Advertisement

Happy International Cat Day: Canadians love cat memes and cafes

Cats at the Edmonton Humane Society.
Cats at the Edmonton Humane Society. Instagram / Edmonton Humane Society

In honour of International Cat Day, we’re taking a closer look at Canadian’s internet cat habits.

From the beloved Grumpy Cat to coffee shops filled with kittens, it seems we have a soft spot for felines.

Cats also have a large monopoly on the internet, according to Google Canada trend expert, Nicole Bell.

“Canadians love cats. When we look at the overall search interest between cats and dogs, dogs are still in the lead,” Bell said. “But, when it comes to the internet, we can all agree cats win.”

Albertans search habits mirror the rest of Canada for the most part, and they also appear to be shopping around for a distinct type of furry friend.

“The top cat searches that Albertans are looking for are all centred on unique breeds of cats,” Bell said.

Story continues below advertisement

LISTEN BELOW: Exploring Canadians cat-related search habits

The number one most searched cat in Alberta is the Bengal cat, with the Savannah cat in second.

Albertans are also searching for Munchkin cats, bred to have short legs, and the Ragdoll cat, bred for an overly friendly and cuddly demeanour.

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

“You’ve got a real range in Alberta of people who are interested in exotic cats and others who want super cuddly friends.”

Albertans are also interested in checking out their local cat cafes.

Cat trends in Canada. Courtesy: Google Trends

“The cat café in Calgary is the number one unique search in Alberta for cats,” Bell said. “We see an interest in cat cafes in a bunch of different regions, interestingly all in Western Canada.”

Story continues below advertisement

Canadians are also endlessly searching for answers to bring them closer to their beloved pets.

“When people come to Google, they come because they have questions. We see that comes out when we look at the top questions surrounding cats,” Bell said.

The top cat question across Canada: How do I draw a cat?

“The remaining questions show our curiosity to get to know our furry friends a bit better,” Bell said. “Why do cats purr? How long do cats live? Why do cats knead? How long are cats pregnant for?”

Bell said these searches make sense with the “spirit of the internet.”

Cat trends in Canada. Courtesy: Google Trends
“Cats are a little bit aloof. Dogs wear their heart on their sleeves. Cats are more mysterious. You have to learn more about them,” Bell said. “[We have a] curiosity driven, investigative driven relationship with the internet. That fits nicely with cats and their personalities.”
Story continues below advertisement

Canadians also love their cat memes.

Cat trends in Canada. Courtesy: Google Trends
“Cat memes are some of the best things about the internet. The top cat meme is Grumpy Cat, a cat born with feline dwarfism and an underbite. Grumpy Cat is one of the most-searched cats [both] in the country and globally and the number one meme we see people searching for.”

But, if you’re a dog person, you’re still coming out ahead.

“Dogs win when it comes to the greatest volume of interest in terms of searches,” said Bell. “But the dog people could spend a little bit of time working on their memes to compete with the cats.”

Sponsored content

AdChoices