“While cats can live happily together in the same house, they don’t necessarily ‘need’ other cats like some other pets who need companionship, so some cats, especially older cats may struggle to accept another furry family member into their home,” PDSA Vet Roberts explained to Bored Panda. 

“When introducing new pets, preparation is key. Carefully managed and patient introductions should give your pets the best chance of getting on well in future. Don’t put them both in the same room and expect them to get along straight away. Just like us, our pets need time to adjust to any newcomers. This process should be done slowly over several days or weeks.”

The vet suggested introducing the pets to each other’s scent before setting up any face-to-face meetings. “For cats, use an old tea towel to stroke each cat with ‘their’ tea towel, paying special attention to their face and cheeks. Then swap the tea towels so that each cat can get used to the other’s scent before meeting. If you have a dog, you could swap their bedding,” Roberts said.

The vet walked us through how someone might bring their new kitten or cat home for the very first time. As with everything, preparation and patience are key. You should start off by setting up a safe room for them that has food and water bowls, scratching posts, hiding places, and a litter tray.

“Keep them in this room where they can explore freely and start to familiarize themselves with their new surroundings. You could also set up a pheromone diffuser to help your new cat feel comfortable. Keep your resident cat or dog away at this stage,” the PDSA representative told Bored Panda.

“Once your new cat seems settled, allow the pets to see each other in their separate spaces. Make sure there is a barrier between them so neither one feels they could be in danger— something like a baby gate would work well as long as you make sure they don’t jump over it. This way, they’ll be able to see and smell each other but still feel safe,” she said, adding that the owner should then give both pets the time to adjust and settle.

“You can use food rewards to distract and reward them for calm behavior, but plenty of fuss and praise is always good too. If you’re using food rewards, make sure that both pets are getting some and that they’re not close together, so they don’t think the other might steal their treats.”

Next comes the face-to-face meeting! PDSA Vet Roberts explained that once both pets seem happy in each other’s company, the owner can then take the barrier between them away for short periods at a time. Keeping the situation as calm as possible is essential.

“It’s best not to have lots of other distractions going on as this could add negatively to the situation. Allow your pets to approach each other at their own pace. You can continue to give treats as long as they are far enough apart to not try and take them from each other. Remember to give gentle and calm praise to both pets when they’re settled,” she said. “Supervise closely and watch their body language to make sure they are still happy and comfortable.”

However, keep in mind that your pets will still need someplace in the house where they can be alone. Cats really do like having their own space and things.

“Make sure both cats have their own bowls, scratching posts, and litter trays—and having one more litter tray than there are cats works well. If you have dogs, then you can create cat-only areas using baby gates or cat flaps,” PDSA Vet Roberts advised pet owners.

The expert said that it can be easier to introduce a kitten rather than an older cat into the household, however, you should think carefully about what is best for your current pet.

“Kittens are more playful and have more energy which might be stressful for older pets. Make sure as well that you have enough room for a new pet,” Roberts said.

The PDSA has been taking care of pets in need for over 105 years. In 2022 alone, the charity’s vet nurses cared for over 4,600 sick and injured pets every single day.

Cats have been an inseparable part of the internet for pretty much as long as it’s existed. No, really. Know Your Meme points out that people have been sharing pictures of cats online since the days of Usenet.

With the rise of personal blogs and digital cameras in the late 1990s and early 2000s, more and more people could share photos of their pets with people all around the world. The Japanese part of the internet, especially, was completely bonkers about cat blogs due to how popular the animals are in the country.

In 2006, cat meme evolution (aka memevolution) to a meowjestic leap forwards. LOLcats and Caturday became increasingly viral phenomena. Meanwhile, the rising popularity of YouTube meant that people could more easily share videos of their pets online.

LOLcats, in particular, became a sensation after the creation of the I Can Has Cheezburger site in 2007. As time went on, even serious media outlets like TIME Magazine and the BBC reported on the popularity of cat pics on the internet.

We definitely feel like, so long as the world wide web exists in some shape or form, cat memes and cute photos of our pets are going to continue being an integral part of this.

And even if the internet somehow goes down all over the world (thanks, dystopian AI!), we like to think that we’ll all just continue sharing funny and cute pics in whatever way we can: whether that’s mailing your friend a stack of photos, publishing a long list of floofy felines in the local newspaper, or doing animal finger paintings in literal caves.

According to one study done by Yale researchers in 2007, people tend to disproportionately pay more attention to fellow creatures than to objects. And so, we share with others that which we care about. As it often turns out, what we most care about can be wholesome pics and funny memes of our pets… alongside relatable memes about work, parenting, food, and the like. If the content makes you laugh or go ‘aww,’ it’s even more powerful still.

Obviously, enjoying hundreds of cat pics isn’t the same as raising even one of these brilliant animals. If, for instance, you feel inspired by this article to go rescue an animal from your local shelter, just make sure that you’re going to be able to give it all that it needs.

From buying the right food and paying for vet visits to providing a stimulating environment and giving your new pet the attention it deserves, there’s a lot to keep in mind. You need to be realistic about whether you have the funds and the time to provide a stable forever home.

It also helps if you delve a bit into cat behavior. Though you’ll pick up most things after becoming an owner, it can help to know some general things about the animal.

Ingrid Johnson, a cat behavior specialist and the founder of Fundamentally Feline, previously explained to Bored Panda that cats prefer having options than being forced into anything.

“Whenever we do things like abruptly change brands of cat litter or change their diet it is always best to offer choices rather than forcing them into things," she told us during an earlier interview.

"Cats also prefer humans that allow the cats to dictate the interactions. They do not like to be smothered. Allow the cat to approach and ask for petting rather than forcing it on them," the behavior specialist said.

"Animals are very perceptive, not to mention they can smell the chemical changes in our bodies when we are hormonal, sad, angry, sick, etc.," the cat expert told Bored Panda.

"Many cats learn that a loud raised voice means bad news and they run to hide. It is ideal to try to minimize such tones in the home as we can be doing a lot to stress out all of our pets even if the discussion is not directed towards them in any way, it can still affect them."

Which of these cat pics made you smile the most, dear Pandas? How many pets do you keep at home? When did you first become aware of cat pics as an internet phenomenon? We’d love to hear from you—feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section. And tell your cats we said ‘hi’!