I can has a cheeseburger?
If you have not heard of this then you have not been on the Internet for long. Kittens, and cats are everywhere, and have been hogs of the Internet world for some time.
A whole language has been assigned to cats (lolcat speak)…
When Internet sites go wonky they delight their viewers by offering them unlimited numbers of kitten pictures to look at.
Other sites threaten you, an on-line game I once use to play (er, shall I say was addicted to) Earth 2025, often threatened that every time an ad was not clicked a kitten would die.
On some social networking sites angry users are quickly pacified by a show of cute cat (or kitten) pictures. Try it yourself.
On Reddit, there are ten times more subscribers to r/catpictures, than to r/dogpictures. In fact the cat pictures subreddit has three times as many subscribers as the cat subreddit itself!
Cats and kittens in videos, with a bit of promotion, often go viral, but baby videos are often booed (unless they have a cat or kitten in them of, course).
http://www.flickr.com/photos/clevergrrl/218312595/
The Internet is fascinated with cats and kittens, more so than the real world is.
In the real world, millions are euthanized every year, even within the United States alone. Perhaps the ad threat I received on the Earth 2025 game was real.
In the real world people dump their kittens in shelters simply for being a kitten (clawing the furniture).
In the real world people abandon their cat when they move and cannot find a place that allows cats.
In the real world people take “Free to Good Home” kittens and feed them to snakes, they take “Free to Good Home” cats and sell them to research labs, or use them as bait for fighting dogs.
In the real world people hate a cat just because of its color.
In the real world some people punish a cat for doing what is natural, killing a bird, or mouse.
In the real world people remove the toes of their kitten to protect their sofa, and then get rid of it when it starts peeing around the house (a known side effect that sometimes comes after a cat is declawed).
In the real world owners scrape their dead cats off the road and exclaim “I let it out many times and it was never run over before”. How many times can a cat get run over, idiot?
In the real world cats are poisoned by people who hate them in their yard. Or are snatched up and driven far away and dumped. In some areas such cats are used as “target practice”.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/scrapstothefuture/502274792/
The real world is not as cat friendly as the Internet would have us think…
If you are a cat owner, please spay or neuter to prevent unwanted kittens from being born. Think of it this way, every kitten that finds a home, means a kitten in a shelter will not be so lucky. Please keep your cats on your property and well looked after. Please consider adopting a cat, or kitten from a shelter, and remember that a pet is a lifetime commitment.
Related Cat and Kitten Links
Toxoplasmosis, a Misunderstanding that Kills Cats
Common Cat Facts that Some Owners do not Know
Good News for Cat Lovers who have Allergies
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Liked it
Karen Gross
On July 28, 2010 at 3:20 am
Kittens are just so darn cute! But all too soon they become cats, and cats are not as cute.
Maybe we should apply the same solution for unwanted pets that we do with unwanted human babies – take the cat or dog in for an abortion before the kittens or puppies are born.
webseowriters
On July 28, 2010 at 3:50 am
Excellent share with nice details
thestickman
On July 28, 2010 at 7:31 am
Cats! :-\
AskSan
On July 28, 2010 at 9:43 am
I do love cute pictures of cats and kittens, as much as the next guy (or girl) but you have also touched (very well) on an issue that is concerning to all–cruelty to animals. Thank you for a great read!!!
PARAM
On July 28, 2010 at 10:01 am
cats….meeeeaaaauuuu……..nice post.
Brenda Nelson
On July 28, 2010 at 10:19 am
Hi Karen,
I wasnt sure if you were being sarcastic about aborting the litter, but this is sometimes done – usually the mom is spayed at the time..
my own cat I adopted from a shelter. She had been recently spayed by the shelter – I was told she was spayed because she was pregnant at the time – and either they spay them – or euthanize them.. she was lucky, because many other pregnant cats got put down when space was lacking (the shelter could not keep newborn kittens – disease/space – that need 6 weeks to grow up.. and take up cage space that other cats could have used)…
anyhow my personal first choice is SPAY or dont let the female cat outside!
Sourav
On July 28, 2010 at 10:47 am
I love cats! Good share.
Minister Marlene
On July 28, 2010 at 11:53 am
B. Nelson you are a tender hearted soul. This is the article that should be spread all over the internet.
Payge
On July 28, 2010 at 12:01 pm
A well written article that does state what happens to unwanted cats and their fate.I dont have a cat anymore due to asthma but does love them very much and misses them.Animals of any kind dont deserve the fate they receive and the pets in the shelters aren’t always adopted in time.
Jo Oliver
On July 28, 2010 at 2:49 pm
I would agree. If you just look at the net, it seems everyone is fuzzy little kitty lovers, but the real word is not congruent with that. Great article B…way to raise awareness!!!!!
PR Mace
On July 28, 2010 at 10:47 pm
Great article, Brenda. I didn’t know kittens were fed to snakes. I hate when people allow their cats free assess to the outside world. They are asking for the cat to be run over or any number of horrible things to happen. I placed this on Face Book it needs to make the rounds and be read by as many as possible.
Lipstick
On July 29, 2010 at 5:16 am
what i wish most at this moment is that a cat would be drawn into my realm
one that i will fall in love with at first sight, just as she or he would fall for me too
i like the cat pictures u have attached, i want one that’s similar to the black and white kitten
and yes in real world , humans needs to start being more kinder to cats and other voiceless creatures, Mother Nature is doing some spanking nowdays
postpunkpixie
On August 21, 2010 at 10:54 am
I’ve always had the impression that internet types are cat people. The sort of people who regularly peruse sites like “I can has cheezburgr” and all the assorted internet nerds (sorry, had to say it, and yes I’m one too) that go with it, are still a minority. There are still plenty of people in the world who love animals and look after them responsibly, but sadly there are just as many cruel, stupid and ignorant people around.
Karen Gross
On September 21, 2012 at 12:34 am
Lolcat-speak? Kittens are a joy to delight in, and a cat can be a source of comfort and companionship. Thanks for the link.
Karen Gross
On September 21, 2012 at 12:48 am
Just had a thought in hindsight – my articles with pet pictures and stories have been my most popular. The internet obsession has been lucrative for me (haha – in Triond terms!)