University of Adelaide study finds social media play often stresses cats

Researchers at the University of Adelaide have found that many human-cat interactions shared on social media, often labeled as playful, actually cause significant stress to the animals. An analysis of 1,100 comments across viral videos on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube revealed a major disconnect between feline distress signals and human perception.

Despite cats exhibiting clear signs of discomfort—such as hissing, biting, attempting to flee, or swatting—between 75% and 93% of social media comments remained positive, often praising the interaction as cute or funny. Researchers suggest this may be due to cognitive dissonance or a fundamental misunderstanding of feline body language.

To build genuine trust and avoid causing distress, experts recommend respecting a cat's boundaries. Key behaviors for positive interaction include using slow blinks to signal safety, crouching to appear less threatening, and allowing the cat to initiate physical contact. Providing vertical spaces like shelves or cat trees also helps animals feel secure by allowing them to observe their environment from a height.