Tara Adamczyk, Advertising Manager
Cats have always melted our hearts with their fluffy, cuddly adorableness. With a little help from their owners, cats have found a home as one of the top internet trends in America. Cats have moved past the internet and are now reigning as one of the top trends of this decade. “There is something about cats that just makes you smile and you can never get enough. I always buy sweaters and socks with cats on them because they are freaking adorable and I cannot get enough of them. Everything with a cat on it is so cute,” said Jessica Baker, cat enthusiast.
Take a step back into Ancient Egypt. In about 3100 BC, a feline goddess named Bastet was worshipped because she was depicted as a fiercely protective and warlike creature. Bastet was originally shown as a lioness and, over time, the image was softened and became more strongly associated with domestic cats. According to catreligion.org, cats were sacred and the practice of mummification was extended to cats. A historian by the name of Herodotus wrote that if there was a fire, a man was to stand in front of the burning building to make sure that no cats ran inside. In the event that a cat passed away, the household mourned the death just like they would a family member and would often shave their eyebrows to signify their loss. If someone were to kill a cat, even by mistake, it was grounds for the death penalty.
In recent time, America’s true obsession with cats all began in 2007 when a video of a cat playing a keyboard was uploaded to YouTube. The video went viral and in 2009, it was used as the introduction to the MTV Movie Awards. Keyboard Cat was a glimpse of what was to come and in 2012, Grumpy Cat took the internet by storm. With her own Twitter following and over six million likes on Facebook, Grumpy Cat has become the richest cat to exist. “Grumpy Cat is hilarious. You never see cats being portrayed as ugly or mean, but Grumpy Cat comes across as just that and people love it. I actually put meeting Grumpy Cat on my bucket list. Like, that is something I legit want to experience. I am willing to go to a meet and greet for a cat,” said Ian Rice, avid cat lover.
In the over two years that the Grumpy Cat trend has existed, she has made a guest appearance on “American Idol” and has established her own line of toys, clothing and drink ware. Grumpy Cat also starred in her very own holiday movie, “Claw Out For Claus.” According to inquisitr.com, Grumpy Cat alone has made her owners wealthy with a net worth of a million dollars.
Cat video trends are still on the rise. Social networking apps such as Vine and Instagram make it easier for you to capture an adorable cat moment on your cell phone and upload it instantly to the internet. These apps also help get the video shared throughout the world with the use of hashtags (#). Cat videos make the internet. No matter how bored you get, you know you can always find a cat video that will make you laugh.
The trend of cats becoming much more than just household pets is really taking over retail. Although dog-themed magnets, shirts, and greeting cards have been around for years, cat-themed clothing, mugs, and phone cases are just now hitting their high point. Also, cats have always found careers in a popular Japanese restaurant trend, cat cafés. At these cafés, you drink coffee or tea while you sit in a room and play with cats. In 2014, three cat cafés opened in California, New York, and Washington D.C. America’s cat cafés trended on both Twitter and Facebook for three days straight. CNN.com covered a story where Purina One pet food took the cat café trend as an opportunity to find homes for shelter cats. The event was complete with “cat chat” where people got to discuss cat behavior and medical needs with cat experts.
Cats have opened a whole new door for this country and have become more than just loving pets. It almost appears that they got tired of hiding in the shadows of dogs and decided to outsell them with their sassiness. Although the trend may not make much sense and make you question how Americans think, this trend is actually a positive thing. It takes away from the tragic world and gives us something to smile about. Cat trends are here to stay for awhile. It is much more than just sharing something cute and funny that your pet did. Cats connect us to one another and give us something to smile and laugh about.
