October 21st 2023.
As someone who works as an animal behaviorist for the charity Cats Protection, I witness an epidemic of cat suffering on social media. Not only is this epidemic going unnoticed, but it is also being rewarded by the social media companies themselves and indulged by those who claim to love cats.
Recently, I watched a video of a cat being picked up under its front legs and swung about a living room like a ragdoll. It made me feel frustrated and sad, but it didn’t surprise me. Part of my role is to advise people why it would be dangerous for cats to endure this kind of treatment. It is hard to believe that people need to be told this, but unfortunately, some people don’t have empathy for cats.
It leads me to wonder, if I didn’t have my experience and knowledge, would I be compelled to do the same thing to my own cat? Do some people engage with these videos because they lack empathy or understanding of cats? Trends like this are only the top-line problems; there is a daily cesspool of poor feline welfare on social media, including cats being heavily restrained to perform on camera, cats in costumes that inhibit their behavior, and cats being chased and scared.
It is concerning that more young people are getting cats while being inundated with inappropriate messaging about how to interact with cats. We may call ourselves ‘cat lovers’, but do we really act that way? Is there a disconnect between loving cats and wanting what is best for them?
We can’t control what content gets made, but we can control whether we engage with it. Instead of watching and ‘liking’ videos that are harmful to cats, we can show our love and appreciation by engaging with content that doesn’t hurt them in any way. We can also educate ourselves on cat behavior, body language, and welfare. If we want to make a difference in the lives of cats, we need to be their advocates.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
