Cats can either be the epitome of elegance and gracefulness or the epitome of outright weirdness. Nothing in between. Regardless of which they decide to be for the day—Vogue models or spawns of hellfire—they’re a pleasure to observe. The latter variation is made much more approachable by the subreddit r/WhatsWrongWithYourCat. 

As the name suggests, the good people of said community are sharing pictures of their cats that make other people question their extended warranty. Started by the Reddit user nicknamed “metrix” all the way back in August 2015, the subreddit houses over 623k members. After this list is done, there may be more, but I digress. 

They told Bored Panda that they started this subreddit as a sibling to r/whatswrongwithyourdog. Silly pups are fine and all, but silly cats take the cake (or the catnip, or maybe both). To those unfamiliar with the term ‘silly,’ it means the exhibiting or indication of a lack of common sense or sound judgment, or in simpler words, weak in intellect, playfully lighthearted and amusing, or stunned or dazed. 

Another admin of the group who’d “been here longer than half of the subreddit age but was not present at its founding” told Bored Panda that what draws people to their page is the universal and undisputed love for cats. “The internet loves cats, Reddit loves cats. Cats are weird, derpy, lovable, smart and sometimes dumb, and always interesting,” they said. 

When asked what their message would be to their dedicated followers and group members, they said: “Have fun and see things on the bright side!” One of the tools to do just that is laughter. Vinod Goel, a psychology professor at York University in Toronto, argues that the brain’s reward circuit, the set of structures that underlie our reactions to all sorts of pleasurable experiences, is responsible for our experiences with humor. 

At the same time, different sorts of humor, from puns to visual jokes, may involve separate areas of the brain to figure out what’s so funny. I know what you might be thinking—what’s this got to do with cats? Whelp, there’s gotta be a reason why we find these silly little creatures so amusing when they’re not acting as we expect them to. 

The art of humor is built upon many structures that lead to the perfect chucklesome reaction, and one of those points is the unexpected. “A successful joke is one that springs some sort of surprise on the listener,” says British comedian Mark Watson. “You begin by suggesting one scenario and then somehow, you undermine it,” he continues. 

What you usually expect of a cat is a cute little furball that emanates power, not a lazy and confused-looking animal that somehow turned its body upside down and around. They’re unpredictable, and hence, entertaining, teaching one and all that you don’t need to be purrfect to be adored. 

Besides, laughter is good for the soul, and laughing at oneself is a surefire way to live forever (or so is my tactic). Humor feels good; it distracts us from our problems and promotes a lighter perspective. Martin and Ford described the three top humor theories back in 2018: relief, superiority, and incongruity theories. 

The first one, relief theory, talks about pent-up pressure and tension being relieved through laughter. Many of us may relate to high-anxiety situations where a joke feels like a much-needed outlet, leading to nervous chuckling. The second theory of superiority states that humor acts as a form of self-esteem enhancement. Nothing beats the feeling of triumph over the stupid mistakes or misfortune of others!

Lastly, the theory of incongruity (or strangeness), believed to be the most influential humor theory, states that laughter is a result of a situation in which we get a different outcome than what was expected. The usual punchline ain’t funny for a reason—we know what’s coming—but once a different path is taken, our interest peaks once again. 

It makes sense for humor and positive well-being to be linked. Martin argues that those with a good sense of humor will be in a better position to weather difficult situations, enjoy more cohesive relationships, find humor in all sorts of experiences, and benefit from more positive mental and physical health. 

So, dear readers, please continue scrolling and upvoting your favorite felines. We’re grateful to the moderators of r/WhatsWrongWithYourCat for answering our questions, and they believe that the subreddit has not yet reached its peak. When asked what the future holds for their page, they said: “Meow, straight to the stars!”

We wish them the best, and to you, dear reader, I wish you a wonderful day ahead. Don’t forget to leave your best cat puns in the comments, and I shall see you in the next one! Stay awesome!