The digital landscape is saturated with cats. It has been this way from the early beginnings of YouTube to the origins of social media. Our beloved felines continue to be the most universal icons that have inspired some of the very best memes: Grumpy Cat, Chemistry Cat, Smudge the Cat, the list is endless. Today, there are millions of videos and pictures of cats floating around the internet sphere that nurture our furry fascination, and we can never get enough of them. But our fixation on these little critters does raise the question: why are they so special?

To get to the bottom of this question, we reached out to Sally Chamberlain, a UK-based clinical animal behaviorist and author of Power Of The Purr. Feeling extremely passionate about her work, she founded Karma Paws Pet Care where she provides consultations, cat training, and preventive advice.

"Cats are special because, unlike many other domesticated species, they retain many of their wild instincts and have an independent nature. They are beautiful creatures with an air of mystery," she told Bored Panda. "Even though I have studied feline behavior for many years, they can often be quite difficult to understand, and each cat has its own unique personality."

Looking at these goofy pictures and memes, you can’t help but feel fascinated by their looks, behaviors, and the perplexities of cat logic. According to Chamberlain, we devour this content because cats are so very different from human beings as a species.

"Domestic cats are descended from solitary hunters, mainly the North African wild cat. They are both predator and prey in the wild which can make them incredibly sensitive animals that sometimes seem aloof, but they can also be very affectionate towards species other than their own."

However, the weird antics and funny shenanigans cats carry out may create a false image about them because, in reality, cats are not dumb by any stretch. "Much of feline behavior is based on the fact that they are solitary hunters by nature. They need to rely on their intelligence to seek out safe places to rest and also find good places to hunt," Chamberlain explained.

The animal behaviorist pointed out that cats are believed to be as intelligent as a human toddler when it comes to understanding human gestures, such as pointing. "Cats also have a sense of object permanence, which is essential in working out that when their prey goes out of sight, it hasn’t gone forever. Cats will wait many hours for the right opportunity to seek out and pounce on their prey, especially if hunting is their only source of food."

Interestingly, they can also be trained in the same way as other animals, such as dogs. Contrary to popular belief, felines can learn to do the things their pet parents want them to do. "By using positive reinforcement, they can learn to do all sorts of things from learning to come when called to giving a 'high five', running through an agility course, and solving food puzzles," Chamberlain told us.

Unfortunately, many stereotypes about our feline friends lead to them being underestimated as species. Of course, they sometimes do silly things, but that doesn’t always reflect their intelligence. For example, the expert explained cats can train their humans long before they even notice.

"Cats have unique ways of obtaining food, getting us to open the door, stealing our warm seat, and getting attention and affection. Many cats use what is known as the 'solicitation purr', which is slightly different from their usual purr and can make us feel slightly uncomfortable until we do what they want. This is often accompanied by them staring at us," she added.

When cats feel like their humans fail to provide the things they want or make changes in their home they’re not really keen on, they may take another course of action. "Some cats simply go and live elsewhere by persuading other humans to feed them and give them a warm place to sleep."

If you believe your little goofball is acting cold and indifferent towards your efforts, Chamberlain mentioned they actually do feel affection for their owners, and they show it in several ways. We just need to be aware of them to notice. "Cats can form strong bonds with humans. Domestic cats tend to show affection towards humans in a similar way that they would towards other cats."

"Cats don’t naturally touch one another very often but when they do, it’s mostly rubbing their cheeks or bodies together (allorubbing) or grooming one another (allogrooming). Both of these create a communal scent between the cats so that they can easily identify each other and feel secure in their living environment," she said and added they behave in similar ways towards their humans.

When cats approach you with friendly intentions, their tail will be up and relaxed, and their body and face will seem loose. "The best way for a human to greet a cat is to crouch down and offer the cat a hand with a loose fist, sideways on. This will make the human seem less intimidating and give the cat a choice as to whether or not they wish to initiate physical contact."

"If they rub on the human’s hand, they might want to be stroked," Chamberlain continued. "When it comes to petting, most cats tend to prefer short but frequent petting around their ears, head and neck area. Whereas humans may want to pet their cat for a long period of time and stroke them all the way along their back or even on their belly, but this can be intrusive for some cats, and they might bite or scratch."

Moreover, we can even become better at earning their love ourselves. One way to do this is to give them a sense of choice, consistency, and control. "The more a cat chooses to approach a human to receive affection on their terms, the more likely they are to trust that person and form a bond."

The expert suggested opting for brief eye contact and slow blinks that signal you are not a threat. "Some cats are not keen on physical contact but like to be around you," she added. "Cats like this need you to understand how to give them affection on their terms and plenty of space. You could offer them some play with a wand toy and a few food treats to further reinforce your bond."

"It’s all a matter of considerately finding out what their preferences are. Once a cat has decided that you are their friend, they are likely to be your friend for life."

However, while we consider many cat behaviors amusing, these little creatures may have a different idea. “Things that make them jump like placing a cucumber next to them on the floor may seem harmless enough to us but can cause a cat a great deal of stress. Cats tend to jump for this seemingly inexplicable reason because a cucumber resembles a snake, the sight of which is instinctively a threat."

Countless videos where cats make strange sounds or fall off the counter may seem funny at first, but it’s also a sign of them feeling stressed or anxious. "Dressing cats up may also seem cute and funny, but many cats don’t like this as it’s simply not natural or pleasant for them."

"It’s always best to err on the side of caution and be respectful to cats and always bear in mind that the more we ensure their feline needs are met and understood, the better our relationship and feline welfare will be," Chamberlain concluded.

If you’d like more insight on feline environmental needs, Chamberlain suggested this guide by AAFP and ISFM is an excellent place to start.