entered our day-to-day lives a few decades ago. Fluffy pounced her way to internet stardom as soon as the world logged on, which, back in those days, meant dial up. Her first claim to fame may very well be the still-hilarious I Can Haz Cheezburger site, which started out with people simply adding funny captioned ‘translations’ to silly cat photos. This ended up launching endless kitty memes, known collectively as LOLcat memes, and definitely earned their fair share of early ROFL reactions.
Famous Webcats
We really can’t celebrate Internet Cat Day without honoring some of the most beloved online celebrekitties. First, we have Lil Bub, who was born with a deformity that left her unable to put her tongue in her mouth. This made for some cute photos, but more importantly, Lil Bub’s fame led to further understanding of her condition. A crowdfunded genome-study project successfully identified the issue as a mutation in RANK/TNFRSF11A.
Next, we have Grump Cat, the adorably grouchy-looking cat that was unimpressed by, well, everything. Although Grump Cat—whose real name was Tardar Sauce—crossed over the Rainbow Bridge a few years ago, the furry curmudgeon is still keeping us smiling. There are plenty of hilarious Grump Cat memes still circulating. Finally, we can’t forget Colonel Meow, a super fluffy feline that, to be honest, looked both adorable and rather imposing.
A Purrfect Frenzy
Fluffy’s online presence has certainly drawn attention. The phenomenon has sparked several articles, books, and even a museum exhibit, How Cats Took Over The Internet, which opened at the Museum of the Moving Image in 2015. There have even been studies done on why we’re so obsessed with kitty web content. The research proved some interesting points. As it turns out, watching the antics of our feline pals online is good for our mental health. Go ahead and binge some cute cat videos … or upload one yourself. Who knows? Your furry friend may be the next famous internet celebrekitty!
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