Why are we obsessed with celebrity cats on the internet?

Have you ever wondered why the internet is obsessed with cats? Everyday, hundreds of thousands of photos and videos of moggies looking adorable, being silly or knocking various items off countertops and tables are shared, to the delight of millions of fans.

Our adoration of kitties has led to the rise of celebrity cats. Some of the most famous cats in the world include the instantly recognisable Grumpy Cat, Nala Cat, who holds the Guinness World Record for most-followed cat on Instagram, and - closer to home - Larry the Cat, the Chief Mouser of 10 Downing Street.

Larry, a rather serious-looking domestic tabby cat who was adopted by Downing Street staff from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, has patrolled the prime minister’s residence since 2011. Once in a while, Larry can be spotted on TV patiently waiting to be let inside the building while news channels wait for ministers to come in or out.

He has amassed hordes of fans, with more than 904,000 followers on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter. Recently, a TikTok video shared by a group of American tourists went viral after they recorded themselves visiting the gates outside 10 Downing Street everyday during a holiday to London, in hopes of catching a glimpse of Larry.

All eyes have been on Larry in recent weeks, after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer disclosed that his family welcomed a Siberian kitten to Downing Street on Monday 2 September. This new kitten, as well as the Starmer family’s first cat, Jojo, will have to learn the ropes from Larry - including how to make sure someone always opens the door for them, as Starmer said installing a cat flap is “proving a little bit difficult”.

Commenting on the new addition, Sarah Elliott, Cats Protection Veterinary Officer, says: "Kittens are full of fun and mischief, all of which can be quite exhausting, so they need plenty of time to rest. As a long-haired breed, Siberian kittens will also need to get used to grooming from an early age to make sure their coat stays tangle-free.

"And it’s really important that Sir Keir ensures the new family pet is microchipped and registered, a legal requirement for all pet cats over 20 weeks in England. Young kittens can be exhausting for older statesmen like Larry, so he’ll also need a safe, quiet area to retreat to when the energy of a younger member of the team gets a bit too much."

What’s behind the obsession with cats?

The fact that we know so much about the Downing Street moggies exemplifies just how large of a fanbase some cats have, particularly online. Dr Samantha Butler-Davies, Veterinary Services Director at Pets at Home, suggests: "Cats have a special place in the hearts of millions, especially online, and it’s easy to see why. Their quirky personalities, playful antics, and endearing expressions make them the perfect subject for social media with their uncanny ability to make us smile, laugh and feel connected."

Our fondness for moggies can run on a much deeper level. You may have heard of fans developing parasocial relationships with their favourite celebrities - a type of psychological, one-sided relationship experienced by audiences - but people can develop parasocial relationships with internet felines too, says Dalma Szucs, Head of Trust and Safety at Pets4Homes.

"We don’t look at cats as just companions or friends, but as having their own identities, and that’s how these parasocial relationships form," she explains. "It also may be the case that many people cannot afford or are not in the position to have a pet, so they live vicariously through these social media accounts.

"It makes them feel like it’s their pet, too. They wait for updates and they can follow along in their lives without having the actual responsibility of owning a pet. It’s very easy to become attached to them."

There is no shortage of cats to become enamoured with online. From Taylor Swift’s trio of felines, Meredith Grey, Olivia Benson and Benjamin Button, to Molly-Mae Hague’s pair, Eggy and Bread, we love seeing what they get up to. But it’s not just their antics we’re interested in, as data shows that celebrities and influencers also drive interest in certain breeds of cats depending on what they get.

"Ever since people started talking about Sir Keir’s new cat in just the last couple of days, our views for Siberian kittens in this category have increased by 125%, which is insane," Szucs says.

"And before Taylor Swift got her cats, which are Scottish Folds, we didn’t have that many Scottish Fold kittens on the website. But since then, we’ve seen a really significant increase in these types of cats on Pets4Homes."

Other celebrities, like Ed Sheeran and Florence Welch, prefer to adopt. But no matter whether they get a rescue cat or a pedigree breed, anyone with a platform has the responsibility and opportunity to show what it means to be a responsible pet owner, Szucs adds.

What is it like to have a celebrity cat?

Travis Nelson, a content creator and author, has always been an avid cyclist. But around four years ago, he began taking his white cat, Sigrid, out on short bike rides with him - she would ride in the basket in front of his bike.

"Initially, I would just post short clips showing Sigrid enjoying riding down hills as I went around the block a few times," he tells Yahoo UK. "Then we started getting more popular and our rides started getting longer.

"We started exploring London because I was curious to see where we could go and find interesting people or interesting things for Sigrid to see. Nowadays, we get recognised constantly - if I stopped to talk to everyone who recognised us, our bike rides would take all day."

Nelson, who authored a book based on his bike rides with Sigrid titled Sigrid Rides: The Story of an Extraordinary Friendship, says both he and Sigrid have become accustomed to their celebrity status, but sometimes "strange things pop up".

"One of the lead members of a band called The Spin Doctors, which had two massive hits in the early Nineties, posted one of my videos [recently]," he recalls. "It’s just crazy, because I don’t know how many hours I sat in my car listening to this guy sing, and then yesterday, he’s like, ‘Hey, awesome video’."

While most fans of Sigrid are calm and respectful when they encounter Nelson and Sigrid on his bike, there have been some incidents where people have gotten "really aggressive". "There was one time I was on my bike and Sigris was on the ground on a leash walking beside me, and a lady came up and picked her up. She was just really, really excited, but I wasn’t a big fan of that."

Aside from that, though, Nelson and Sigrid have seen many positive sides to fame - including being able to use their wide reach to start conversations about mental health. Recently, the pair participated in the #BreakTheCycle challenge, a campaign launched by leading British e-bike brand VOLT together with mental health and suicide prevention charity Beder.

In memory of the 5,284 people in England who died by suicide last year, Nelson and Sigrid, alongside model Alexina Graham, joined the challenge to cycle 5.284km and encouraged members of the public to do the same in order to hit 52,840km by World Suicide Prevention Day on 10 September.

Nelson, who spoke openly about his mental health struggles in his book, says it’s important to him to get involved in charity work as much as he can using his and Sigrid’s platform.

"I want to do more with our audience and go on more trips to get a little closer to fans. Generally speaking, people that are fans of Sigrid are all very kind and generous, and a lot of the time they’ll read my book and appreciate us both a little bit more, so I’m keen to meet more people."

Read more about pets:

• Should pets sleep in your bed? Sleep expert lists pros and cons (Yahoo Life UK, 5-min read)

• Should every family own a cat? Scientists reveal how to communicate with your feline (Yahoo Life UK, 4-min read)

• How to decide who gets the pet in a divorce (Yahoo Life UK, 4-min read)