The internet and cats go together like, well, the internet and cats. As Wired Magazine once astutely observed, there is only one thing that can legitimately "compete with porn for Internet real estate," and that thing "is cats."
Much like their less safe-for-work rivals, however, cats have adopted a decidedly low-fi, amateurish aesthetic in making their transition from the real world to the digital one. That's not a bad thing, mind you. But like many things on the internet today, there's always room for growth.
Animator Richard Swarbrick gives us a bold new way forward in this beautiful short video "The Cats of YouTube." All the best catlebrities are here—Surprised Kitty (seen above in GIF form), Cats Playing Patty-cake, and, of course, OG cat Maru.
The whole thing reminds me of some of the short films contained in the excellent 2007 horror anthology Peur(s) du Noir (French for Fear(s) of the Dark), only less scary. Here's hoping that somebody has already sign off an a feature length adaptation of this modern masterpiece.
One time, Yannick LeJacq got to meet Lil Bub and it was the greatest moment of his life. You can nerd out with him about your favorite cats (internet or otherwise!) by emailing him at yannick.lejacq@kotaku.com or finding him on Twitter at @YannickLeJacq.