Are some lolcats/dogs being taunted for a laugh?

I think about this, too. It’s definitely true in this pic I saw recently. How terrible is it that I think the cat looks adorable? Even in that second link you posted, I feel really bad for the cat, but I still think it looks adorable.

@dxs why in the world would you stick a cats ear in your mouth and lick it’s head? That’s just….yuck.

Yes. I can’t even remember ever smiling at any pictures like these, though. Never mind “lol”.

I’ve never liked lolcats because I was under the impression that a lot of the pictures are, indeed, not telling us what is actually happening. Saw one with a puppy out in a blizzard looking all cute, sitting in the snow. There was some cute caption, but I’m thinking to myself, dude, isn’t this puppy freezing? :/

This video is pretty mean – Ultimate dog tease

But seriously I don’t like that cat-in-water picture.

I mean, you can pretty much get any animal to look “happy” using only a roll of sticky tape & photos of biscuits, that don’t make it right fool.

That cat in the water looks damned scared. That’s not right. and I don’t even like cats.

I expect that the cat in @dxs’ photo is probably enjoying the attention. It’s obviously not fighting the little girl, and cats lick each other all the time.

@ibstubro But…look at him!

I have spent many many hours messing with cats and kittens, and I can tell you that there are things they appear to hate, but come right back for more, @longgone.

When I was a kid I had a cat that loved for me to grab a hold of his front legs, flop him one the area rug in the living room and swing him around in long arcs saying “WHEEEE! WHEEEE!” When I turned him loose he ran to the opposite end of the house like he (literally) was on fire. Then mosey back for another round. Like playing fetch with a dog. If you saw me do it on video, you’d turn me in for animal cruelty, but he was always right back for more. We’d do it 4–5 times, then he’d be wore out and not return.

The cat in the picture might be a little uncertain about what’s happening, but, since it isn’t painful, he’s probably enjoying the attention.

@ibstubro Some cats enjoy the weirdest things, agreed. Nevertheless, I honestly don’t think this cat is enjoying what the girl is doing. Your commenting that, “It’s obviously not fighting the little girl.” is what made me shake my head, actually. If you’ve spent a lot of time with cats, you will also know that some of them are very docile. They don’t defend themselves, no matter what people are doing to them.

Cats like to be teased, @longgone, and often have a serious or evil look on their faces during it. A lot of times the worst thing you can do to a cat is not give it a chance to ignore you. My read of the cat in the pictures is that it’s still in the “WTF? It feels sorta familiar, but more from mom than the monkeys!”

This is factual, not argumentative:
I honestly don’t know that I have met a cat that would not defend itself. Dogs, yes.

At one point in my childhood we had around 30 cats and 14 German Shepherds. A childhood game was to see how many cats could sleep on me at once, and for how long. Catnest: sit with my back to the wall and my knees bent and see how many kitties could sleep in the nest at one time. Of course, I used both hands, alternately, to pet them one at a time, not to show favor and lose one.

“I honestly don’t know that I have met a cat that would not defend itself. Dogs, yes.”

Really? Well, I have. Several. We’ll have to agree to disagree on this :]

Seems like a good separate question, though.

I agree about a new question, and I’m also happy to agree to disagree.

If you care to, ask the question, or frame it and I’ll ask tomorrow?

There are only 2 times I have deliberately been hard to get along with on Fluther, and you weren’t a factor in either.

@ibstubro “There are only 2 times I have deliberately been hard to get along with on Fluther, and you weren’t a factor in either.”

Right back at you. Even the “two times” fits for me.

You do the honours. Send it to me when you have, please! :]