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Cloud Cat-Viewing and the “Cat Star-Making Movement”
At least 20 years ago, dogs were undoubtedly the quintessential pets. Their breed, lineage, and even their fur and gait reflected their owners’ status and taste. However, this landscape has shifted as smaller dog breeds and house cats have gradually changed the dynamics. According to a report by the Japan Pet Food Association, between 2012 and 2016, the number of pet dogs in Japan dropped from 11.53 million to 9.87 million, while the number of cats increased from 9.53 million to 9.84 million. In other words, Japan’s pet cat population officially surpassed the number of pet dogs for the first time since the survey began in 1994. This trend is not limited to Asia; in the U.S., one in every three households owns a cat, with a total population nearing 100 million cats, the highest in the world. Meanwhile, in the UK, where dog ownership has long been ingrained in the culture, the number of pet cats also surpassed that of dogs a few years ago. Even in Australia, where cats were once considered pests, one in five households now owns a cat. Many social media users worldwide have noticed this trend, seeing more cat photos than dog ones across platforms like WeChat, Weibo, Instagram, and Facebook.An undisputed fact is that cats are much more suited to urban life and people’s daily routines than dogs. When considering time and financial investments, dog ownership requires far more resources, from space to regular companionship. Cats, on the other hand, require less space, are more independent, and fit easily into smaller homes and tighter schedules. The growing popularity of cats can also be seen in the wave of “cloud cat-raising” online. Due to reasons like living conditions orhealth issues, many people can’t own a cat, but they engage in what’s called “cloud cat-viewing” or “cloud cat-raising.” This involves following various cats’ lives through platforms or social media, giving them the illusion of ownership.In an article titled “A Brief History of Chinese Cat Owners,” the author explains that beyond financial, housing, and time constraints, young people’s fondness for cats is also connected to their attitude toward life. Cats’ characteristics—independence and minimal interaction—align with younger generations’ preference for low-maintenance companionship. Furthermore, many young people believe that cats possess emotional intelligence that’s beyond human understanding, and that cats subtly influence our thoughts and actions. This belief is reinforced by the internet culture that anthropomorphizes animals, especially cats.Why cats, though? To us, it’s never really been a question. Cats are ageless animals. Even old cats maintain an elegant walk, and kittens sometimes show surprising maturity. Cats possess a unique poise and beauty, symbolizing mystery and power. Throughout history, cats have often been subjects for artists and writers, with the ancient Egyptians believed to have kept cats for the pleasure of stroking lions. Cats are also timeless—no matter when or where they appear, their arrival is always unpredictable, as if they can intuitively read your expectations and deliberately defy them. This irregular schedule creates an ambiguous relationship between cats and humans.
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How Cats Solve Our Emotional Problems
Haruki Murakami, a well-known “cat-loving” author, once said that the only thing standing between him and happiness was a cat. This could be interpreted as him wanting to become a cat himself. Throughout his life, Murakami has been surrounded by cats—his first cat, named Peter, was his reading companion during his student years. Even after graduating and getting married, he continued to name his coffee shop cat after the one he kept while living in Suginami. Murakami has kept 15 cats over the years, some well-known to his fans, like Kirin, Buji, and Kami. For him, these cats were like extensions of himself. If he woke up to find one of them missing, his heart felt empty.Indeed, just seeing a cat can bring a sense of comfort. Cats inspire creativity and remain an eternal topic of artistic expression. British contemporary artist Susan Herbert began featuring cats in her artwork in the 1990s. Her first book, Art Cat Gallery, transformed iconic figures from famous paintings into mysterious feline characters, like The Girl with a Pearl Earring Cat and Mona Lisa Cat. These works later became some of the first viral “cat art” on the internet. Japanese print artist Tadashige Nishida, too, was a devoted cat lover, creating artwork throughout his life based on feline themes. His cats often featured deep, mesmerizing eyes, imbuing them with life and spirit.In a similar vein, Peng Lei, lead singer of the New Pants Band, has been fond of cats for years. He claims to be a “homebody” and spends most of his time at home writing music. His studio is full of quirky collections, from old-school cassette players to Star Wars memorabilia, but it’s his own drawings of cats that stand out. He has kept several cats over the years, but has never named them, referring to them by their unique features, like “Masked Cat” or “Striped Cat.” For Peng Lei, cats are not meant to be overly anthropomorphized; they are to be understood in their own right, as creatures with their own distinct consciousness.
A passage from the novel Blossoms is one of the most memorable reflections on the relationship between humans and cats I’ve read in recent years. In the book, Betty and Grandma once quarreled over raising a rabbit. When they were pushed to the edge by the pressures of their time, Jin Yucheng wrote: “When they saw the little cat carrying Betty and Grandma, the goldfish and the carp, riding the Shanghai night breeze, heading southward, they reached the banks of the Huangpu River. Two fish jumped into the water, and by the shore, the boat’s bow was tethered to the anchor ropes. Three cats sat motionless.” The words are few, but the quiet rabbit and the lingering cats seem to symbolize the figure of Death. This evokes a sense of fate’s clamor and God’s silence, while those three wild cats, as messengers of Death, ultimately spared the young Betty and Grandma, who were lost in a vast emptiness and anxiety.
