Whisker Network: The New Age of Cat Distribution<\/b><\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.21.0″ text_font=”Montreal Medium|500|||||||” text_text_color=”#ffffff” text_font_size=”15px” header_font=”Montserrat||||||||” header_font_size=”80px” header_5_font=”Raleway|700||on|||||” header_5_text_color=”#000000″ header_5_font_size=”20px” header_5_letter_spacing=”0.5em” header_5_line_height=”1.8em” width=”83.3%” min_height=”0px” custom_margin=”15px|129px|-22px||false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”10px|0px|0px||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_padding=”0px|63px|||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”” custom_padding_phone=”|0px|||false|false” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” animation_style=”zoom” animation_intensity_zoom=”5%” text_line_height_tablet=”” text_line_height_phone=”1.8em” text_line_height_last_edited=”on|phone” header_font_size_tablet=”48px” header_font_size_phone=”32px” header_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” header_5_font_size_tablet=”14px” header_5_font_size_phone=”12px” header_5_font_size_last_edited=”on|desktop” text_text_shadow_style=”preset1″ inline_fonts=”Montserrat” global_colors_info=”{}”]
Join <\/span>IRFAN ALI<\/b> as he explores how cats made their way into the lives of humans way before the social media trend bearing the fun moniker \u201ccat distribution system\u201d.<\/span><\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.17.4″ custom_margin=”-194px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.17.4″ min_height=”84px” custom_margin=”-80px|auto||auto|false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”-145px|auto|-100px|auto|false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.19.4″ text_font=”Montserrat|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ transform_scale_tablet=”” transform_scale_phone=”” transform_scale_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_translate=”0px|-22px” transform_translate_tablet=”” transform_translate_phone=”” transform_translate_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_translate_linked=”off” transform_rotate_tablet=”” transform_rotate_phone=”” transform_rotate_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_skew_tablet=”” transform_skew_phone=”” transform_skew_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_origin_tablet=”” transform_origin_phone=”” transform_origin_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_styles_last_edited=”on|desktop” min_height=”112.8px” custom_margin=”5px||-48px||false|false” custom_padding=”31px||0px||false|false” text_font_size_tablet=”” text_font_size_phone=”14px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” transform_styles_tablet=”” transform_styles_phone=”” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”About Us” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ min_height=”1396px” custom_margin=”-136px||-433px|||” custom_padding=”107px||44px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_5,3_5,1_5″ custom_padding_last_edited=”off|desktop” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ custom_margin=”-55px||||false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”-35px||||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|desktop” custom_padding=”2px|0|0px|0px|false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”|0px||0px||true” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.21.0″ text_font=”Montreal Medium||||||||” text_line_height=”1.5em” header_font=”||||||||” header_2_font=”Raleway|700|||||||” header_2_font_size=”50px” header_2_line_height=”1.4em” header_5_font=”Montserrat||||||||” header_5_text_color=”#b3b3b3″ header_5_font_size=”14px” header_5_line_height=”0.5em” header_6_font=”Raleway|700||on|||||” header_6_font_size=”16px” header_6_letter_spacing=”5px” header_6_line_height=”1.8em” max_width=”659px” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”0px|79px|104px||false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”-40px|79px|0px||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_padding=”|0px||||” text_font_size_tablet=”” text_font_size_phone=”15px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” header_2_font_size_tablet=”35px” header_2_font_size_phone=”25px” header_2_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”] <\/p>\n BY The UrbanWire Deputy Production Editor<\/b><\/p>\n Hype Issue #59<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n SINGAPORE – In recent times, the habit of cats entering people\u2019s homes and lives unknowingly and adopting their human counterparts has taken social media by storm. Hence, this begs the question – is this all just a gimmick or did these felines have a symbiotic relationship with humans way before modern civilisations?<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A man cuddling his cat (Image from Shutterstock<\/a><\/span>)<\/em><\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Montreal Medium||||||||” text_font_size=”16px” custom_padding=”||0px|||” hover_enabled=”0″ inline_fonts=”Montreal Medium” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″] History records the Egyptians as the most notable civilisation to have formed a bond with our feline friends around 5000 years ago, according to <\/span>yahoo.com<\/span><\/a><\/span>. The cats endeared as domestic pets nowadays are perhaps the rather meek successors to their feline predecessors who had exceptional hunting prowess and were held in such high esteem thousands of years ago.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Despite being the first ones to honour cats by burying them in pyramids and creating massive statues for them, the Egyptians were not the first ones to embrace the inseparable bond between them and their feline counterparts.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Some <\/span>9000 years ago<\/span><\/a><\/span>, there was a man from the Mediterranean island of Cyprus who was buried with his eight-month-old cat, with both bodies facing the west, so that the man may be guided into his afterlife. This demonstrates that the man had valued his bond with his cat long before the Egyptians came on the scene.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n However, even before this, there is evidence of the cat-human relationship as far as <\/span>10,000 years<\/span><\/a><\/span> in the past. As people moved from scavenging to farming, they needed to store surplus grain, which pulled in pests. Carnivorous cats were drawn to these pests, not the grain itself.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Rapidly, cats got to be esteemed and cherished for their innate competence with pest control. Proof of this bond includes old burials and various stone and clay figures found all through the Near East, highlighting the uncommon relationship between people and cats for centuries. Overall, the way cats exist in human culture, both now and in the past, stands out when compared to other animals that have become relevant to humans over time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Over time, the relationship between felines and humans has evolved. Cats were once regarded as sacrosanct and were notorious for hunting pests, which explains their maverick nature. However, cats have been domesticated to adapt to society and are no longer as independent as they once were. Therefore, cats have now turned their attention to humans in hopes of a better life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Though humans and felines share a bond that dates back millennia, more recently people have been going crazy over the growing TikTok trend called the \u201cCat Distribution System\u201d in which felines choose their cat \u201cparent\u201d after an incidental encounter with humans and gradually become a part of their lives.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n According to <\/span>KnowYourMeme.com<\/span><\/a><\/span>, the \u201ccat distribution system\u201d is a <\/span>phrase<\/span><\/a> coined by TikToker <\/span>@hermes.the.cynic<\/span><\/a><\/span> to illustrate the frequent incidence of cats unexpectedly entering people’s homes and lives, and becoming adopted. The cat distribution system revolves around the narrative that you do not adopt a cat but rather a cat adopts you.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n One such individual who got \u201cadopted\u201d by a stray feline is Hype Magazine\u2019s very own editor, Annika Mei Das. When Annika\u2019s neighbour stopped nurturing Sasha, she asked her dad to feed Sasha when one day he came across Sasha at the communal stairway outside their flat. \u201cWe continued feeding him until he felt comfortable enough with us to come into our house and explore. After that, we started domesticating him and now he\u2019s a house cat,\u201d said Annika.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”http:\/\/hypesingapore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/irfan-2.jpg” title_text=”irfan 2″ _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.21.0″ text_font=”Montreal Medium||||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ transform_scale_tablet=”” transform_scale_phone=”” transform_scale_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_translate=”0px|-22px” transform_translate_tablet=”” transform_translate_phone=”” transform_translate_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_translate_linked=”off” transform_rotate_tablet=”” transform_rotate_phone=”” transform_rotate_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_skew_tablet=”” transform_skew_phone=”” transform_skew_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_origin_tablet=”” transform_origin_phone=”” transform_origin_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_styles_last_edited=”on|desktop” custom_margin=”31px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”||||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ text_font_size_tablet=”” text_font_size_phone=”14px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” transform_styles_tablet=”” transform_styles_phone=”” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″] Annika\u2019s domesticated stray cat Sasha lying in his \u201ccrib\u201d (Photo by Annika Mei Das).<\/em><\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Montreal Medium||||||||” text_font_size=”16px” custom_padding=”0px||2px|||” inline_fonts=”Montreal Medium” global_colors_info=”{}”] Unlike adult feral cats which are often hostile to human contact and difficult to socialise, some stray cats interact with humans in hopes of <\/span>kinship, home and food<\/span><\/a><\/span>. Moreover, these \u201caffable\u201dstray cats are usually lost domestic cats, hence they are more acquainted with humans and therefore, \u201cmanifest\u201d a better life by unknowingly entering the lives of humans.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Apart from the idea of taking in a stray cat, Annika believes that the cost of purchasing and raising one plays a huge factor in the cat distribution system. \u201cAlso, it\u2019s cheaper to adopt [one] rather than to buy premium breeds. Our neighbours have cats as well and collectively they cost $18,000,\u201d said Annika. \u201cOwning a cat is also not cheap so trying to save money when you can is good. Plus, there are so many stray cats around so it’s much better to adopt rather than to buy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Despite just being a meme, there have been close to 41000 videos made on TikTok under the hashtag <\/span>\u201ccatdistributionsystem<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/a> which shows that the cat distribution system is more than just a mere global phenomenon or serendipitous clash in lives. The meme is emblematic of the unparalleled bond between humans and felines, and how a cat assimilates with its human counterparts to become a part of their family.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/span><\/span><\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”http:\/\/hypesingapore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/irfan-3.jpg” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” title_text=”irfan 3″ hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″ inline_fonts=”Montreal Medium”] Infographic made on Canva by Irfan Ali. Sources: NParks<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Montreal Medium||||||||” text_font_size=”16px” custom_padding=”||0px|||” inline_fonts=”Montreal Medium” global_colors_info=”{}”]
Irfan Ali\u00a0 \u00a0<\/b><\/p>\nPublished on<\/h5>\n
July 5, 2024<\/h5>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Montreal Medium||||||||” text_font_size=”16px” inline_fonts=”Montreal Medium” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Montreal Medium||||||||” text_font_size=”16px” inline_fonts=”Montreal Medium” global_colors_info=”{}”]
Cat and Human Relationship<\/b><\/span><\/h3>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”http:\/\/hypesingapore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/irfan-1.png” alt=”Pet Sitter” title_text=”irfan 1″ force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” min_height=”427.9px” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.21.0″ text_font=”Montreal Medium||||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ transform_scale_tablet=”” transform_scale_phone=”” transform_scale_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_translate=”0px|-22px” transform_translate_tablet=”” transform_translate_phone=”” transform_translate_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_translate_linked=”off” transform_rotate_tablet=”” transform_rotate_phone=”” transform_rotate_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_skew_tablet=”” transform_skew_phone=”” transform_skew_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_origin_tablet=”” transform_origin_phone=”” transform_origin_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_styles_last_edited=”on|desktop” custom_margin=”31px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”||||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ text_font_size_tablet=”” text_font_size_phone=”14px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” transform_styles_tablet=”” transform_styles_phone=”” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]
Cat Distribution System<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n
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Revised Cat Framework<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n