What's with all the pictures of cats?

[dolorous_ett]

A quick glances through Friends pages on my F-list show that lots of people are fond of big pictures of cats in funny or cute postures with amusing slogans photoshopped onto them, like IM IN UR FRIG EATING UR FOODZ. By which I mean lots and lots of pictures of cats with slogans, not just the odd one every few days. It's starting to seem like an addiction, or possibly an infestation.

I'm a cat person and quite fond of looking at cats, given a chance. All the same, I'm starting to suspect that there is a joke here that I'm just not getting. 

Anyone care to enlighten me?

Comments

[zoepaleologa.livejournal.com]

No idea...

[dolorous-ett.livejournal.com]

Very cute cat.

Your point?

[ajat.livejournal.com]

That's June's cat.

[erised1810.livejournal.com]

http://www.icanhascheezburger.com/

i know .stupid ur but i know someoen on my flist got some kind of pic fro mthere. i'm blidn thoug hso i don't know if it's th e famosu cat stuff. (I tink i mightthoug hbecause some ofthe codes ther had the word cat in it.) i also knwo it's the stupidest url i nthe world i've ever seen adn beyodn this idont' see the big joke either. except i'm apparently stil lallergic to netspeak whether someoen means itthat way or does it in jest. eegh.
i hope someoen can te lme whatthe hack this-one means too.

[dolorous-ett.livejournal.com]

It is indeed the famous cat stuff - with a few puppies and walruses thrown in for good measure. Lots and lots of them - cute, but 3 pages in and I'm still not sure I've got the point...

[straussmonster.livejournal.com]

LOL N00B :)

For some reason, cat macros caught on big in various communities, especially meme-generating ones like 4chan. If you don't know, it's probably better to just regard it with an amused air of toleration.

[dolorous-ett.livejournal.com]

OMG UR OPRESSSING ME !!!111!!! It's not fair!

Oh well, fair enough. I'll have to start practicing my amused air of toleration in front of the mirror...

[prelud.livejournal.com]

It just means that many people on your flist watch caturday and cat_macros.Those communities are having their 15 minutes of fame these days, it seems.
Me, I do like a good cat macro. Cats can make unbelievable faces and poses and some people have a gift of coming up with funny captions. Unfortunately, there are very few of them among the masses of macro makers.

[dolorous-ett.livejournal.com]

That's definitely where they're coming from.

The cats are cute, but I'm still not really getting most of the slogans. Never mind.

Your icon's lovely, by the way.

[prelud.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Micka is lovely.

[aerama.livejournal.com]

I just found a guinea_pig macro community and was SHOCKED, but I'm not friending them either - if I feel the need for a cat macro, I'll go directly there.
_I_ am addicted to cute overload. From there I learned that "Ehn!" is the sound a critter makes when it's trying to do something Very Important.

I don't know where any of this started either *feels like a n00b*

But cats are ubiquitous, I guess...all those portals...and ARE caught doing stupid things whilst they pretend you don't know what you're talking about.

[dolorous-ett.livejournal.com]

Ah, the Cat Portals. Says a lot, that does.

I've seen Cute Overload, and there are some very cute pictures, though some of the comments are a bit much.

[fungus-files.livejournal.com]

LOLZ n00b

I'll use my totally uncool, homemade cat icon...

[dolorous-ett.livejournal.com]

That's your cat? I love grey cats - best colour of cat you can get I always feel.

*loftily ignores n00b jibe*

(even though it's true!)

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

On a slight tangent, I knew that the careers service counsellor was probably not going to be very helpful when she responded to me suggestion that what I'd _really_ like to be was a kitten photography wrangler by launching into a "how you can find out about running a small business" spiel.

_Someone_ has to manage those kittens - source them, pose them, acquire the right sized wine glasses and little bonnets...

[dolorous-ett.livejournal.com]

when she responded to me suggestion that what I'd _really_ like to be was a kitten photography wrangler by launching into a "how you can find out about running a small business" spiel.

That has to be just about the least switched on careers service person ever - I'm impressed.

_Someone_ has to manage those kittens - source them, pose them, acquire the right sized wine glasses and little bonnets...

And she took all this seriously? Yikes.

(though for all that, I'd rather do that than be a Careers Service worker - especially in the sort of place where everyone yearns to be a stockbroker!)

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

I did manage to splutter "It was a joke!" before she got too far down the road. I was attempting to use it as an example of how I might enjoy/be good at some things in a job, and not at others. I went away with a print out about working in the Development Office, so yes, her ability not to listen to what she was being told was quite impressive.

I can actually see that being a Careers Service worker could be very satisfying for the right person - but I think that person needs to interested in what makes individuals tick and helping them, rather than "the job market". WE appointed someone to help post-docs looking at career options and she was very good - but because she was approachable, energetic and open-minded, ratehr than than passionate about science careers.