Okay, so we’ll be sad if this was proven to be fake. Like, who doesn’t want to see a cat mimicking how its human caretakers move around their home?
A debate has sparked online about a photograph that initially rose to virality around late 2022. Social media users found an image of a large feline sitting in an uncannily human manner. The animal was on top of a dresser, with its hind legs dangling over the side. The image was also posted on Reddit, where various users have their own nicknames for the feline.
These include “sleep paralysis cat,” and djinn (a spirit known as a “genie” in pop culture). For us, the cat seems to be that eldritch entity that used a cat to communicate with you, as if wanting to make you their next warlock. Still cute though!
While some were talking about how odd and cute the feline was, others were ready to prove that the image was edited. Snopes’ Bethania Palma was feeling a bit skeptical, so they decided to reverse image search the photo to find the original poster. According to her, the image appears to be edited digitally. “Cats' hind legs don't appear to be able get into that position very easily (if at all). The bones and joints in their hips and hind legs naturally form a "Z" shape, and when they sit, they typically fold their hind legs underneath them. The hind legs of the cat in the image also appear to be too long,” she wrote.
Regardless of whether it’s real or not, it’s still an unsettling and oddly adorable image!
Image via Snopes