When it comes to Facebook, we have friends, and we have “friends.”
A recent survey found that for many Felines on Facebook, their true feelings about many of their Facebook friends might be less than Purrrable.
Daily deals site Eversave had Humans who live with Cats, Cats who are on Facebook, ask 400 Felines about their Facebook relationships. The company originally conducted the survey as market research on the social network’s influence on the daily deals ecosystem, but Eversave was surprised to uncover the Purr/Hiss relationship between Cats and their online friends.
For example, the majority of respondents said they had at least one Feline friend who was a “Drama Puss” on Facebook, and they were just as likely to be Toms as not.
A majority also said they had at least one obnoxiously “Proud Pussy” as a Facebook friend.
Most Cats — 83% of respondents in this survey — are annoyed at one time or another by the posts from their Facebook connections.
For these respondents, the most off-putting post was some kind of complaining;
A full 63% said bitching about ones food (That you were so dumb as to think "JD" meant "Juicy Duck" is your own damn fault!) from Facebook friends was their number one pet peeve, with gossipy chatter (So what if the Tortie down the block is a Hussy!) and bragging (Who really gives a Meow what your Pedigree is, or what award you won at the Cat Show!) coming in a distant second and third.
The respondents also said at least one of their Facebook friends tended to:
Think their Human was the best Human on the Planet, and all others suck big time ((80%).
Share too many updates about Napping, and Snoozing, too often (65%).
Look down on Stroller, & Leash, Kitties (60%).
“Like” too many posts about Toys, & Treats (46%).
Inappropriately or too frequently use Facebook to announce that they just used the Litter Box, or will be right back because they have to use the Litter Box (40%).
Project false information or images of a perfect life (40%).
Post updates, with too many details, about their latest Catnip indulgence (35%).
Complain too much about their Human being gone all day (30%).
Complain too much about their Human being at home all day (30%).
Complain too much about their Vet (25%).
Complain that their Human doesn't take them to the Vet often enough (13%).
These kinds of Facebook archetypes are becoming part of the cultural lexicon as more Felines are taking to Facebook, and Twitter, and not just Catster, Fursbook, and other such venues.
It's fascinating to see these characteristics quantified by the Cats who get teed off by them.
When asked if they were Friends with, or "Liked" any of these Facebook personalities, and websites, associated with the Cat Blogging Community, here's how the Cats responded...
Laurence Simon (The Father of Carnival of the Cats) = 100%
Sparkle The Designer Cat = 95%
Cokie Cat = 95%
Quasi (The World is Your Litter Box) = 90%
Blog Paws = 85%
Daisy The Curly Cat = 80%
KC of The Cat Blogosphere (Ml Giggleman) = 75%
Anipal Times = 70%
Kitty City Gazette = 65%
Whicky Wuudler the EveryCat = 60%
ASPCA = 55%
D' Artagnan Rumblepurr = 50%
The Pet Press = 45%
Pet Tales (OC Register Newspaper) = 40%
The Shelter in "Your City, or County" = 35%
LA Unleashed = 35%
I Have Cat = 30%
Skeezix the Catster Cat = 25%
Cat Fancy = 20%
PETA = 13%
Nikita Cat of Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat = 0%
Hmmmmm....Must have been the wrong 400.
The good news is that Daddy gave me, and Elvira Mistress of Felinity, extra treats, tonite, as a Pick Me Up! ;-D
Anyway, if you absolutely MUST check out the rest of the survey results, and they are quite surprising, trust me....
They can be found over at Mashable.
Don't say you weren't warned! ;-D
****APRIL FOOL'S DAY UPDATE****
Long time readers of this blog are familiar with the long, and insightful, comments left by the wonderful, outspoken, British Cat, Whicky Wuudler.
He didn't disappoint this time, either ( My thoughts in Green ):
A very interesting survey, thank you for this analysis.
We're honoured to be known by so many cats and their apes.
We like every cat in the world whether they are online or not.
We are honoured to know you, too!
We only have one moan about FB and that's when humans get their drama on. I sit with one paw on the off button, trying to stop our ape getting bitey with humans who think declawing cats is ok.
Hee, hee! ;-D
We all like seeing the minutiae of cat lives on FB, especially if the cats have been cheeky and gained the odd, extra treat or two/bitten a vet etc.
We have been moaned at because we crosspost for cats in shelters.
One human said we spoiled their newsfeed with our posts of sad, poorly cats and
unfriended us (good riddance).
We know that lots of humans are wary of us because of our get-it-banned stance on declawing, but we ain't shifting on that one either.
So these "Cat Lovers" don't think FB should be used for such effortts, and would prefer their favorite Feline Facebookers refrain from this side of FB Networking?
Interesting.
We've seen lots of things on FB:
The saddest things we've seen are when humans have set up donation accounts for cats and the cats in need haven't gotten the money donated to help them.
When individual rescuers have turned out to be hoarders and kitties have suffered because of it.
When well meaning people say they will get a cat out of a shelter and then they don't and the cat ends up..... :(
We've seen wonderful things happen too:
When animals are saved from shelters, apes campaigning for justice for animals (and getting it).
When, at the last minute (literally) a sick old tom cat is pulled from a kill shelter after being red listed and goes to a loving foster home and thrives!
We guess that all these social network things are like a digital version of real life, with plenty of good and plenty of the not so good.
Facebook is a Social Networking site that has been put to many uses by the Humans who use it, not just as a place to post silly stories, personal, and family, updates, photos, and other similar things.
Bloggers, Journalists, Writers, Businesses, Activists, Politicians, Government Agencies, and more, use it to great effect.
Over the last 2 years, or so, Cats who blog, and the Humans who blog for, or with, them, shelters, rescues, activists, businesses, government agencies, and officials, writers, and journalists, all with interests in Cats, have begun to use Facebook in the same ways.
We bloggers, especially, are using Facebook to reach out to each other, and a wider audience, and network, as an emphatic way to show that, for many of us, it's not all cute, & silly, pictures, & videos, and LOL Cats!, & I Have CheezeWhizzes!, hilarity.
Anyone who takes the time to explore the archives of this blog, and my postings on Daddy's blogs for 8 years before that ( Nikita's Place Archive, & before that, Me and My Pussy ( cat ) ), as well as the unmatched resources in the sidebars, quickly understands that they will be asked to put their Thinking Cap on, amid the cute, and silly, photos.
For some building an audience in such ways comes easy, and naturally, for others, like Daddy, and I and, now, Elvira Mistress of Pussydom, it's an onging learning process, and a lot of hard work.
And we are proud of our accomplishments, and the unique place I, and Elvira Mistress of Pussydom, are making for ourselves, in the Blogosphere. ;-D
We are learning new computer skills, and may even have a Cafe Press, or Zazzle Store, as well as new You Tube videos (Finally!) at some point, to promote the place. ;-D
Daddy hopes to attend Blog Paws in August (He registered, but his unemployed status may put a crimp in his plans), and I dream of, someday, being considered worthy of a Pettie Nomination, but those are hopes for the future.
Elvira Mistress of Pussydom, & I, invite connecting on Facebook, and encourage visitors to our blog to read us, and link to us...just be prepared to spend a few minutes when you stop by....we promise you won't regret it ( I have plans to get around more, myself, and not just as a host of Carnival of the Cats ). ;-D
****END UPDATE****
MOL, I think I like your study better than Mashable's! ;-)
Posted by: Sparkle | March 31, 2011 at 01:38 AM
Interesting.
I don't have time for Facebook or Twitter, so I really can't comment further.
Posted by: Karen Jo | March 31, 2011 at 02:25 AM
I guess it is a good think Mommy will not let us have our own FB account.
Who knew there was so much drama involved.
Posted by: Artemisia, Fenris, Socks & Scylla | March 31, 2011 at 05:15 AM
This is why I cannot let Harley have his own Facebook account!
Posted by: Daisy the Curly Cat | March 31, 2011 at 05:17 PM
Interesting take on FB.
We're still trying to figure out why we have one.
We rarely use it.
Posted by: jansfunnyfarm | March 31, 2011 at 11:29 PM
This is why Nicky cannot have his own facebook page - but Sammy Billy and I can!
We are machur and we know when to stop short of annoying other cats about how wonderful our lives are!
- Miles Meezer
Posted by: The Meezers | April 01, 2011 at 04:09 PM