Shoulder cats are a phenomenon much celebrated by self-confessed ‘cat people.’ It turns out that some cattos find the left or right, or both, shoulders of their owners the comfiest place to sit and look at the weird human world from above. Although it’s hard to precisely pinpoint when the term first emerged, the shoulder cat trend has recently taken over Reddit and other social media channels.
And while shoulder cat pics are taking over the internet, a big question has come up and it’s whether other animals on the shoulder count too. Because I mean, guys, is it really fair for cats to steal the entire spotlight for themselves? While this question remains purely philosophical, owners of different pets have now joined the ‘shoulder cat and not exclusively cat’ trend, sharing the cutest snaps of their furry friends on their shoulders.
So let’s see what this whole thing is all about and before someone asks, non-animals don’t count, so there’s no point trying to pull off the shoulder teddy bear for the challenge. Or maybe?...
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Does Shoulder Duck Make The Cut?
Hopefully Shoulder Kittens Count
To find out just why exactly some cats are really into shoulder perching, Bored Panda reached out to Molly DeVoss, a certified feline training & behavior specialist, who runs Cat Behavior Solutions consulting agency. Molly told us that cats like to be in high places and close to the scent of their owners, so “shoulder perching is a natural behavior that accomplishes both.”
Meanwhile, if it seems that for your cat, shoulder sitting is the last thing they wanna do, it may be because “the cat doesn’t feel safe or stable on their owners' shoulders.”
But the good news is that you can train a cat to do just anything it wants to do, says Molly. “If your cat likes to climb up on you, simply encourage and reinforce that behavior with treats, and the cat will do it more often.” You can also lure your cat up onto your shoulder with treats.
Oh Hi There, I Was Told That Shoulder Cats Are Trending Today
Usually it’s young kittens that climb on their owners and sit up there, enjoying the sense of security there. As cats grow older, they get less agile and more cumbersome, thus making the internet’s favorite ‘shoulder catting’ trick harder with age.
But perching on the owner's shoulder isn’t a behavior that’s exclusive to cats. Birds and other small pets do it, and they’re usually easily trainable.
My Shoulder Cat Isn't Nearly As Cute As Everyone Else's
I See Your Shoulder Cats, Is It Too Late For A Shoulder Baby Opossum?
Do Shoulder Horses Count? She's Always Hanging Her Head Over My Neck Waiting For Scratches
I Don’t Have A Cat, So I Present My Shoulder Bun!
Hope We Are Not Too Late
Shoulder Animals Seem To Be Pretty Popular Nowadays. So Here's A Shoulder Crow!
Heard You Like Shoulder Cats. This Is A.....pygmy Tree Cat
Within 2 Seconds Of Meeting The Cat I Was Adopting, She Climbed Onto My Shoulders
Do These Count As Shoulder Animals?
Right Cow looks slightly disgusted by Left Cow's behaviour - "Don't lick it, you don't know where it's been"
I Have My Shoulder Mounted Barkzooka Locked And Loaded!
Excuse me sir, there is a vicious pit bull on your shoulder. Please remove it before it harms you with its cuteness :)
He Always Climbs For A Hug After His Naps. Closest I Can Get To A Shoulder Cat
That's how my kitty is too. He loves to burrow his head in my hair and rub his face on my ear lol
I See Your Baby Possums, Duck & Cats On Shoulders And Raise You An Albino Ferret
Shoulder Cat Will Be Fun, They Said
Silence Human, I’m Looking At Shoulder Cats
How About Shoulder Sugar Gliders?
Do Shoulder Raccoons Count? Courtesy Of My Sister
Shoulder Birb
Shoulder Nugget (And A Lap Full Of Beans)
Hope I’m Not Late For The Cat On Shoulder
Does A Rottweiler Puppy Count
I Give You Shoulder Bun
Hope I'm Not Too Late To Raise You A Second Shoulder Cat
We Raised A Shoulder Cat
He Found My Wife’s Hood. I Think He Likes It
Do Shoulder Squirrels Count?
Yeah! I had tons if pics with gizmo on my shoulders. Don't know where that broke phone is. A squirrel running circles around your body is a weird feeling. I miss that baby.
Shoulder Dane Anyone?
Shoulder Cat Or Cyclops?
I Thought My Little Shoulder Protector Should Get A Turn Too!!
I See We Are Doing Shoulder Cats Today?
My Partner Would Like To Know If We’re Still Doing Shoulder Cats?
Note: this post originally had 176 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
Either pets make all guys cuter, or covid distancing has gone on way too long.
It's the former. Research shows that a good pet owner is attractive because to another person, a good pet owner = a great parent.
I scrolled though, again, and there is indeed a large percentage of really cute guys.
I think both!
LOL
Anne easy
i like this
Beautiful post! I am smiling...Thank you!☺️
Either pets make all guys cuter, or covid distancing has gone on way too long.
It's the former. Research shows that a good pet owner is attractive because to another person, a good pet owner = a great parent.
I scrolled though, again, and there is indeed a large percentage of really cute guys.
I think both!
LOL