The internet can't get enough of cats, but cats might have had enough of the internet

A recent study has revealed that a significant majority of online comments on videos depicting harmful cat "play" interactions are positive, despite clear signs of distress exhibited by the felines. Researchers from Adelaide University's School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences analyzed comments on 11 videos hosted on popular social media platforms, all of which were labeled as "play" by their uploaders.

The videos showed cats displaying behaviors such as hissing, biting, attempting to escape, and sustaining physical injuries during their interactions with humans.

Despite these evident indicators of cat distress, the study found that 75% to 93% of the comments were supportive of the interactions. The researchers used reflexive thematic analysis to identify nine themes that explained how viewers interpreted and rationalized the harmful interactions. These included misinterpreting basic cat body language cues, believing that obvious distress was required for an interaction to be distressing, reframing aggression as affection, and normalizing persistence through a cat's discomfort as a way to "win them over."

The study also highlighted that some viewers dismissed signs of distress as cute or funny, while others openly admitted to finding cat distress enjoyable to watch. When viewers expressed concerns about the interactions, they often faced mockery or dismissive comments from other commenters, sometimes even being labeled as "Karens."

The researchers noted that these patterns of viewer comments reflected deeper cognitive processes such as cognitive dissonance and coping mechanisms used by humans to reduce feelings of dissonance, such as denial, dismissal, or becoming defensive.

The study's findings underscore the need for public education about recognizing signs of cat stress and respecting cat autonomy during play interactions. The researchers caution that without addressing the underlying human beliefs, biases, and dynamics that contribute to positive perceptions of harmful interactions, efforts to change human behavior may not be successful.

While most viewers in the study appeared to genuinely care about cat welfare, the study suggests that harmful interactions are not solely caused by a lack of empathy but rather influenced by social media and the normalization of such videos.