I hope the panda in our website's name and logo doesn't make you think it's the only animal we approve of. I mean, we even feature the peculiar creatures scientists find 16,000 feet deep in the ocean.
This time, we want to go back to the classics and revisit one of our earliest domesticated species. Cats!
The appropriately titled Instagram account 'Cat Memes For All' shares humorous pictures that perfectly explain the nature of our beloved companions, and you don't have to own one to appreciate them.
Continue scrolling to check out the images, and don't miss the chat we had with British journalist, author, and expert on feline behavior, Celia Haddon.
More info: Instagram
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Cats are often seen as sneaky, mysterious pets, but if you know what to look for, you can understand their needs and emotions much better. Even in these memes!
"Body language is as important or more than vocal language for cats," Celia Haddon, author of 'Being Your Cat: What's Really Going on in Your Feline's Mind,' told Bored Panda.
"You really want to look at the whole body of your cat to read its signals — ears, tail, fur, back and face. Don't just read one body part of the cat: read every part and put it all together."
According to Haddon, who you can follow on Twitter, ears are one of the easier ways of interpreting these animals. For example, "If the ears are pointing forward, the cat is interested and alert. If the ears are lowered on either side of the head, then your cat is frightened."
"If the ears are swiveled backwards, it is a sign of frustration or anger. If the ears are lowered AND swiveled back, then your cat is both frightened and frustrated/angry."
Something tells me that although it can be fun, this design might not be a good idea
"Roughly speaking, if your cat's fur is standing up on its back, its back is arched and its tail is like a bottlebrush, that is a cat which is menacing," the feline behaviorist added. "It is making itself look large."
"If the fur is normal and the cat is crouching with a lowered body, this is usually the opposite – your cat is scared and making itself look small."
Haddon said that protracted (not retracted) claws are also a bad sign because they are ready to scratch.
"The face is more difficult for a human to read, but if teeth are bared that is usually a bad sign in any animal," the cat expert said.
"Hissing and growling are defensive threats and a loud yowl is more of an attacking threat. Purring comes in two forms. The contented purr or the asking-for-something purr, which has a little cry in it. The contented purr, however, can also mean 'please look after me' in some cats — they purr when they are at the vet's and not well."
And while rolling on the ground is generally a sign of affection, be careful because it doesn't mean the cat wants a belly rub. Some might, others don't, Haddon said.
"A tail usually hangs loosely if a cat is happily occupied," Haddon explained. "When it goes upright, it is a distance sign that the cat is friendly."
On the other hand, when the tail is lashing, it means the cat is preparing to attack, while a tail that is fluffed up and goes up at the base and then down is the tail of a cat that is angry.
Sometimes when we see two cats playing, it can be confusing to determine if they're having a good time or not, because, as Celia Haddon pointed out, they play silently without yowling, their claws are retracted, they come back for more after a pause, and they often take turns in chasing or pouncing on each other.
If you want to test your newly acquired "cat-reading" skills, fire up these 50 Cute And Funny Memes That Might Make You Want To Get A Cat.
I have anxiety & depression. I can honestly say that I would not be here without my cats.
Soft can-openers are so cruel, starving us like this.
My kitten is called Naughty Amelia Jane after the book series... it took the vet tech 5 minutes until he stopped laughing
Bouche is usually Bouchity-boo and Tyler too. Audi is usually Naughty Audi (although he's finally learning to get along with Bouche and me).
Oh man they have so many names. Our Oliver was Bunny, BunnyButt, Oh-liverous, Olivier, and dumbass
Load More Replies... My parents had SAM before i was born....her name was actually Surface-to-Air Missile.
Yeah, mine's Eddie. Short for Eddie Izzard because his tuxedo markings include a white "garter" on his back right leg.
I LOVE it XD I have a tux boy whose name is Preacher. He's actually named for the comic book series Preacher, which is pretty violent/satirical/horrifying (it's one of my favorite comic series.) We don't tell people that, though. Bit hard to explain that he's named after a comic about a priest who gets accidentally possessed by the forbidden offspring of a demon and an angel. We just tell them he's named Preacher because his white throat marking looks like a preacher's collar XD
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One of our cats is named Maximillion Kittenpants. My other cat is George.
Blake Belladonna, Maverick Todd, Stormy, Iko, Asha, Baby J, Splash, Baby Grey, Stripey, Gimpers, then we have Tiger and Little Mama
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My kids decided on a regal name for the cat, given that cats used to be worshipped. Olden day Kings used to be X the Something, like Charles, the Bold, or Richard the Lion heart. So we've got Sardine the Brave.
I have two black kittens named Titos and Absolute. Yeah, mom drinks. :D
Elton is because he's blaze looks like a rocket blasting off, so rocket on your face> rocket man> Elton John> Elton. And we call him Baby Elton because he's so shy you have to be very quiet and gentle with him like you would a baby. We also had an Annie that I had found abandoned as a fresh newborn runt that couldn't nurse and the vet didn't expect to live. "Little Orphan Annie" lived 18 big years and was never over 5 pounds!
My mom's cat (who has sadly crossed the rainbow bridge) was named Nick. But if asked, I would explain that to me, his full name was Commodore Nicholas Alexander Handsomepants of Her Royal Majesty's 42nd Airborne Division *salutes*
I'm going to get a sheltie and name her Nancy Pelosi, because, think about it. What other dog even comes close?
My old soulless ginger cat was named Bell, which was short for Taco Bell. When we got her spayed she had to wear a cone so I wrote "Bell Express View Satellite" on it. She really wasn't impressed. Everyone thought she was Belle from Beauty and the Beast, not she was orange like the cheese on a taco. Lol
I had a cat name Princess Twinkletoes… she was really the Empress, but answered to Twinkie… cuz she kinda was a twinkie. Vet thought it was a terrible name…. She chose it by answering to it.
My one calico cat started out as a tiny kitten named "Punkin" but as she got older, it got to being "Punky." Now she's a massive (not a lick of fat on her) 18 pound terror we call (officially now) "Miss Punx!
My sister’s son named their first rescue baby kitten, Void of Darkness.
I once owned a pet rat whose name was Little Fish, and another whose name was Applethief! (Because the first thing he did when I brought him home was raid the fruit bowl).
My kitty's actual name is Tokabe (Toe-kah-bee) but I Usually call her Toto or totes.
My cat was named Seamus (pronounced Shaymus but was frequently called SeaMuss. Full name Seamus McMuffin, PhD Doctorate in Mouseology.
Oscar Meyer monster kitty is the only weird one all the other animals have hooman names. Ferris Mueller to nova the pig to Gucci the duck to Walter the ram to noodles the ferret to Hobbs the 3 legged wonder goat
"Hello, My Name is Awesome Peter" just got called Buddy by everyone.
My rescue babies are Max (short for Mad Max) and Jack (short for Handsome Jack) ❤️
we have Marshal, Phoebe, Jack, Tabitha, and H.P. which stands for Houdini Piper .... ETA - the dogs names are Lillard Bean, Fang Dang Doodle, and Noodle Poodle Monkey. yes, those are their full names
My parents are Formula 1 fans. Years ago, a stray cat came by while they were watching the race. He got named Mika (Short for Mika West Mclaren), because: 1. Mika Häkkinen was the reigning champion at the time; 2. West Mclaren cars that year had black and white paint job and the stray was white with black tail and legs. They would always register him at the vet's with full name.
Yup! Our cat’s name is Nitzie, (pronounced knee-tzee), but we call her Floofisha Milan, or Fat-catchia bread, or Floofy, etc…
Of course he didn't make the sign, he yelled at the human until they obeyed.
I know we like to joke but cats do mourn, some people do seem to forget that
Note: this post originally had 107 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
With billions of people and cats online, you'd think there would be more original cat photos. Sigh.
When my phone died, I lost my pictures of Bouche and Audi.
With billions of people and cats online, you'd think there would be more original cat photos. Sigh.
When my phone died, I lost my pictures of Bouche and Audi.
