A cat standoff that became a purr-fect distraction for tens of thousands of people on the internet has finally ended, after a month and a half.
It all started on Dec. 16, when Jessica Gerson-Neeves and her wife, Nikii, received a box containing a Vitamix blender and set it down on the kitchen floor. Their cat Max jumped on the box before they could open it and remained, as if on guard.
They decided to wait him out. But when he eventually hopped off, one of the couple’s two other cats, George and Lando Carlrissian, would take his place. After the first few days, it turned into a battle of wills between humans and felines — and the cats were winning.
Gerson-Neeves posted the saga on the cats’ social media page and the internet went nuts. The cats’ followers went from 64 to 53,000 in short order and people tuned in daily for an update on what looked like a fur-ever saga.
The cats resisted treats, toys and even the introduction of an identical — albeit empty — box to lure them away.
Finally, on the 45th day of the standoff, the couple received a new blender, which they unpacked immediately. Sensing defeat, the cats languished for two more days before they relinquished their post on the original box.
The story ticked three boxes when it came to capturing the public’s imagination, said Dr. Olav Krigolson, a professor in the neuroscience program at the University of Victoria.
“Firstly, the pandemic has left people constantly stressed and tired, putting them in a hyperemotional state,” he said. “People’s responses are magnified.”
Secondly, he said the human brain is hard-wired to react to something that is rare and stands out from the norm.
“It comes from our evolution. Our brain is attracted to anything that stands out because it needs to be able to react quickly if the object is dangerous.”
The third part of the equation is the body’s instinctive release of dopamine to the brain when it sees something emotionally warming, such as cute, warm furry animals. Proof of that is the immense popularity of Grumpy Cat (who had 8.5 million Facebook followers) as well as countless cute kitten and puppy videos online.
“So here we have a situation where people are already hyperemotional in a pandemic, see something that is unusual and it definitely ticks the cute box, so it had all the pieces to elicit the response that it did,” said Krigolson.
Jessica and Nikii celebrated the end of the standoff with a margarita mixed with the new blender.
Max, George and Lando Carlrissian aren’t about to let the cat out of the bag on their next moves, but Gerson-Neeves promises to keep the cats’ followers updated on future escapades. “I think everybody just needed something to laugh at,” she said.
