Cat fancy

This article is about the animal fancier subculture. For the magazine, see Cat Fancy.
"Cat culture" redirects here. For culture among animals including cats, see Animal culture.
Oriental Shorthair shown at the 2008 Ft. Lauderdale Cat Show

Cat fancy describes the subculture[1][2] that surrounds cat lovers and their hobbies involving the appreciation, promotion, showing, or breeding of cats. Animal fanciers of cats may refer to themselves as "cat people", "cat fanciers", or "cat lovers". The term "cat culture" has also been used,[3] though is ambiguous.[a]

Description[edit]

Cat fanciers often wear clothing that identifies the wearer as a cat person.[5] Some of them use cat puns such as meowvalous for 'marvelous', and paw some for 'awesome', among many others.[6] Cat terms such as "porrect" have been used in article titles such as CBS Sacramento's article about two cats living alone in a Silicon Valley studio.[7] According to a 2013 article by Psychology Today, self-identified cat people have more unusual and distinctive personality traits than dog people. The article also speculates that due to the sensitive nature of cats, some people of a similar nature would feel an affinity with cats.[8]

Around the world[edit]

In Pasadena, California, there is a cat festival called CatCon Worldwide.[9] In 2018, the POP Cats Convention was held in Austin, Texas.[10] There is a cat-themed cruise in the US (operating out of both Florida and Alaska), named Meow Meow Cruise, on which cat lovers can meet people with the same interest and have cat-themed parties.[11]

In Morocco, cats are an inherent part of the country's culture. A 2018 article by Morocco World News suggested that people visiting there could think that the Moroccan person-to-cat ratio is fairly close to 1:1. Many Moroccans are said to love cats, and around the city there are piles of food and water trays left for the cats.[12]

Cat Nation, a film by Tim Delmastro about cat fancy in Japan, features Chris Broad, a British YouTube personality. Broad made his way across the country where he documented the numerous strange and interesting cat-centric activities, including cat bars, cat temples, cat islands, and cat cafés.[13]

Singapore has many cat lovers, cat cafés, and a cat museum. It had its first cat festival in 2018.[14]

Online[edit]

Main article: Cats and the Internet

Cat subculture has transferred to and been amplified by the Internet, where it now flourishes.[15] Cats, especially in the form of LOLcats, have long been a staple of Internet meme pictures. Cat fans often engage in a "Caturday" pastime (which originated on 4chan) of posting cat pictures on social media on Saturdays. There are numerous websites devoted to cats, such as The Catnip Times[16] and The Purrington Post. [17] There are many online cat-themed games, such as Cat-Opoly which is based on the board game Monopoly; players buy cats instead of properties.[18][19][20]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ "Cat culture" more often refers to the animal culture that develops among cats living in close proximity to each other.[4]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Banks, T. J. (July 8, 2018). "The Weird, Wonderful Subculture of Cat Lovers". Petful.com. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  2. ^ Lamz, Cory (April 11, 2011). "Rock the catsbah: Denver's competitive cat scene is a subculture all its own". Westword. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  3. ^ Delmastro, Tim; Spencer, Jason (2018). "Home". CatNation.tv. Brisbane, Australia: Cat Nation. A film about Japan's crazy cat culture.
  4. ^ Alger, Janet M. (1999). "Cat Culture, Human Culture: An Ethnographic Study of a Cat Shelter" (PDF). Society and Animals. 7 (3). Cambridge, UK: White Horse Press: 199–218. doi:10.1163/156853099X00086. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  5. ^ Wasney, Eva (December 31, 2018). "New store is the cat's meow". Winnipeg Free Press.
  6. ^ Williams, Julia (August 18, 2017). "Words That Only Cat People Understand". Canidae.com. Archived from the original on April 17, 2019.
  7. ^ "Purrfect Tenants: 2 Cats Live Alone in a Silicon Valley Studio for $1,500/Mo". CBS Sacramento. January 14, 2019.
  8. ^ McGreal, Scott A. (April 17, 2013). "Cat People Are More Distinctive Than Dog People". Psychology Today. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  9. ^ Jones, Lucy (April 16, 2018). "Claws out! Why pop culture clings to the crazy cat lady". The Guardian. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  10. ^ Cantu, Tony (August 21, 2018). "Meow Is the Time to Plan on Attending Austin POP Cats Convention". Patch.
  11. ^ Kazimierska, Marika (January 25, 2019). "25 of the Strangest Cruises People Will Regret Booking Instantly". The Travel.
  12. ^ Sang, Renee (July 23, 2018). "In Photos: Morocco's Cat Culture". Morocco World News.
  13. ^ Delmastro, Tim; Spencer, Jason (February 22, 2018). "New Documentary Turns Japanese Cats into Feline Film Stars" (Press release). Brisbane, Australia: Cat Nation. PR Newswire.
  14. ^ "Indulge in Your Cat Obsession at Singapore's First Ever Cat Festival". Weekender. Singapore. June 28, 2018.
  15. ^ Robb, Alice (December 19, 2016). "'Mysterious power over humanity': How cats affect health". "Health" department. CNN.com. Cable News Network. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  16. ^ "Home". The Catnip Times. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  17. ^ "Home". The Purrington Post. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  18. ^ Bustle, April 12, 2018 - "Cat-Opoly, a Cat-themed Monopoly Game, Is So Adorable That You Might Not Be Able to Finish the Game" by Megan Grant
  19. ^ Metro, December 18, 2015 - "Cat-Opoly is like Monopoly, but better because you buy cats instead of houses", by Francesca Kentish
  20. ^ OK!, January 2, 2018 - "Cat Monopoly is now a thing – and it's the perfect board game for animal lovers} by Miranda Knox
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