If an alien had to make a guess about what most of our human internet is about, they’d probably not guess just how much time we spend looking at random animals. The share of cat content out there would probably already be enough to shock them. But why not, there is nothing like a fuzzy and adorable digital pick me up.
So we’ve gathered some of the cutest animal posts and pics out there in case you’re having a real or emotional rainy day. Get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorites and be sure to add your own ideas to the comments down below.
#1 The Tiny Fluffball I Rescued Won’t Leave Her Giant Best Friend Alone
Image source: PeachyMaiLaine
#2 He Loves Carrying His Bottle Caps Around
Image source: MarioCraftLP
#3 My Friend Works In A Mall And She Found This Little Baddie Today Under A Bench
Image source: Top-Act420
Let’s start with the face. Humans are wired to respond to a particular set of features, namely big eyes, rounded heads, high foreheads and chubby cheeks. Scientists call this the baby schema, an idea that traces back to the ethologist Konrad Lorenz, and it explains why a kitten, a duckling and a human infant can all set off the same warm rush.
Our survival once depended on looking after tiny, helpless creatures, so the brain learned to reward us for noticing them. Plenty of animals just happen to have the same design, which means a hamster stuffing its cheeks with snacks can press the exact same buttons as a newborn. Nobody needs to explain it to us. Our brains get the memo before we do.
#4 Riley Has No Idea What’s Going On, He’s Just Happy To Be Included
Image source: Saucefire
#5 A Dog’s Head Leaning On You Is The Best Feeling
Image source: Same_Parsley565
#6 11 Year Old Nala. She Is One Of The Sweetest Souls We Have Had The Honor To Know
Image source: highlander68
The payoff goes beyond a warm feeling, too. A team at Hiroshima University in Japan ran experiments with 132 students and found that people who looked at photos of puppies and kittens did better afterward at a delicate game similar to Operation than people who had looked at grown dogs and cats.
#7 He Finally Caught The String But He Doesn’t Know What To Do Next
Image source: Cool_Rise_7914
#8 Went On A Hike And Met This Lil Girl
Image source: H3J1e
#9 My Little Girl In Her Tiny Winter Hat
Image source: Golden_Hour_Girl_
They also slowed down and worked more carefully. The researchers suggested that cuteness may narrow our attention and sharpen our focus on details. It was a small lab study with university students, so nobody should expect a promotion from a puppy photo, but it does give you a decent excuse the next time someone catches you scrolling through baby otter pictures during a work break.
#10 We’ve Got A New Little Family Member, Yumi
Image source: Super-U
#11 What I Come Home To Everyday
Image source: AmoebaHungry7258
#12 Had To Zoom In To Confirm These Were Real And Not Stuffies
Image source: Demogorgone
Mood is part of the story as well. Jessica Gall Myrick, a media researcher at Indiana University, surveyed almost 7,000 people about their cat video habits and discovered that watching them left viewers with more energy, more positive emotions and fewer negative ones such as anxiety, annoyance and sadness.
#13 Stella Was Angry Because I Tried To Move Her Off Of Her Box!
Image source: StellaCoconut
#14 After A Week, My Little Ones Are Finally Getting Along, And Today I Found Them Like This
Image source: Roxx554
#15 Six Days Ago My Son Was Born, Meanwhile The Cats Warmed Up His Bed!
Image source: -Rapunzel
Even the folks who admitted to watching while procrastinating said the enjoyment outweighed the guilt. The scale of it is hard to ignore, since YouTube was home to more than 2 million cat videos as of 2014, with nearly 26 billion views between them. Calling it a guilty pleasure starts to look a little unfair.
#16 My Cat Gave Birth To One Baby Boy
Image source: purplepurposed
#17 She Gives Me This Look Every Time It Rains Like I Personally Control The Weather
Image source: CowichanPaws
#18 He Is So Smoll
Image source: nightshade_x
Then there is the strange urge to squeeze something so adorable that it feels impossible to handle. Researchers call it cute aggression, and a Yale team including Oriana Aragón helped put a name to it. About half of adults feel it at least now and then. Nobody who feels it wants to hurt the puppy, of course. One theory is that it works like a pressure valve, helping us come down from an overload of happy feelings a bit faster. So if a pile of sleeping ducklings makes you want to growl at your screen, you are in very good company.
#19 That Face. I’m Doomed. She Will Always Get Her Way!
Image source: suburban_lightt
#20 He Woke Up Tired, Decidet That Was Enough For Today
Image source: Most-Introduction582
#21 I Love The Facial Expressions Of My Baby Highland Coo
Image source: Goatmama314
Dogs seem to have an extra trick, and it involves eye contact. In a study from Azabu University in Japan published in Science, researchers found that when pet dogs gazed at their owners, the owners’ oxytocin levels rose, and the dogs’ levels went up in return.
#22 My Cat Every Single Time She Sleeps
Image source: itsQuietTemptation
#23 I See This Dude Every Time I Go For A Walk
Image source: evilgreenman
#24 There’s A Fox Family Living Under Our Front Porch And Sometimes The Babies Take A Nap On Our Mat
Image source: MrsApostate
Oxytocin is a hormone linked to bonding, including the bond between parents and babies. Wolves raised by people did not set off the same loop. Other scientists have questioned how far those findings stretch, so it is best to treat it as a fascinating idea rather than the final word, though it certainly matches the experience of anyone who has melted under a pair of pleading puppy eyes.
#25 My Caique Likes To Cuddle/Fall Asleep On My Hand When Im Playing Games On My PC
Image source: Dull-Tradition9455
#26 Frosty In The Wildflowers
Image source: Jewfie007
#27 Rare Piebald Deer I Brought To A Rescue Yesterday
Image source: TheLampOfficial
There are simpler reasons too. Cute animal posts are one of the few corners of the internet where nobody is trying to win an argument. A sleepy corgi has no hot takes. The content is short, it needs no translation and it is perfect for sending to a friend who is having a rough week. Animals also bring personality without any filter, like the cat who pushes a mug off the table while holding eye contact, or the dog who greets the same person at the door every day as though they just returned from a voyage at sea.
#28 My Bean
Image source: mrlilnaynayyy
#29 My Dog Found The Most Comfy Spot On My Wedding Day
Image source: Ok-Conversation7670
#30 First Time In The Stroller!
Image source: mikrenArt
A tiny animal asks nothing of us except a moment of attention. We recognize ourselves in them, and we get to laugh without any pressure. So think of the scroll ahead as a small wellness break with whiskers, paws and the occasional wobbly baby goat. Science has a decent case that your focus and your mood will thank you for it.
#31 Stretchy
Image source: Ckirbys
#32 Scouts First Night With Us. I’d Say She’s Happy
Image source: pumpkinx0x00
#33 Every Time He Wakes Up From A Nap His Ears Are Like This Haha It’s Very Strange
Image source: Veronica_lodge1
#34 Same Stairs, 10 Years Later. This Time With All The Color Kissed Off
Image source: dogluvr_1
#35 And To Think I Was Worried About Getting A 2nd Male Cat
Image source: OhEmGeeRachael
#36 Documenting My 20 Year Old’s Dog Aging Gracefully
Image source: c00kie_
#37 Beeferoni Looking Handsome As Heck
Image source: purplebuttman
#38 My Best Buddy Lou Is 14 Today!
Image source: fanerd71
#39 My Cat Had Only One Baby That Looks Exactly Like Her
Image source: Practical-Tooth-7753
#40 Off Sick Today And Realising This Jerk Literally Does Nothing All Day
Image source: slimmyboy007
#41 My Fur Kids Snuggled With Each Other On Top Of Me
Image source: Fiyeroko
#42 Our Yard Bunny Has Brought Us A Baby Yard Bunny!
Image source: badwolf42
#43 My 1 Month Old Dilute Calico
Image source: Natural_Slice_3202
#44 I Know It’s Not “Scientific,” But Oh My Goodness Bees Have Paws
Image source: Just_Energy_Anita
#45 Our Rescued Ferret And Our Elderly Cat Became Best Friends
Image source: loveyousomuch_ok
#46 My Dryer Lint Just Gained Sentience And It Looks Very Disappointed In Me
Image source: KevinTigrsf
#47 I’ve Just Taken The Most Cartoonish Photo Of My Cat. Thought You Would Appreciate
Image source: Hermeria
#48 The Most Bonded Pair I Ever Did See. Meet Bird And Dee Looking For Their Forever Home Together
Image source: dogluvr_1
#49 Norman Did So Well In The Car Today!
Image source: KittiesandPlushies
#50 Bird And Dee In Their Forever Home! Lots Of Cuddle Puddles
Image source: dogluvr_1
#51 I Walk Dogs At My Local Shelter. I Don’t Understand How Dixie Is Still Here
Image source: PLPHSAO
#52 Newborn Corgi Puppy Paw
Image source: Mindless-Farm-7881
#53 They’re So Sweet
Image source: myrandastarr
#54 After Hearing Their Parents Around Our Neighborhood For Several Years, We Have The Privilege Of Watching Their Owlets Grow Up
Image source: teachingandbeaching
#55 Someone Was Literally Perfect At The Vet!
Image source: Z-Butta
#56 I Met This Little Guy On The Subway Today. He Kept Staring At Me. Haven’t Seen A Cutie Like This In A Long Time
Image source: ron_baker
#57 My Sweet Guy, Nimbus!
Image source: spameyeyam
#58 My Cat Is So Sweet To Everyone
Image source: Rooshirum
#59 A Swan I Befriended, She Let Me Close Enough To See Her Eggs And Then Her Young Over The Last Few Weeks
Image source: Mackem101
#60 Kitty Fell Asleep On My Lap
Image source: jessidsc
#61 Forgot I Had Lipstick On And Kissed Him
Image source: alaeh_potato
#62 Bath, Trim, And A Whole New Dog
Image source: Electronic_BeeHive
#63 Some Adorable Harvest Mice
Image source: mentaldrummer66
#64 Olive, The Other Apex Predator
Image source: throwawayfeelings7
#65 Remember The Video Of Murdock In The Backpack? He Was Just Adopted!
Image source: kittytime
#66 Tilly Has Discovered Mulberries
Image source: _kn0xy
#67 Meet Blanche, The Hooved “Puppy” Who Would Sell Her Goaty, Little, Soul For Cheez-Its
Image source: Original_Impression2
#68 This Fella Ran Up Behind Me And Brought Me A Rock To Play With. Really Big Dog, Cutest Eyes And Such A Nice Personality
Image source: SirGrosh
#69 A Dog I Saw In A Vet Parking Lot Waiting For Their Owner
Image source: bopete1313
#70 This Trash Panda In My Backyard Is Very Suspicious Of Me
Image source: Hoch85
#71 My Dog And His GF
Image source: tibbyboops
#72 Look At My Cat Trying To Look Tough
Image source: Koffievos
#73 (Oc) I’ve Made Friends With A Fox
Image source: TurnsOutIwas
#74 How Mirin Sleeps Knowing She Is The Prettiest Flower In The Whole (Cat-Proofed) Garden 😻
Image source: Koffievos
#75 I Was Sitting In A Field When My Horse Came Over And Laid Down Beside Me And Then Promptly Fell Asleep
Image source: manewitness
#76 My Foster Boy On His Second Day With Me. He Is Already Feeling Safe And Comfy
Image source: MatthewDM111
#77 Literal Trash Panda
Image source: Thorbraig
#78 [oc] I Got To Meet My Pet Cow, Pudding, For The First Time In A Few Weeks This Morning. The First Thing She Did Was Walk Over To Me And Give My Arm A Gentle Chomp
Image source: Modern-Moo
#79 Anti-Cruelty Said It Best, “From A Rail Yard To A Home. Together The Entire Way.” Bird And Dee Are Officially Adopted!!
Image source: dogluvr_1
#80 My Cat Liked Sleeping Like This
Image source: sparepillow
#81 My Cat Accidentally Unlocked Dragon Mode
Image source: Lucky_Refuse6124
#82 My Neighbor’s Dog Has Been Peeping Through A Hole In Our Wall For About Six Months Now, Greeting Me Everyone I Come Back Home
Image source: OpportunityEasy5516
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