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People In The Philippines Spotted Stray Cats Occupying The Circle Marks Near The Market
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People In The Philippines Spotted Stray Cats Occupying The Circle Marks Near The Market

Interview With Author
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Apparently, cats are great at following coronavirus quarantine rules and regulations (though we know they just love sitting inside of circles). And here we thought that they’re rebels at heart. A group of stray cats was spotted occupying social distancing markers on the sidewalk in one Quezon City market street, in the Philippines.

The white circles painted on the ground are meant to help people stay at least 1 meter apart and to reduce the spread of Covid-19. Photos of the cats acting socially responsibly drew a lot of internet users’ attention and people complimeownted them for being disciplined. Unlike some people out there who might think that the pandemic has nothing to do with them.

Check out the cute photos below and scroll down for Bored Panda’s interview with Coleen Joice Aquino who took the pics of the cats. Oh, and if you want to see more animals acting responsibly and teaching hoomans how to do social distancing properly, have a look at our post about it right here.

Coleen Joice Aquino posted photos of stray cats sitting inside of social distancing markers on a sidewalk in Quezon City

Image credits: Coleen Joice Aquino

The photos went viral

Image credits: PhilippineStar

The cats stayed inside the circles for around 10 minutes. This group of felines usually comes here looking for food

Image credits: Coleen Joice Aquino

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Image credits: PhilippineStar

Image credits: Coleen Joice Aquino

The world learned about the circle-marker-loving cats after Quezon City local Coleen posted photos she took on her Facebook account. That’s when the meowsome pics went viral and were even featured on the news.

Coleen told Bored Panda that the first time she saw that the cats were occupying the circles, they stayed there for around 10 minutes. She thought it was so amazing, she decided to take a few photos of them. “I took the photos on May 10 and these cats are just roaming around the public market where our vegetable store is located at. That was the first time I saw cats sitting in the circles,” she said.

According to Coleen, she didn’t expect her photos to go viral. “I just posted them because I found it cute and nice content to share on social media.” She added that when she took the photos, her city was implementing an Enhanced Community Quarantine (aka an ECQ). “But now it is under Extreme ECQ. And people here are following regulations,” she said.

The cats keep coming back looking for food

“I was so excited that I took pictures of them,” she also told the local media. According to her, these particular cats are strays that keep coming back to the same spot looking for food.

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While we like to think that cats are silently mocking us by showing us how to follow quarantine regulations properly, the truth is, felines love being inside circles and squares. It’s a survival instinct.

Cat behaviorist Mieshelle Nagelschneider from The Cat Behavior Clinic told Inverse that cats are drawn to enclosed spaces because hiding is both a predatory and a predator-aversion instinct.

“Out in nature, they will hide from predators in a carved-out tree stump. They will also hide themselves in this same tree stump to ambush their prey as part of their natural stalking and predatory behavior,” she said. “Placing themselves in a circle would give a cat a sense of security and safety and, at least in their minds, an increased chance of survival.”

People loved the photos and here’s what they had to say about them

Image credits: MiaMotherNature

Image credits: rjblaskiewicz

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Image credits: OruGelfMalayali

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Image credits: DbDant

Image credits: sj2go

Image credits: CatBelfast

Image credits: sibling8of9

Image credits: SaccenteLaura

Image credits: sw_inku

Image credits: paulbeban

Image credits: bindingtwine

Some people wanted to know why cats do this…

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Image credits: Lanzwitazee

…so others went into detail about why cats like beings inside of circles

Image credits: Bibliomancer7

Image credits: jbcabret

Image credits: Lanzwitazee

Other animals were also spotted social distancing during the quarantine elsewhere

Image credits: Rammsteinstochter

Image credits: Channel2Weather

Image credits: Tokumori_SAIZU

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Image credits: redvakho

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Jonas Grinevičius

Jonas Grinevičius

Writer, BoredPanda staff

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Storytelling, journalism, and art are a core part of who I am. I've been writing and drawing ever since I could walk—there is nothing else I'd rather do. My formal education, however, is focused on politics, philosophy, and economics because I've always been curious about the gap between the ideal and the real. At work, I'm a Senior Writer and I cover a broad range of topics that I'm passionate about: from psychology and changes in work culture to healthy living, relationships, and design. In my spare time, I'm an avid hiker and reader, enjoy writing short stories, and love to doodle. I thrive when I'm outdoors, going on small adventures in nature. However, you can also find me enjoying a big mug of coffee with a good book (or ten) and entertaining friends with fantasy tabletop games and sci-fi movies.

Read less »
Jonas Grinevičius

Jonas Grinevičius

Writer, BoredPanda staff

Storytelling, journalism, and art are a core part of who I am. I've been writing and drawing ever since I could walk—there is nothing else I'd rather do. My formal education, however, is focused on politics, philosophy, and economics because I've always been curious about the gap between the ideal and the real. At work, I'm a Senior Writer and I cover a broad range of topics that I'm passionate about: from psychology and changes in work culture to healthy living, relationships, and design. In my spare time, I'm an avid hiker and reader, enjoy writing short stories, and love to doodle. I thrive when I'm outdoors, going on small adventures in nature. However, you can also find me enjoying a big mug of coffee with a good book (or ten) and entertaining friends with fantasy tabletop games and sci-fi movies.

Greta Jaruševičiūtė

Greta Jaruševičiūtė

Author, BoredPanda staff

Read more »

Greta is a Photo Editor-in-Chief at Bored Panda with a BA in Communication.In 2016, she graduated from Digital Advertising courses where she had an opportunity to meet and learn from industry professionals. In the same year, she started working at Bored Panda as a photo editor.Greta is a coffeeholic and cannot survive a day without 5 cups of coffee... and her cute, big-eared dog.Her biggest open secret: she is a gamer with a giant gaming backlog.

Read less »

Greta Jaruševičiūtė

Greta Jaruševičiūtė

Author, BoredPanda staff

Greta is a Photo Editor-in-Chief at Bored Panda with a BA in Communication.In 2016, she graduated from Digital Advertising courses where she had an opportunity to meet and learn from industry professionals. In the same year, she started working at Bored Panda as a photo editor.Greta is a coffeeholic and cannot survive a day without 5 cups of coffee... and her cute, big-eared dog.Her biggest open secret: she is a gamer with a giant gaming backlog.

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bpbperic avatar
Night Owl
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Smarter than some humans. Kidding aside, I hope they got their food; and some treats as a reward. Good kitties!

dbradley avatar
d bradley
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

i didn't believe it myself until i tried it with our cat...... if you take some tape and stick it on the floor in the shape of a circle your cat will come over and sit inside the circle

Load More Comments
bpbperic avatar
Night Owl
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Smarter than some humans. Kidding aside, I hope they got their food; and some treats as a reward. Good kitties!

dbradley avatar
d bradley
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

i didn't believe it myself until i tried it with our cat...... if you take some tape and stick it on the floor in the shape of a circle your cat will come over and sit inside the circle

Load More Comments
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