August 12, 2010
Social Media for Pet Lovers: All-Star Pets
Starting this week, DogTails – the weekly blog brought to you by DogWatch Hidden Fences – will begin highlighting the best of the pet-centric social media world. In this post, we tell the stories of three pets who have become worldwide stars thanks to social media. We love following these cats’ and this dog’s exploits on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and blogs, and we know you will too.
So, without further ado, we give you our “Star Pets of Social Media.”
Maru the Cat
The equation is simple: cat + cardboard box + video camera = genius. Maru, a male Scottish fold from Japan, is the star of a seemingly unending series of irresistible YouTube videos. His YouTube channel has over 63,000 followers and his videos have been viewed more than 58 million times. Not bad for a clumsy kitty!
If you are like us and can’t get enough of Maru, check out his blog. (It includes English translations.) While it seems criminal to choose just one video, our favorite video of the moment is this slow-motion clip of Maru jumping out of – you guessed it – a box.
Sockington the Cat
Maru may have recently eeked out a win over Sockington in “the battle for the internet’s favorite feline,” but the social media world still can’t get enough of this other cat sensation.
Sockington, a very proper-looking black and white rescue cat from Waltham, MA, has so far amassed over 1.5 million followers on Twitter. His owner, Jason Scott, chronicles his cat’s thoughts and broadcast them to the ever-growing “Socks Army.” Sockington loves food and naps, frequently shouts in all caps, and is surprisingly witty. A recent tweet read: “HURRAH GIFT GIVING TIME may I present you with 3/4 of a mouse HEY I DO NOT APPRECIATE YOUR INSINUATIONS or the screaming for that matter.”
In addition to his Twitter feed, Socks also has a blog and a Flickr account filled with numerous photos of “the most popular cat on Twitter.” As Sockington himself might say: “OF COURSE I AM THE MOST POPULAR nap time zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz”
Tillman the Bulldog