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Cat videos are the most popular online videos despite seeming pointless, with over 25 billion YouTube views annually. The article investigates why cat videos attract so much internet attention, explaining that cats elicit human nurturing instincts as they resemble babies physically, and that their independent and amusing antics are amusing to watch online since cats are not always readily observable in person like dogs. The piece also notes how cats have long been revered as companions and even gods throughout history, and that their videos may satisfy people's desire to interact with an animal that commonly ignores human attention.

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138 views

Edit Cat Article

Cat videos are the most popular online videos despite seeming pointless, with over 25 billion YouTube views annually. The article investigates why cat videos attract so much internet attention, explaining that cats elicit human nurturing instincts as they resemble babies physically, and that their independent and amusing antics are amusing to watch online since cats are not always readily observable in person like dogs. The piece also notes how cats have long been revered as companions and even gods throughout history, and that their videos may satisfy people's desire to interact with an animal that commonly ignores human attention.

Uploaded by

api-293262389
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Editing

The Lazy Editor


Why We
Love This
Stupid Cat

Pointless cat videos are the most


popular videos online. But . . . why?
Scope investigates.
BY JENNIFER DIGNAN AND ADEE BRAUN

DIRECTIONS: Read this article, which contains awful


mistakes. Then follow the prompts on the next page.

Youre staring at your phone, watching a clip of a


fluffy white kitten attack a ball of yarn. Theyre so

funny! You should be working


on your history paper,
butoh! A compilation
video of cats sleeping in
boxes. Adorable! One more
video cant hurt, right? You click. Awwwwwww. This
Vine of a cat playing the piano is so sweet . . .
Suddenly you realize two hours have passed and
youve done nothing with it but watch 17 pointless

cat videos. (OK, fine: 18 videos.) And you dont even


have a cat. In fact, you dont even like cats. Is there

the Internet. More than 4 million are posted on

something wrong with you?

YouTube and Vine every year. On YouTube, cat videos

No. There is nothing wrong with you at all. Most

get 25 billion views a year. As anyone who has ever

of us have probably spent more time scrolling

seen online sensation Maru walk around with a bag

through silly cat videos than theyd like to admit. After

stuck on their head will tell you, there is something

all, cat videos are the most-watched type of video on

about a cat video that we just cant resist. But . . . why?

SCHOLASTIC SCOPE OCTOBER 2015

ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/GETTY IMAGES

WE LOVE THIS STORY. TOO BAD WE COULDNT BE


BOTHERED TO EDIT IT! WILL YOU FIX IT FOR US?
4

It might seem like the answer is simple: Cats are

punishment for

cute. And its truecats are cute, with their big

killing a cat was

eyes, little noses, and soft, cuddly bodies. The reason

often death. (You

cats are cute is that our brains associate it with babies.

have to wonder

Did you catch that? To our brains, cute equals baby.

what Bastet would think of our giggling over a cat

As a result, the same instinct that draws us to babies

pawing at a roll of toilet paper.)

also draws us to cats.

That partly explains why a three-and-a-halfminute video of kittens doing nothing but

Another reason for the popularity of cat videos


may be that cats are kind of elusive. Dogs, by

comparison, we see all the timewalking down the

meowing has been viewed 10 million times. Cats

street, playing in parks. Many cats, however, live

are far from the only cute creatures on

indoors and are rarely seen by anyone but his

YouTube, though, so there must be other

owners. Sure, some cats go outside, but they

reasons why it rules the Interwebs. One of

tend to keep its distance. Even our own cats

these is, no doubt, the deep connection that

are unlikely to entertain us on demand; cats

we share with them. According to the Humane

are known, after all, for his independence. So

Society of the United States, cats are among


the most popular pets in the world; Americans
alone own some 95 million of them. Our

Maru, an 8-yearold cat who lives


in Japan, has
11,000 Instagram
followers.

we turn to the Internet, where we can watch


them do cute, funny stuff whenever we want.

relationship with cats dates back to ancient

Certain videos may also give a sense of


satisfaction to those who feel snubbed.

times, when people kept him around to kill mice and

Ignore me when I call you? Walk away when I want to

other critters that plagued crops and homes. But cats

pet you? Well, ha! You just fell into a fish tank! Chances

were seen as more than just pest-control workers. In

are, though, that most of us would be happy to cuddle

some societies, they were worshipped as divine

the cats we see online, to hold them on our laps and

creatures. In ancient Egypt, the cat-headed goddess

pet her as we stare at our phones . . . watching more

Bastet was one of the most beloved deities, and the

cat videos.

VIA YOUTUBE (MARU);


ILLUSTRATION BY DAVE CLEGG

FIND IT/FIX IT

Were the writers distracted by cat videos while they worked on


this article? They made all kinds of pronoun mistakes! Remember,
a pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun. A singular pronoun (he, she, him, her) is
used for a singular noun (Bob, Sarah, Fluffy). A plural pronoun (their, them) is used for a plural
noun (students).
Directions: Fix 11 mistakes. You will need to change
some of the verbs to match the new pronouns.

FOR MORE PRACTICE,


GO TO SCOPE ONLINE.

GET
MORE
ONLINE!

SCOPE.SCHOLASTIC.COM OCTOBER 2015

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