Every Day Is Special: May 12 - National Hug Your Cat Day

May 12 - National Hug Your Cat Day

Posted on May 12, 2017

Many people say that they are "dog people," and of course a lot of people are allergic to cats. So today is definitely not for everyone.

But for those of us who own cats or love cats, today is great excuse to put in some time loving, cuddling, hugging, scratching, or petting our feline buddies.

Cats Rule...the Internet

For some reason, the internet is even more filled with cats than with dogs. As a matter of fact, dogs are more commonly searched online, but cat videos are way (way, way) more likely to go viral.

There are books and at least one museum exhibit and articles aplenty about why cats are pretty much the mascots of the internet.

Grumpy Cat has a wax figure at Madame Tussauds. There is even a convention about the topic: CatCon celebrates cats of the internet.

One theory about why cat videos are WAY more popular is that dogs more often acknowledge cameras, or those holding the cameras, and they seem more eager to please whoever is holding the camera. Dogs also show their entire range of emotions more outwardly than do cats. For sure, videos of dogs' excitement over the homecoming of soldiers, sailors, or other loved ones are way more common and appealing than are videos of cats reacting to homecomings.

But cat videos are more often about cats on their own. Their often-stoic expressions and their seeming disinterest in the video actually serve to make us more interested. Cats tend to be more of a blank canvas on which we can project our own emotions. We see dog videos, and we feel that we understand - dogs are loyal and want to be loved. We see cat videos, and we are left wondering - what the heck are cats thinking?

Here and here are two of my favorite cat videos.

And here are a few of my favorite cat memes: