Heh. They're still adorable, though.

Your plan is not working ... even those cats are just sooo cuuuute ...

"I know I'm in the extreme minority of feminist bloggers because I a) don't own a cat, b) don't find LOLcats all that funny, and c) don't really think cats are cute. Which is why Realisticats is for me! "

Uh oh. Cat fight!

Kay has an awesome addition.

YAY! I am not a cat person either so now there's one more on here- I mean, I wish them no harm, but pls stay away kitties. LOL

I find dogs to be much cuter LOL (sorry to all the cat lovers!)

i am SOOOO sick of the current trendy onslaught of kitty sites like catsthatlooklikehitler and ihascheezburger. do people really have this kind of time on their hands?!? ew.

Those are pretty funny.

I used to be you, someone who didn't really like cats. Then I moved in with a man who loved pets, and really wanted one, although we're not home enough for a dog. So we got Agatha--a huge Maine Coon mix that I absolutely adore. And even find myself babying at times. I'm so ashamed!!

BluePencils: my girlfriend had a similar experience. She swore up and down she hated cats, until one day I rescued a kitten who walked in the door and immediately decided She. Was. His. Person. First thing he did upon entering our house was climb onto her chest, purr loudly, and fall asleep. Now she's totally suckered. She's even started loving my OTHER cat. You cat-deniers will be assimilated!

I'm not a cat fan either

I wish them no harm

blah cats

Haha - this just made my day. I, too, belong to the silent few who just don't care for cats. Also, they seem to come with a certain unpleasant odor that sticks to one's home. (Litter box?) Other pets I neither enjoy nor comprehend: Hamsters.

*sheepishly rubs foot across dirt*

I like Icanhascheezeburger. I don't make any of them but I do check out the website when I'm bored at work.

I'd say I was 70% dog person and 30% cat person. As a kid I had a cat as a pet and I loved her dearly but I find as I'm growing older I think more and more about owning a dog.

I also have a Maine Coon mix, BluePencils. He's the most dog-like cat I've ever had -- plays fetch, responds to voice commands, and licks people. It's now my favorite breed of cat. They are such mellow and friendly guys.

Boo to hatred of ANY animal. I don't have dogs and don't prefer them as pets, but I don't run around bashing them like certain anti-cat people I could name.

have you ever noticed how cat-hate is connected in a weird way to misogyny? like, you know, "real men" don't like cats, they like dogs. only pussies like cats. so i have to say your "cat-hate" isn't particularly revolutionary here. if you're tired of "cute cat" websites, don't go to them.

i personally hate it when people talk about their children, which i don't find cute or interesting at all, but i don't have any inclination to post "i hate babies" pictures. i just ignore them.

i like cats but if i see another lolcat on a feminist blog i will snap i will just snap i mean i will lose it, people.

I'm with you, midge_ratchet.

I'm a cat person, and have been since childhood.

But, I totally HATE these cutesy LOLCats blogs like "I Can Has Cheezburger?"!!!

I have an extremely dark sense of humor, so of course, I'm going to be totally not amused by any kind of cutsey DIY hallmark bullshit, such as you find on those sites.

Also, it seems very stereotypically hyperfeminine - all women are supposed to be cat fanciers who see their feline pets as surrogate children, and who have super saccharine greeting card-type senses of humor.

I would imagine that women who share my dark sense of humor would find LOLCats type blogs far more irritating and angrymaking than I do, simply because they, as women, are "supposed" to find that kind of unfunny crap amusing.

I fail to see how LOLCats or icanhascheeseburger is "hallmarky" or even feminine. The cats are devious and, I'd say, dark.

i definitely think there's a post to be written about the gender issues related to pet preferences.

this, however, is not it. just having a bit of fun here. for the record, i am not opposed to anyone else owning cats, dogs, or babies. however, i personally want no part of anything whose poo i am responsible for cleaning up.

also, i wholeheartedly oppose violence against pets or babies. (hey, i'm even a vegetarian! i want so little to do with animals, i don't even want to eat them.) but i do encourage hearty eye-rolling where appropriate.

and agreed, it is my personal responsibility to avoid cat-pic websites. but i don't want to avoid my favorite feminist blogs! (many of which are, let's face it, fond of posting cat pictures. which is how i became acquainted with LOLcats and their ilk in the first place.)

I'm an all-around animal lover. Dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, whatever. Love the furry little suckers to death. I currently have a cat, and she is the recipient of what little maternal instinct I have. I do, however, love her and respect her dignity too much to put her in stupid outfits or take excessively humiliating pictures of her (although some sleeping poses are too cute to pass up).

That said, I had that cutesy crap with a passion. I'm another one with a dry, dark sense of humor. Kittens clinging to trees on posters that say, "Hang in there?" Kill me, please. Big eyed animals with stupid sayings attributed to them? Give the poor animals to someone who'll show them some respect. And don't keep your tiny dogs in your purse. They're not a piece of make-up, they're animals. Allow them some dignity, please.

...And that came out way more bitter than I expected. Seems to be that kind of day.

So a person can only love cats OR dogs not both. And if you love one you must hate/dislike the other and spread the hate around cause its "funny." If you do the same thing anything else, say americans vs. hispanics or whatever else, I am sure most people would find it to be in very bad taste and NOT FUNNY. I come here to read the latest news on feminism not to read about pointless personal likes/dislikes. As a matter of fact I find it offensive. I don't think this is funny at all nor do I believe that it belongs here.

have you ever noticed how cat-hate is connected in a weird way to misogyny? like, you know, "real men" don't like cats, they like dogs.

I definitely agree. My mom, who is a generally misguided non-feminist, but a huge cat-lover, has always told me that the best way to judge a man is by whether he's a cat or dog person. I guess it makes sense too: cats are independent and give reciprocal affection, while dogs are submissive and loyal regardless of mistreatment. Hating cats and liking dogs, or hating all animals has always been a huge red-flag to me when getting to know a person.

hm. well, andromeda, i think it's hilarious. perhaps you should start your own All Serious All the Time feminist blog where you are welcome to decide which posts do and don't belong.

I have three cats and I love them and that is why these are hilarious. Cats are kind of the Murphy's law of pets. I appreciate the fact that they really don't conform to us because it makes them little revolutionaries....even if they puke in my shoes. :)

Love me, love my dog. All 130 pounds of him! To me, cats and small dogs are on par. I like big dogs. Also, as a woman who lives in a rough neighborhood, having a big dog makes me feel safer, even if the most dangerous thing about him is his tongue. :P

Sorry for the double post, but here is my little puppy!!! He is so good.

His name is Maychie, which is Bulgarian for "little bear".

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=80767226&albumId=0

I've had cats too but they clearly lack the total awesomeness of dogs.

I'm so glad I'm not alone in my cat hate. I do find some of the LOLCats amusing, but I prefer my LOLTrek --> http://granades.com/2007/05/02/loltrek/

Dog Lovers Unite!

Ann, I am not saying you cannot have humor. What I am saying is that this is not funny and it has absolutely NOTHING to do with feminism. Besides, you totally miss my point.

My realisticats thing would say, "I paw and meow at your window incessantly all night every night wanting to go in or outside and I take turns doing this with the 3 other cats that live here."

Yeah. One fairly small apartment with 3 humans, 3 dogs, 1 snake, and 4 cats. There are 2 more cats and 2 more dogs downstairs. And 2 goats.

It's a zoo here but I love it. Except for the people downstairs, whose picture would read, "You can smell my cigarette smoke in your apartment and I take all your water pressure."

My realisticats thing would say "I will meow in a way that sounds like a whining 1-year-old child consistantly for weeks at a time because your roommate still hasn't taken me to get spayed yet."

My mom, who is a generally misguided non-feminist, but a huge cat-lover, has always told me that the best way to judge a man is by whether he's a cat or dog person.

Uh, you don't think that's reading a bit into it? Dog people demand loyalty even in the face of abuse? Please. I'd say the best way to judge a man is how he treats me and my loved ones, including my pets.

I was never really fond of cats, but they've grown on me as I've worked in an animal shelter--they can be really funny. But given the choice, I'd pick a dog every time. It's not because I want something submissive, it's because I just like dogs better. I like a social, happy animal that I can go running and swimming and wrestling with when I'm happy, an animal that will let me throw my arms around him and cry into his fur and give me kisses when I'm sad. It's simply a personal preference.

I'm pretty sure Hallmark would never make a card that said either "Ceiling Cat is watching you masturbate" or "Oh noez!! Ceiling Cat is watching me masturbate!"

LOLcats and other cat macros are not, repeat, *not* related to Hallmark or Precious Moments or that type of cutesy humor. They are much more closely related to Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Robot Chicken, in that the dominant zeitgeist for humor for the young and on the internet is, in fact, quite dark but also heavily pop-culture referential (I saw one with a cat with a garbage can lid on its head saying, "Charles! Charles, get out of my head!", which only makes sense, let alone is funny, if you know X-Men.)

And I've seen dog macros too (my favorite has this huge Doberman barking at a submissive tiny dog with the caption STFU N00B!) In fact I've seen people macros (Cory Doctorow saying, "Oh hai! I has balun!", Trent Reznor throwing a guitar with the caption "DO NOT WANT").

That being said, I am a total fan of realism in cats.

Andromeda, what is your point? That cats vs. dogs are like “americans vs. hispanics� (because these wo groups are mutually exclusive like cats and dogs are?). You might not think it’s funny but, but other people here clearly think it is.

i registered just to say that the misogyny comment is ridiculous. also, i like cats. i think anyone who loves cats is a little off, but i like them. and i envy them for being able to, say, pee on my clothes and not suffer any consequences. we have one now called french fry. say hi to french fry, everyone...

The interweb is for pictures of cats. - Warren Ellis

I just wanted to add my two cents to the idea that you don't have to be either a cat person or a dog person. I always thought I was exclusively a dog person because I had grown up with exclusively big dogs. But post-college, I kept living in apartments in which I could only have cats (plus I didn't have the time to commit to a dog). So we adopted a lovely adult kitty from a shelter and we got him a kitten last summer. And now I'm totally a both/and person.

(Which doesn't by the way mean that I read or enjoy LOLcats, simply that I wanted to point out that the pet issue doesn't have to be this polarizing.)

The internet being overrun with pictures of cats has been a problem forever.

I found this years ago when I was a wee bored computer lab assistant, for example, and was happy to note that it's still up.

From the article:

In a recent study conducted by Richard Little it is estimated that there are over a million billion pictures of cats on the Internet. That number is expected to rise by some 30000000% over the next year. Projections for the year 2,010 show that there will be more cat pictures on the internet than molecules of oxygen in the atmosphere. Of course some critics have questioned Richard's study pointing to the fact that Richard is only ten and a half and call the study "dangerous, unfounded fiction" Supporters claim it's not dangerous at all.

Me? I like cats and dogs, and I think the assumptions we make about the supposed genderedness of their behavior says a lot more about our behavior than theirs. But I have a wee pet-peeve (no pun intended) about excessive anthropomorphizing of unsuspecting animals.

I guess I should clarify that.

Everybody anthropomorphizes animals some, and sometimes it's funny. But I've known people who really do assign serious human motives and personalities to animals, and it can get annoying.

I like cats and dogs.
I like lolcats and I love this too!

I just have a lot to go around, I guess! ;)

Ok so I like pictures of cats as much as the next person, I enjoy livenudecats.com, and I just went on LOLcats for the first time ever. I can see the humor in putting captions, but I don't really understand the bad grammar.

Can anyone explain?

Hellotampon, it's supposed to be as if the cats wrote it...and apparently cats write like 4 yr olds.

"And I've seen dog macros too (my favorite has this huge Doberman barking at a submissive tiny dog with the caption STFU N00B!) In fact I've seen people macros (Cory Doctorow saying, 'Oh hai! I has balun!', Trent Reznor throwing a guitar with the caption 'DO NOT WANT')."

How about urban planning macros?

http://www.cyburbia.org/forums/showthread.php?t=30780

I love cats and dogs both, but yes, some of the things on lolcats make me uncomfortable, either cuz they're unfunny or uncomfortable.

Some of them are cute without being saccharine (alot of the kitten pictures, esp. ones that show kittens with their mothers or w/ the faces they make when letting out a good Napoleon-complex yowl...they look like babies!) and genuinely funny (i'm on ur stove, makin' gas + i'm in ur windoez, flashing ur neyburz).

The retarded spelling makes it painful.

Sigh, clearly I visit that site too much...

Okay, I'm definitely a government dork. I thought those urban planning macros were hilarious. I'm not a planner, but my job has required me to sit through far, far too many Board of Adjustment, Planning and Zoning Commission, etc., etc. meetings. Or maybe what is hilarious is that the whole macro thing has become so widespread that they even have urban planning macros.

"Okay, I'm definitely a government dork. I thought those urban planning macros were hilarious. I'm not a planner, but my job has required me to sit through far, far too many Board of Adjustment, Planning and Zoning Commission, etc., etc. meetings. Or maybe what is hilarious is that the whole macro thing has become so widespread that they even have urban planning macros."

Heh. Ceiling cat is watching you commute:

http://www.cyburbia.org/forums/showthread.php?t=30740

I like LOLtheorists.

http://community.livejournal.com/loltheorists/

It should not be forgotten that hate against women always came along with hate against cats, The Unholy Inquisition burned many thousands of cats, together with their owners. Why is it so hard for people to deal with independence, intelligence and pride - both in women and animals?

I really don't understand why this kind of "entertainment" is posted on a great website.
Thaiz from Switzerland

I generally like most pets that don't have to be kept in cages and can fit inside the house comfortably.

I find cats special, however, for their little evil moments ("oops...you didn't want that vase that was on the top shelf, did you? I was just wondering what would happen if I pushed it off the edge. And by the way, your bedpost makes a much better scratching post than that carpeted monstrosity that cost you $60.") that can be followed by looks of absolute serenity and the demanding of dinner. I have never seen a cat show remorse.

Cats don't show remorse because cats are not malicious.

I found sites like icanhascheeseburger funny for a few minutes and then, no. When I tried to figure out why, I realized that they make it out that if cats could actually talk, they'd talk like mentally impaired 7 year olds. To me, if cats could talk, they'd be a lot more sophisticated. It just bothered me.

I like both dogs and cats, but has anyone noticed when they show a dog food ad, the owners can be both men or women, but a cat food ad will ALWAYS only have women owners!

For the record: LOLcats aren't talking like mentally impaired 7 year olds. They're talking in IM-ese, which is a language that superficially resembles but is completely distinct from English.

okay why are we overanalyzing LOLCATS??? theres tons of annoying crap on the internet, if u dont like it, just ignore it. i for one happen to love cats...and think its mean to spread so much hatred for kitties :( everyone says they hate them cuz they're smelly, messy, annoying, and unaffectionate. my cat is none of those things! whenever i'm sad/upset/sick/etc. my cat picks up on it, spends more time on my lap, rubbing his face on me, and all those cute things. my grandparents, who are very old, get tons of extra affection from him, especially when they arent feeling great.
so poo to you cat haters. i will continue to surf all the lolcats sites so that they stay in business. lolz.

I think people who don't like cats have had a lot of experience with other people's cats and decided not to get one of their own. Cats are sort of like little kids who hide behind their parents when they're talking to another adult. It doesn't mean they don't like you. They just need more time to get to know you. They might need a second or third impression. When my family first got a cat, he was a little shy and it took him a couple of days to come up to us and let us pet him. After that, he became very loving and even gave kisses. So give cats a chance!

I have two cats. Coincidentally, I also have a sense of humor.

I love my cats (cats in general really) but I thought realisticats was HILARIOUS. I laughed so hard i couldn't breathe. Its funny because its true, people.

I have two cats. Coincidentally, I also have a sense of humor.

I love my cats (cats in general really) but I thought realisticats was HILARIOUS. I laughed so hard i couldn't breathe. Its funny because its true, people.

HI FRENCH FRY!!

My mother ran over my cat.

What was worse, six months earlier, she'd decided my cat could be infected with FIV (thank you, 1980s Southern Baptist HIV-ignorance campaigns), and was convinced I'd get teh AIDZ from poor little Pepper.

I'm not bitter or anything (enters stairwell, starts sobbing).

Dog person now :)

No one really has to read this comment it's not important, I just wanted to add I think cats are the cutest damn things ever.
There is a stereotype of cats being a woman's animal, and that it is just not manly for a guy to have a cat.
One of the reasons I fell in love with my boyfriend years ago was the relationship he has with his cat. He takes such good care of Mandolin and his shirts are always furry from hugging her. He loves felines so much that he calls them all kitties, even though he's supposed to be a badass metal singer and wrestler.
I'm glad to have found a partner who likes cats as much as I do. Not that we don't like dogs, it's just that whenever I think about getting one for a pet, I think, "I might as well have a kid." Cats can be a total pain in the ass, but dogs take a lot of training and care.

Ok, I gotta say that the LOLTrek thing is pure genius. I LOVE that. also that Spock is the only one with perfect grammar and his lines are the the same as in the episode.

That aside, I have to say I have noticed a weird connection to cat hating and misogyny. This is not always that case of course, but I have noticed a sort of strange pattern there.

As for the macros, don't care one way or the other. Saw the site. The whole convoluted grammar thing gets on my nerves so I don't really bother with them.

I love both cats and dogs but find myself to be more of a cat person. I can't say I understand any sort of "hate" towards any animal. I love them all!

Thanks for letting me chime in.

i was going to say something...but AlaraJRogers beat me to it...i was wondering if any of the critics of the LOLcats had actually seen them...i don't like those hallmarky posters either, but as a fan of gaming, cartoons, pop culturey type stuff...i find them hilarious b/c i get the references.
if you don't like them...ignore them...they are for the amusement of those of us that find them funny...and not intended to annoy those who don't...

If you're terribly bothered by the LOLcats, its probably because CeilingCat caught you masturbating. At least, that's my assumption.

/if you don't get it, just move along, nothing to see here...

I absolutely adore cats. (I have two of them.) And I find LOLcats to be funny as hell.

I don't like dogs though. At all. I had lived with a guy who had two of them and I'll never live with dogs again. They're too dirty, smelly, and needy for my tastes.

Yay for kitties!

I empathize with people who think this is a silly discussion, but I honestly think that there is a valuable conversation to be had about the correlation of cat-hating with misogyny.

Of course it is dumb to gender cats and dogs as females vs males. Once we domesticate an animal, however, a certain amount of anthropomorphism is inevitable. Does it say more about us than the animals? Of course. It really has nothing to do with the animals at all.

I have to agree that I have seen cat-hating and misogyny go hand-in-hand too many times to ignore. I'm not talking about people who just don't like cats, I am talking about people who virulently loathe them and, if they don't actually harm them physically, show a disturbing degree of comfort with the concept of cats in pain.

I don't see it as cats=women and dogs=men though. It seems more like cats=women who are real people with complex emotions and an independence that demands respect; dogs=subservient women who exist purely for the edification and pleasure of their owners, unfailingly happy and playful no matter what, loyal to a fault, and exist in a kind of paternalistic relationship to their owners. I cannot help but notice how similar their rhetoric sounds to those assholes at americanwomensuck.com or whatever who complain about American women being aloof and spoiled while Russian/Thai/whatever women are always grateful and supportive.

Again, does this reflect the nature of cats and dogs at all? Of course not. This is about the people, not the animals. No, not all dog lovers are misogynists. Hell, I am a "cat person" but I do love dogs too. There are just some people out there (both of my brothers included, unfortunately) that are very vehemently and specifically hostile to cats and will tell you exactly why, using some of the characteristics above.

To the OP and others who don't like cats, I do not by any means believe you are like that. But this might help explain why cat-dislike pushes a lot of buttons, especially in feminist communities.

Okay, just wanted to throw in my two cents:

I love cats. I love dogs. I love LOLcats. I love pretty much LOL-anything. I too get annoyed with the spelling sometimes, but oh well.

But I enjoy the realisticats, too. I used to have a cat who would glare at the camera. Yes, it's anthropomorphizing him, but that's really what it looked like, and it suited his personality. I've been considering for a while putting together a memorial album with captions: "You will pay for this indignity." "Enjoy the surprise I left in your running shoes, punk." Etc.

Okay, just wanted to throw in my two cents:

I love cats. I love dogs. I love LOLcats. I love pretty much LOL-anything. I too get annoyed with the spelling sometimes, but oh well.

But I enjoy the realisticats, too. I used to have a cat who would glare at the camera. Yes, it's anthropomorphizing him, but that's really what it looked like, and it suited his personality. I've been considering for a while putting together a memorial album with captions: "You will pay for this indignity." "Enjoy the surprise I left in your running shoes, punk." Etc.