Cats star in advertisements for IKEA, Sberbank and Mercedes-Benz, and an NFT of a flying nanny cat is sold for $580,000. Today, tailed cats are not only advertising stars, but also full-fledged bloggers with collaborations and integrations.
High subscriber engagement, virtually no hate and unlimited trust - this is what every potential influencer dreams of.
We collected the most famous Russian “cat profiles” on Instagram, found out from the owners how they achieved success on the social network, and at the same time asked marketers whether it is worth advertising with cat bloggers.
Hosico the cat, @hosico_cat, 1.9 million subscribers
“Fresh bread”, “cat carpet” and the most famous cat in Russia - the Scottish straight-eared Hoshiko from Moscow. By the way, his name means “son of a star” in Japanese.
You've probably seen memes with him:
His live broadcasts attract tens of thousands of viewers, the cat (and his owners, of course) are interviewed by famous portals, and Robert Downey Jr. publishes collages with images of Hoshiko.
Even Simon, the cat from the comics, talked to him.
Behind the blogger's shaggy shoulders is cooperation with large retail chains, manufacturers of household appliances, and the brands Mars and Whiskas.
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Posted by Hosico Cat (@hosico_cat)
Judging by the publications, the owners of Hoshiko take their choice of advertisers seriously. He promotes charity events, products for animals (food, houses, hygiene products), pet stores and, of course, clothes with his image.
Advertising for a charity event, external hard drive and cat merchandise
Right choice
It is almost impossible to determine the character of a kitten at a young age. Temperament is immediately visible, because there are active and passive kids, curious and cunning. But this applies only to the properties of the breed, and gender does not affect the character of the animal in any way. Adult cats behave differently, some are distinguished by cleanliness and independence, others by laziness or affection.
Cat Busya, @ st_busya, 144 thousand subscribers
Golden chinchilla Busya wears amazing glasses, chooses outfits and tries on luxurious wigs.
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Posted by Busya (@st_busya)
Busya’s owner, Daria, says that initially the account was “human”. But one day a girl published a photo of Boo in her feed, then Boo gave birth to her first kitten, Peach. And then for some reason a lot of cat lovers started subscribing [to us]. Photos/videos of cats and kittens in my feed have completely replaced me. And my friends started unfollowing me.”
Daria says that she didn’t invest “a single ruble” into the blog and hardly promoted it at all, using only hashtags and geolocation marks.
The account has a lot of humorous content. Mistress Busi deliberately took her profile in this direction: “There is no negativity now. Previously, when I talked about raising kittens or just about life, there were people who disagreed. I tried to argue, but then I got tired of getting on my nerves and just banned her.”
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Posted by Busya️ (@st_busya)
Busya advertises products for animals, glasses, and pet stores.
I am often approached with various products for advertising. Sometimes the page is completely far from the topic. I refuse many people. Many of them are even offended!
[I agree] if I see that a product is potentially good, it may be of interest to my readers, and I often communicate with subscribers and roughly know what they would be interested in. Especially if I use this product myself.
I won't talk about a product that I wouldn't use.
Niki the cat, @famousniki, 90.1 thousand subscribers
Niki, the world-famous Russian cat (as his profile description says), talks about life on his own behalf, shares his experiences and answers questions from subscribers.
The cat became famous due to its “human” behavior:
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Posted by FamousNiki (@famousniki)
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Posted by FamousNiki (@famousniki)
Well-known media write about him: Daily Mail, The Mirror, Metro and others. In 2013, he helped raise funds to help victims of the Boston Marathon bombings.
On her blog, Niki advertises products for animals and for the home, pet stores, and participates in charity.
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Posted by FamousNiki (@famousniki)
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Posted by FamousNiki (@famousniki)
Cat Bridge, @cat_the_most, 58.3 thousand subscribers
Here is the profile of the current @ria.crimea correspondent, the boss of Kotonovosti, the builder of the Crimean Bridge, a “careerist and a bachelor.”
This cat blogger differs from his colleagues in his abundance of horizontal photographs and high busyness. With regularity, once a day (sometimes more often), he talks about the life of the peninsula, which is especially important during the latest weather troubles. It is also actively promoted by the RIA Novosti news agency.
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Posted by Cat Bridge (@cat_the_most)
Cat Businka, @mimibusik, 32.9 thousand subscribers
Businka’s owner once decided that “it’s enough to admire Businka alone. We need to bring its beauty to the masses.” Anastasia says that she was promoting her profile: she tried masfollowing, participated in giveaways and marathons.
Now the cat advertises pet stores and pet products. Busya also takes part in charity stories.
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Posted by BUSINKA THE CAT CAT BUSYA (@mimibusik)
But not every advertiser can appear on this profile.
Before agreeing to cooperate, I research the advertiser and consider whether I would use their product/service myself.
I will definitely refuse if they offer a barter that is unprofitable for Busya and me, or if it is a manufacturer of low-quality food and dubious medications (with unproven effectiveness or simply harmful).
Achilles the cat, @achillcat, 23.9 thousand subscribers
The white Hermitage cat from St. Petersburg has been unable to hear since birth, but, as the profile says, “feels subtly.”
Achilles has confidently predicted the outcome of 7 out of 8 Euro 2020 matches, and has already been invited to be the oracle at the Champions League final in 2022.
In his profile, the cat advertises pet products, publications and, of course, his predictions.
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Posted by Achilles AchillesTheCat (@achillcat)
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Posted by Achilles AchillesTheCat (@achillcat)
Fedya the cat, @fedja_kot, 22.6 thousand subscribers
The eternally surprised Fedya settled down perfectly in the house of Natalia from Rostov. In June of this year, he was noticed by the British publication The Mirror. They published a lot of material about this amazing cat and interviewed his owner.
After the article, Fedya gained incredible popularity, the number of his subscribers is growing (about a thousand people a day), they write about him, he and his hostess, of course, are invited to television filming.
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Publication from Fedya Kot (@fedja_kot)
The cat’s account was created a long time ago, but it was not very popular. The level of 70 subscribers lasted for about a year. But then, on the advice of a friend, Fede created a profile on TikTok, where he became famous. After this, the owners of the surprised cat received requests for articles.
We didn't do any promotion at all. I was just posting the cat.
I’m constantly trying to blog, at least clear out Direct, there are thousands of messages there. I try to respond to each one and read it.
Fedya has so far only had one integration with an online pet store, but offers, according to Natalya, are actively coming in. For now, only those related to animals. Fedya’s owner knows exactly which advertisers the cat will not cooperate with: “Those who are not close to us or have nothing to do with us.”
In addition, the owners are already thinking about creating a collection of goods with his image:
“So that this sweet face is always before your eyes and improves your mood,” Natalya plans to produce mugs with the image of Fedor.
How to stop aggression
Aggression is a normal reaction of a predatory animal to stress, the appearance of a rival, or an unfamiliar creature. It manifests itself at the level of natural instincts; a person is not able to fully predict and prevent it. But in the case of pets living together, the owner can and should intervene in this process and reconcile the cats. This must be done carefully, competently and in a timely manner.
Causes of aggression
Felinologists identify several main reasons for the aggressive behavior of cats:
- Social rivalry. The struggle for the role of alpha male.
- The fight between old and new pets.
- Territorial behavior. Cats can fiercely defend their eating, sleeping, and toileting areas.
- Reaction to a new smell. After visiting the veterinarian, the animal brings with it unusual smells of medicines - this can cause aggression in other pets. An unusual smell turns a familiar cat into a “stranger.”
- Bad feeling. The disease changes the animal's behavior; it may become more restless and aggressive.
- Stress. Any stressful situation negatively affects the behavior of cats.
- Personality conflicts. Just like people, cats are all different and do not have to like each other. A mismatch of temperaments can lead to struggle.
- Maternal aggression. The cat protects its offspring in this way.
- Fighting game. During joint games, cats can attack each other, jump, bite, and watch from around the corner.
In each specific case, you need to act in accordance with the situation.
If aggression occurs, cats fight and bite, do not ignore it. Don't think that cats will figure it out on their own. These methods will help stop aggressive behavior and save your pets from unwanted mental and physical injuries.
Tips for stopping aggression
- Interrupt the fight with a loud sound (clap), throw a blanket over them, or spray the animals with water from a spray bottle.
- Neuter your animals. Unneutered cats are the most aggressive.
- Stop competition. Provide each pet with its own food bowls, trays, and beds. They must be the same or similar.
- Build more shelters and high places to rest and observe the world around you.
- Spray pheromones. Products with pheromones are sold in pet stores. Their aroma will help relieve tension that arises between animals.
- If aggression is severe, separate the animals into different rooms. Swap them from time to time - this way they will quickly get used to each other's smell.
- While licking, the cat is busy with itself, relaxed and does not pay attention to the other animal. Lubricate your cat's scruff with tuna oil or granules of her favorite food - this will distract and calm your pet.
- Use calming anti-stress medications and feed additives to correct the behavior of your animals: “Cat Bayun”, “Stop Stress”, “Feliway”.
Cat Ryzhik, @my_babycat, 15.8 thousand subscribers
The short-haired exotic Ryzhik from Arkhangelsk in amazing costumes will give any cosplayer a run for his money. Just look at the antidepressant or Wednesday Adams outfits:
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Posted by Ryzhik exotic shorthair (@my_babycat)
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Posted by Ryzhik exotic shorthair (@my_babycat)
Yulia, Ryzhik’s owner, says that she created an account for her pet to share his cute photos and never engaged in promotion.
The blog is still written for fun. If I want, I film and post it, if I don’t want, I don’t.
Ryzhik advertises products for animals, eco-friendly cleaning products, veterinary clinics, animal insurance, photo products, home decor - only what matches the profile, has benefits and a positive message.
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Posted by Ryzhik exotic shorthair (@my_babycat)
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Posted by Ryzhik exotic shorthair (@my_babycat)
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Posted by Ryzhik exotic shorthair (@my_babycat)
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Posted by Ryzhik exotic shorthair (@my_babycat)
Why is everyone obsessed with cats?
According to statistics, cat videos are the most popular video content on the Internet. It is interesting that watching such videos has a therapeutic effect, which is similar in effect to pet therapy (a treatment method using pets).
Back in 2011, an advertising company from Canada, JohnSt, came up with the term catvertising (cat + advertising, from English “cat advertising”), since cats, in their opinion, turned out to be “the most popular media carrier on the Internet.”
The team shot a comic video in which they showed what was supposedly a new special division of the company: the cat video department. With production, filming and seeding.
The video received many positive comments in the spirit of “80% of what I watch on YouTube are cats” or “even in 2020, half of the videos offered to me have cats!”
By the way, there is an opinion, supported by research, that cats sell better than dogs.
In Russia, as well as throughout the world, cats hold a strong position in the blogosphere.
Cats in CLOTHES pictures
Black and white photo of kittens doing farming
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Black and white photo of a dog pushing three kittens in a stroller
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A tricolor cat is sad in round glasses and a beret
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Gray cat in round colored glasses
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The muzzle of a gray cat in round glasses, which reflects a computer hare
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The muzzle of a gray cat wearing round glasses that reflect flying comets
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Red cat with a deer cap on his head
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The cat sits on the sofa with a blue overalls and a plate of cookies
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Funny kittens on a fence with scarves on their heads
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Glamorous white cat wearing pink glasses, hat and jacket
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Funny kitten pretending to be a lion
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Is it worth spending your advertising budget on cats?
On social networks, people primarily want to rest, relax, get away from problems, and learn something useful or interesting. Rarely does anyone go to Instagram, for example, with the thought: “What should I buy today?”
Advertisers constantly forget about this obvious fact, trying to set up annoying “head-on” sales on social networks. There are more and more advertisements, and they are perceived by the audience only as annoying noise.
Something non-standard, memorable, and funny will help to attract the attention of a potential buyer. Advertising from animal bloggers definitely meets all these criteria.
Subscribers of four-legged stars are very loyal and attached to unusual bloggers: animals are envied much less often than successful people, interest in them is more sincere and pure. In addition, cats and dogs are objectively less often seen in advertising, therefore, they still have a high level of credibility.
I recommend testing and trying to promote even non-obvious things through pets. It all depends on how to present the product. You can do an original unboxing or make a funny TikTok-style video with viral potential.
Among the projects I collaborate with are pet products and dog bloggers. I can say for sure: now there is a trend towards interaction between humans and animals on the blog. Subscribers watch with interest the lives of owners and pets, their travels, joyful moments and difficulties. Therefore, advertising integrations with such bloggers are going great, and not only pet stores, food, ammunition, dog handlers and animal psychologists are successfully promoted.
The audience is ready, for example, to purchase the same vacuum cleaner that a pet owner uses, household chemicals that are safe for animals, and a sofa with upholstery that can be easily cleaned of hair and stains.
I see that completely different advertisers are entering this niche and successfully promoting it.
Whether it is worth investing in advertising on a particular blog should be decided based not on whether it is an account of an animal, a person, or a neural network, but on the goals of the brand and the portrait of the blog’s audience.
If a cosmetics brand, a household goods brand, or an electronics manufacturer understands that a significant part of the account’s followers is their target audience, and the brands themselves adhere to eco-principles and do not test products on animals, then buying advertising and PR in the account is justified. The audience of such accounts is indeed very loyal, the integrations will be native and organic, advertising and PR will be perceived by the audience positively and loyally.
If a brand wants to buy advertising on an animal blog only from the principle “I want it like my neighbor’s,” that is, only because a competitor did it or it’s fashionable, the expenses will be inappropriate.
Features of behavior and physiology
The question of gender interests future owners, based on differences in behavior and physiological characteristics of the animal. It is necessary to understand that obedience, the need to communicate with a person and other characteristics very much depend on both the breed and the gender of the animal.
Behavior
Cats by nature strive for leadership, to establish their place in the pack, and they want this place to be as high as possible in the hierarchy, as they imagine it. Even in the absence of other cats in the house, a representative of the male cat tribe will try to “build” according to the ranking of the owners, asserting his leading position.
Cats are usually extremely interested in all the body movements of their owners: they need to know who went where, who is doing what, what kind of sounds are heard from the intercom in the hallway, who came to visit there. If the owner comes home, you should definitely sniff around to find out where he was and who he met with. Cats “read” such information by smell, receive information about events on the street and in the entrance, meetings of a person with other representatives of the cat tribe. All packages brought will also be carefully examined.
Many cats love to climb into rustling bags. Well, everyone knows the love for boxes. If there is such a container within reach, the cat will certainly climb into it.
The cat considers the territory of the apartment to be his own and “mercifully allows” the owners to live there. At the same time, it is their sacred duty to fill the bowl on time and monitor the cleanliness of the cat’s litter box.
The cat allows itself to be petted, but only when it is in the mood for petting or has some purpose. For example, get a tasty morsel. Having received his portion of love or the required tasty treat, the cat will immediately leave for his important business.
Cats, especially those who have not undergone the castration procedure, tend to win their place as the alpha male, that is, the main one, the leader of the pack. They look down on people and are confident in their superiority. At the same time, they are quite simple-minded, and it costs nothing to deceive them. It can be very fun to watch how a cat, who thinks he is smarter than everyone else, tries to fool his owner.
Cats are another matter. As a rule, females love affection more and become more attached to people. Usually they also strive to establish their own rules in the house, since they consider the territory to be theirs, but they do this more delicately, without excessive arrogance. They do not demand - they ask, and, it must be said, they often get their way with affection and cunning.
Cats can be no less stubborn than cats, but with persistence and love they can be taught discipline and order. They are more affectionate, devoted, and sometimes even intrusive.
All of the above applies to representatives of different cat genders only in the most distant approximation. Each animal is an individual, a product of its own natural character and applied educational measures. The cat may be overly affectionate, and the cat may avoid people and not be handled. Everything is very individual in each specific case.
Comparative physiology
In terms of physiological characteristics, cats are quite different from cats. Consider these differences:
- Cats are usually cleaner, so they have less of a specific smell in the apartment. But it’s not just a matter of grooming: the smell of a mature cat is in itself sharper and more pronounced than the scent of a cat.
- Females do not tend to mark territory, unlike males. Cats during the period of sexual activity (contrary to popular belief, this happens to them not only in March, but more often) emit a specific odor from special glands, and leave it on literally every corner in the apartment.
- If you let a cat go outside, he can go on a long walk. As a rule, the instinct of procreation requires males to inseminate the maximum number of females; this is a law of nature. Cats tend to fight for the cats they like, so wounds and injuries are possible during the binge period. Females, walking on the street, will not fight for the male. They mercifully wait to see who is stronger, and then surrender to the winner of the battle. In addition, during the period of sexual activity, a cat sometimes does not have a minute to eat, the call of the flesh is indomitable, and the implementation of the instinct of procreation requires enormous energy expenditure. Therefore, a cat returning from a spree will look emaciated, and perhaps well-worn by other contenders for the ladies’ favor.
- Both are prone to inappropriate, sometimes aggressive behavior during sexual activity. Cats may roll around on the floor, scream loudly, and urinate frequently. Cats will also persistently ask for freedom and show aggression.
The animal cannot control its instincts, so it needs help. If the owner does not plan to breed cats, then he should rid his pet of playing hormones. Walking outside can lead to the birth of offspring. Moreover, these will be mestizos in the most bizarre variants.
If there is a live cat in the house, then, of course, he will not bring it “in the hem.” However, you should think about the possibility of homeless animals breeding in the area. From a humane point of view, unless conscious breeding is planned, both male and female cats should be spayed and neutered.
Or maybe it’s better to post on the account of a dog or... a hamster?
Cats or dogs? According to statistics, those people who do not have animals react better to cats (since we all saw advertisements for cat food in childhood, pleasant associations and nostalgia are triggered). But if you take a sample of people who have animals, they react better to dogs on creatives, plus the conversion into a buyer and the average check are much higher.
I am sure that creating a working brand is possible for almost any animal. Both kittens and puppies are equally adorable, and if you reveal their character, personality, humanize them, publish quality content and thoughtfully blog, then success can come even to an ordinary mongrel.
Perhaps the advantage of cats over dogs is explained by the fact that their owners and teams working on blogs are stronger SMM specialists. In the end, it is people, not their pets, who make social media popular.
In my opinion, cats, dogs or even hamsters can sell and deliver key brand messages almost equally. But cats are, of course, the undisputed favorites here. Why?
The domestic cat is the embodiment of hedonism, an animal that decorates the life of its owner and enjoys its own. It's decorative. Cats, like no other animal, are about “cuteness”, “vanilla” and strong emotions of this kind. Dogs are primarily associated with loyalty and intelligence. Therefore, for the most part, the audience reacts better to cats.
Animals don't leave anyone alone, so they can help convey almost any key message.
The mechanics are simple: a person sees a cute kitten or puppy, smiles, and then, in a more positive mood, moves on to the message itself. In general, if we add any living object to the key message, be it a brand ambassador or an ordinary person, it will work better, especially if we add animals.
Castration and sterilization
The period of puberty depends not only on the gender, but also on the breed of the cat. On average, it occurs at the age of 5-8 months in women, and 6-9 in men. Some breeds (Maine Coons, Bengals, British and Scottish, as well as some others) mature much later: in the period from one to three years.
It is advisable to subject the animal to surgery to remove the gonads before the first signs of maturation. It is recommended to sterilize cats at about six months of age. Males should be neutered at 8-12 months.
Sterilization operations differ in the degree of invasiveness. Most often, the cat's tubes are tied and the ovaries are removed. If this is not done, then she will lose the ability to give birth to offspring, and estrus and all the “jumps” associated with this period will not go away. It is much more humane to remove the ovaries, the organs that synthesize sex hormones. In this case, the cat’s hormonal background will change, and she will not feel an urgent need for a cat.
For males, the most common operation is castration. During this intervention, the testes are removed, where sex hormones are also produced that motivate the cat to “deeds.”
If the owner does not raise his hand to the genitals of his pet, drugs that pacify the animal’s sexual instincts will come to the rescue. However, it should be remembered that such treatment can be harmful to the health of the pet. Today, veterinarians believe that sterilization not only relieves cats from the desire to procreate, and their owners from regular (2-3 times a year) multi-day “concerts,” but also has a beneficial effect on the cat’s health, prolonging its life. After all, in this way the animal gets rid of unnecessary stress. And for a cat, an unrealized instinct, a lack of sexual contact when she feels an insistent need for it, is a serious nervous shock, real torment.
Owners of cats and kittens should not worry that castration or sterilization will cause suffering to the animal. Animals are deprived of morality; all their sexual claims are dictated solely by physiology. If you deprive a female cat of a source of hormones (ovaries and testicles, respectively), they will not experience any dissatisfaction. On the contrary, it will bring peace to the animal and make it happier. After all, he will not have the need to look for a partner and follow the call of nature.
Summary: consider the specifics
Cats are “the unofficial symbol of the Internet.” They offer an excellent way to communicate on social networks, an audience that is in love with them, and room for imagination in the implementation of advertising posts.
However, when choosing a cat blogger for integration, it is worth remembering the specifics of such cooperation. Yes, his audience will be loyal and friendly. But if the product categorically does not fit into the account, even if its owner agrees to advertising, subscribers, at best, will not pay attention to it, and at worst, they will want integration.
Features of cats
Males strive to take care of their own territory and protect its borders. When meeting on foreign soil, a fight cannot be avoided, and it is often fatal. Even strong cats prefer to disappear from someone else's territory as quickly as possible. Cats hunt only for themselves, they don't care about anyone.
On a note! Cats are independent and can live together in the same apartment if they are not neutered.
